Yay !! Thanks for the info. Now if it will only get warm again ........ I am very wimpy when it comes to cold weather. Too bad hubby does not take as much interest in these things. I usually have to bribe him or threaten him to get his help, LOL. Believe me, the success of our zoysia has NOTHING to do with us !! We are very lucky that the previous owners lived here a long time and took obvious pride in the beauty of the yard. There was an owner in between who was foreclosed on and let things fall apart. We have been struggling to restore the house since we bought it. Inside came first, at the detriment of the yard, so last year we started working on bringing the yard back. Mostly the beds, and stuff like that. The zoysia was very forgiving on only getting mowed and no other love for several years. : )

"Any ideas on maybe a three season plant that could be used to add some structure to the beds" Pat_tea, I don't know what zone you are in but it's likely warmer than my zone 3. I have a curved path through a perennial bed and have used Dusty Miller with Munstead Lavender behind and between on one side of the path and the Dusty Miller with perennial flax on the other side. I'd have used all lavender but the flax is hardier and I may have to replace all the lavender with flax later if some don't survive the winter. I've been quite pleased with this and would post pics except I've been too busy gardening this year to deal with the pics I've taken. The Dusty Miller is not successfully perennial here but certainly looks very good for 3 seasons. Might be perennial in your zone. Perennial flax is really only 2 seasons as needs deadheading in August otherwise one has a million of them. Lavender is still looking reasonably good here and I've been lucky with it as it's not reliably hardy in this zone. Another plant I like along pathways is Walkers Low Catmint. I first saw this on Freda's blog and loved it. See the link below and other catmint links there. I've propagated my WL but still don't have enough plants to edge the path. Will take more slips in the spring to make more plants and eventually may do the same as Freda. OK, back to the original question as to how to place plants evenly on both sides. What I did was to measure to find the center of each side of the path. My path curves so these are not equal measurements. Then I found the middle point of each side and marked it. Then I took a stake which was approximately the distance I wanted the plants spaced which was *about* 18" and marked out from the center. I then fiddled with it until it worked out fairly well at each end. I'm not a perfectionist in my garden so close enough WAS close enough. This particular perennial bed is somewhat raised from the lawn so I couldn't go too close to the end of the path but IMO it looks good. Hope that helps. :) Here is a link that might be useful: Have I Told You Lately That I Love Catmint?

"Cooling jars When you remove hot jars from a canner, do not retighten their jar lids. Retightening of hot lids may cut through the gasket and cause seal failures. Cool the jars at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. Jars may be cooled on racks or towels to minimize heat damage to counters. The food level and liquid volume of raw-packed jars will be noticeably lower after cooling. Air is exhausted during processing and food shrinks. If a jar loses excessive liquid during processing, do not open it to add more liquid. Check for sealed lids as described below. Testing jar seals After cooling jars for 12 to 24 hours, remove the screw bands and test seals with one of the following options: Option 1. Press the middle of the lid with a finger or thumb. If the lid springs up when you release your finger, the lid is unsealed. Option 2. Tap the lid with the bottom of a teaspoon. If it makes a dull sound, the lid is not sealed. If food is in contact with the underside of the lid, it will also cause a dull sound. If the jar is sealed correctly, it will make a ringing, high-pitched sound. Option 3. Hold the jar at eye level and look across the lid. The lid should be concave (curved down slightly in the center). If center of the lid is either flat or bulging, it may not be sealed." you might want to look at the diagrams accompanying this quotations at the following link: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/general/cooling_jars_test_seals.html

Thank you all for your support it means the world to me. I've always been the type to beat myself up for not knowing how to do the things just right. It would not be so bad if dad's mind wasn't clear as a bell right now. His abuse of his medicine is a real concern for me. I got a call from him today saying he needs his antibiotic for his sinus, well he'll only take one or two and he says it cures his sinus. You and I know this isn't so and even if it does help it's short term, taking the antibiotics like that can cause harm but no one can get this through to my dad. I have had so many problems with doctors in my past that I don't trust them easily. It was me that saved my husband from a possible stroke, his blood pressure was high and I could tell when it was up but with the sleep apne he had to take showed how bad it was. They could not get it down all night so I marched into our dr.'s and told them about this and they looked back at his chart and seen that it was high everytime he went in for a check up. Now why don't they pay more attention to this? This is why I fear looking for yet another doctor. I have no luck with them. Only once did I have a wonderful doctor and within a year my insurance changed and he didn't take it :( He was the one that listen to me about my weight and took test finding that my thyroid was bad. I went through years with a sore throat and my throat closing up at night in my sleep, waking up unable to breath for 10 or so seconds but felt longer and didn't know if I'd get my breath. If it's wasn't for y'all I don't know if I'd be able to be strong for my dad. I never knew it could be so hard. I look at pictures of my grandparents, dads parents and talk to them and wishing they were here. They had a hard life and I can just image that they went through just what I am now. They took care of my great grandmother for 17 years then told my grandmothers brother it was time for him to care for his mother and give them a break. Great grandmother was called little granny and I never seen pictures of her but heard great stories about her, I found a picture of her the other day and I'm so happy to finally seen her, she past away a few years before I was born. Sorry for being long winded. Barbara