I hope by now Maddy is done with her critters. Man with 3 kids of my own, I remember those times like they were yesterday. It is a pain in the b.... This year I got LOTS of sunflowers everywhere popping up. All different kinds. Karyn you said it....you just feel HAPPY when you look at them. Of course the sunflowers that grow right under the bird feeder. Well it happened again like it did last year and I guess it is a squirrel that rips of the little unopened sunflower head. Lucy

Karyn trust me, I have the same thoughts about Bambi not thanking me one day and eating it all lol. All one can do around here is HOPE they leave you SOMETHING when they get to your plants. Dorothy thank you, I needed a that hug. Siam words can not describe the pain you feel when you realize that the fur baby that only been with you for 9 years, might not make it and be with you anymore. Pam even in these bad times...I DO think about my friends here. I just hate it to unload the sadness on everyone. Day after day. I like to cheer folks up and not make them sad. Oh and YES they have been jumping the lower fence to the porch. Eating lots of goody stuff. I just tell myself that it must have been the starving mom, needing food so she can feed her baby. That thought makes it a little bit more bearable lol Barb, don't worry. I KNEW who is suppose to eat that castor bean plant rofl. But that would mean they are in the back yard and I rather keep the castor bean plant safely away from them lol Tammy no changes in food and NO questions are dumb. Especially when one is in so much pain, you might not see the hole picture. Not think of thinks others do. So thanks for caring. I do have another kitty. She is doing good. Besides the fact that SHE had a urinary track infection and that is why I did not catch on that it was Amadeus peeing in places he should not and that HE is sick. I just kept my eyes on HER. Right now I am feeding him Pedialyte mixed with Gerber Turkey baby food into a pasty mix. The only time he drinks water is in the morning when I take him outside. To the deer. I believe my neighbor must have a sign up...come deliver your bambi here. Just look at this one taken a few days ago. Mom saw me and took off. I saw them to late so Bambi laid there. Thinking it can be INVISIBLE from me lol From Pictures to share with Garden buddies Susan I am giving Amadeus so much lovin, he hides under the bed now lol I just want him to know that I love him. So THANK YOU everyone for listening to my heartache. But I hope I also shared with you that I believe that even when thinks hurt like hell, there is a reason why things happen. Like Maddy ask me on Friday what heart break is. So my best example was to say that my heart would break if Amadeus would die right now. Because he is still so young. One is NEVER ready to say good bye to someone you love. But I also told her that he would be in heaven and a better beautiful day. It was interesting that a 5 year old came up with that question in my time of sadness. It came out of the blue and made me THINK about what IF. Hugs Lucy

Dorothy it is the same. Mine looked just like it when it was baby spinach lol I rarely look at the leaves though. Because the blooms are just gorgeous how it looks hanging over the top. It grows SO FAST it is not funny. Got to nib it back a lot. Mine gets LOTS of water...of COURSE>..it is ME we are talking about hahahahaha and is in the ground. thanks Susan and Joyce. Joyce does that sound like I found a taker for a plant I can share with you when I did em up? that is if the cats leave me some. I swear some are so bare and show no re growth what so ever :-( yet. Lucy

I read through this thread last night, but was unable to post to it. Rather than read through it again, I'll touch base on a few things that stood out in being a native of Kansas City. Welcome to Kansas City AprilK and to the rest of you that have migrated here, or plan to soon. The Brookside area is a lovely area with lots of beautiful well established gardens and fully mature trees that are loaded with robust color and foliage. As for the Kansas vs. Missouri thing, grins, I grew up in Kansas and moved to the Missouri side in my early 20's. I moved back to Kansas only for a short while back in the 90's, 8 months to be precise, and I could not WAIT to buy a home again north of the river on the Missouri side. I've been in Clay County now for over half of my life and love it. Both states have their pros and cons, and much of it is more about the neighborhoods you select than it is what state you live in. There are "some" differences in politics and it shows in some of the ways laws are governed; especially Family Law. Also, a thing to keep in mind whenever seeking to move here, you should consult with your insurance agencies to get quotes on both homeowners insurance and auto rates; the amounts you pay might make the difference you spend in a mortgage or rent payment. Plus, the insurance companies are privy to high and low crime areas; it's a great way to weed out some of the less safe districts. The higher the crime rate, the higher the insurance premiums. One final note on location; if you are considering living on one side of the state line while working across the border, you will pay taxes to both states. Ok, all that said for the "transplants" (pun intended), now for some garden talk. I noticed multiple references to Peonies and wanted to mention a personal negative experience I had with them. I suggest that you do not plant them near the foundation of your home unless you enjoy ants. Peonies are a magnet for ants and if not tended to properly; they will invade your home. The previous home I purchased had a beautiful peony garden across the front of the home's foundation; very mature and robust. Once I got in the home, there was a constant issue in having to deal with sugar ants trying to invade my home. Finally, once I learned that the peonies were the root cause of the ants being along the foundation of the home; I moved them away from the home's base and planted them along the outside property lines where they drew the ants away from the home; doing so resolved the problem. While I love peonies; the flowers are short term on many species. Right now, with it being the end of summer and heading into autumn; we are beginning a new planting season here in Kansas City. The autumn is a great time for planting bulbs that require a hard freeze to bloom the following season. Irises, tulips, lilies, daffodils, hyacinths, crocus, etc... Again, many of these flowers have a short lived flowering life and provide the best show of colors when planted according to bloom span noted on planting guides; early spring, mid spring, late spring, early summer, mid.. etc.... You will want to layer bloom cycles to where you have a constant show of color. Just be careful not to over-crowd your garden and divide your plants, once well established, to keep them from choking each other out. Many of the above mentioned are full sun to part sun plants, and while they will still grow in the shade, they are less likely to bloom. Hyacinths do well in the shade, as well as Lily of the Valley. Beware though, the Lily of the Valley plant can be invasive given the right conditions and is also known to be deadly to children if ingested; not sure if it is the same for pets, but most likely would be so. For shade gardens, my favorites are ferns and hostas. When I plant my ferns, I loosen the clay soil by digging the hole double the size of the plant and filling in around the roots with cypress mulch or peat humus before adding dirt back in to fill. I've had the best luck with ferns I plant along the foundation of my home in a well shaded area; North side, and east side. I have not had as much luck in planting the ferns around trees; they seem to lose out in a battle against the tree roots. Hostas seem to do much better for me around the trees in lightly filtered sun locations; but primarily shady gardens. As I have 18 trees in my yard with this newer place I acquired a few years ago, I'm getting ready to try my hand with coral bells, columbine and some other shady hummingbird magnets. My full sun location in my yard is limited to about 10 feet wide by about 30 feet long. The area borders my driveway and my mailbox, which makes me think twice about filling the area with bee balms and other plants that will draw bees as well as butterflies and hummers. Lawrence, KS has pretty much the same planting specs as the Missouri side does. Sorry for the long winded post, but I love gardens, and hope you all find Kansas City a very welcoming community.