After you hae spun the engine several times with the plug out, replace the plug and leave air filter off for the moment. Engine should now crank and run, but plug may foul, meaning you have to clean oil off plug, reinstall and crank again. Once the engine starts, it will smoke like crazy, then clear up, and then begin to smoke again. This is normal. First smoke is oil in the combustion chamber, intake manifold, etc. When it starts smoking a second time, this is oil in the muffler, now hot enough to burn off. May take as much as 15 minutes or more to burn off completely. You make need to use a squirt of gasoline or starting fluid to get engine to light off initially. Use sparingly. Finally, don't forget to replace air filter.

Thanks for the tip, Elisabeth. I need more potting soil, too, so I can check them out. Oh, MissSherry, I've seen those wasps carry off full size caterpillars, too! The sulphur female was back again, but I didn't see if she was ovipositing or not. At the time, she was nectaring on the Nicotiana I picked up recently - white with a pink tint to the base and calyxes of the flowers. I'm kinda worn slick tonight. Kenna was here today and we had a good time. We have a new stray cat, Lady George (cuz she looks identical to my indoor cat, George) that is very friendly and was obviously feeding wee cats somewhere. She decided she wanted us to try to find them, so we hunted high and low, and she finally found them in a basement next door! She was thrilled and now has in mind to ween and tame them. Oh, my..... I did get to pot up some seedlings of Asclepias viridis and Salvia 'Forest Fire'. I think I'm really going to like this Salvia. It is fire engine red with black calyces - sounds stunning! I've got so many seedlings to pot up, and I'm not going to do this any more in the future, so I'm feeling very obligated to pot up as many of my seedlings as possible, and either give them away to a couple friends here, and probably to Sandy if she wants some, too. I am growing the red flowering Tecoma for the first time, and I think it will look very pretty, too. The Flame Acanthus that I didn't think would come up w/o stratification is coming up well. Note to self: Don't believe everything you read! Have lots of Silene regia (might be good for your meadow, if native in MS as well) to pot up. Lots to keep me busy for a good while anyway. Sorry to ramble on.... Susan

Lucky you! I don't have any this year but have raised them in the past by cutting twigs and sticking them in yogurt containers filled with water.Another way is to use larval sleeves made of remay cloth.You can buy a roll of it at Lowes,then sew 2 lengths of it together,leaving one end open (like a giant sock.) Carefully place it over a branch and tie the open end at the bottom...after putting the cats inside of course. Dan

I know this is a belated message but i share your pain. I don't have a dog but i have kids and cats. I did a couple hundred cuttings of various things, mostly lavander and rosemary and sedums. I went to Oklahoma for 9 days to be with 5 day old grandson. Came home and ALL the cuttings were dead. nobody watered ( i had asked them too. they missed all the cuttings) the cats walked on the flats. disassembling alot of them. SO.... I redid all my cuttings. I got called out to do disaster relief in galveston for 2 weeks. after 4 days of being gone i called to find out no one had watered my greenhouse at all. inside or out. it was supposed to rain. well, rain doesnt go in the greenhouse!! I did lose a few cuttings but not too bad. I redid them again!! I have a small home nursery and am trying to prepare for next season and its getting difficult. Hopefully, i wont be going anywhere soon. I do get to pot up a bunch that are ready now. Tanya