Note that there is a special place for non-garden questions - up on the top before the beginning of posts there is a blue "Conversations" tab to click and to post under for this type of non-garden question. I'm not the police, just want to help you find out that there is a lot of information on this forum and a wealth of information on the rest of GW, which are organized quite well, although sometimes not really very obvious where, to new members. As you can see though, it's not cast in stone because you did get many answers here and you will elsewhere on the GW, so you will never be ignored. I am retired and the pay I get for sitting is in hugs and wet kisses and good times to remember when the house is quiet again. It would be nice though to get paid a little for milk and cookies (child or pet types), or that they would bring some treat with them once in a while, or a treat for me even. As for the price for paying non-family to sit for your children and pets, take the info from those above and start asking around. It is a big responsibility to sit for triplet toddlers who go in six directions at once and the price you pay should be commensurate with that level of responsibility. As it has been said - you get what you pay for. Pay 'em $5 per hour and you get $5 worth of inattention. Pay 'em $20 per hour and you can go do what you have to away from them with an easy mind. Childcare can't be a cut-rate proposition since they are the most precious things you have. Pets on the other hand are not quite as precious, but they can't get their own dinner or water either and you do need someone dependable to show up when they are supposed to. Since you live far away from the 20-mile tripper, you should compensate them for their trip time and their gas in addition to their on-the-job time. As for baby-sitters I only asked those with their own car to come sit so that if there was an emergency they would not have to wait for their mom to come get them (we lived far out in the country when mine were small) and since this was before cell phones, they wouldn't have to wait for us to come back and get them, if they could reach us by phone at all. As to where to find these sitter types, I'd recommend contacting some of the local churches. Many have youth groups and keep lists of young people who need some spending money, and as I've found, were always dependable. In my church we have some people (in all age ranges) who have lost their jobs and would love to do something, anything, for any fair amount of pay. Hope you have good luck finding just the right match for your needs! Nancy the nancedar

Thanks for that phone number, it is good to be proactive if we suspect something. I think Monrovia should be commended for their prompt response to the SOD discovery. When a nursery contacted them on my behalf about some recently purchased plants they asked what species and what size container and they were able to tell me where my plants were grown (not Azuza, thank goodness). Recently I have noticed some Monrovia plants with a large "Grown in GA" sticker stuck on their labels. I'll be looking for more of those in the future.

Production is usually in terms of lbs. of fruit rather than number of fruit. 20 lbs. is a good approx. seasonal average production so quite a bit more would be "heavy" and quite a bit less would be "light". I tend to use the labels excellent, good, and minimal when describing production in my notes. Vigor in plants means more than just plant size to me - includes over all health, color, well spaced nodes, leaflet number and size and shape, diameter of secondary stems compared to primary, etc. Dave

Congratulation on your home in Hilton Head. It is my favorite place in the world. My parents live there and we try to visit 3-4 times a year. I don't have any advice on your kitchen style but I can help you with some other things. I actually shopped for some of my items for our kitchen reno. in Hilton Head. Billy Wood Appliances - they have all the brands and a great showroom. Hagemeyer-great lighting store. They will give you a discount off the price on the ticket. Stone Works-my favorite tile store. They have all the "names" and many slabs of granite in their showroom along with cabinet door fronts. This was so great because I could really get an idea of what my tile would look like! Traditions-this is a furniture/accessory store that I got some of my lighting from. I will probably get some furniture as time goes on as well. They are wonderful and will come to your home and help you if you need it. Yes, I bought some of my things in South Carolina and had them shipped to TN. Good luck on your new adventure! So happy for you!