Destinasia... such an apt word! I've locked my keys in the car twice (that I remember). The first time (I was in my 30's), DD was with me. She NEVER forgot, and whenever with me would ask if I had the keys before closing her door. Forty years later and she still asks. The second time, (in my 50's) I was in the parking garage at work and just tipped the door to not-closed-but-almost so another car could park beside me. The other driver helpfully pushed the door all the way closed on his way past. Sigh. My new car with the window half-way down: I discovered you could reach in and push the lock button to open but it wouldn't unlock the door ("smart car" required driver's weight on seat to fulfill command) and no one was skinny enough to wriggle through the window to reach keys. I had the choice of paying $95 to dealer to come open, or take a cab and 1 hour unpaid leave to go home and get the duplicate ($80). Ouch. See link for an inexpensive key-hide, but keep in mind that most thieves know the hiding places. OTOH, there are lockable hides available which would make it just a bit more difficult to steal. Googl for 'auto key dies' and ''auto key safes'. Here is a link that might be useful: hide-a-key

Your wish is my command, Claire! :) The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue. -Anonymous Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful. -Ann Landers If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. -Will Rogers There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. -Ben Williams A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself. -Josh Billings The average dog is a nicer person than the average person. -Andy Rooney We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made. -M. Acklam Dogs love their friends and bite their enemies, quite unlike people, who are incapable of pure love and always have to mix love and hate. -Sigmund Freud I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult. -Rita Rudner A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down. -Robert Benchley Anybody who doesn't know what soap tastes like never washed a dog. -Franklin P. Jones If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons. -James Thurber If your dog is fat, you aren't getting enough exercise. -Unknown My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to $3.00 a can. That's almost $21.00 in dog money. -Joe Weinstein Ever consider what our dogs must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul -- chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth! -Anne Tyler Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man.. -Mark Twain You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, 'Wow, you're right! I never would've thought of that!' - Dave Barry Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. -Roger Caras If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then give him only two of them. -Phil Pastoret My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am. ------------------- The only one I don't care for is the Robert Heinlein quote, even though it's soooo true :) Jeff

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I do enjoy sitting on the front porch and enjoying the yard, even if its less than perfect. On one hand its awesome having nothing but creek and woods in the back, and hundreds of acres of fields on three sides. But it means my green, fed and weed free lawn is on the attack from 4 sides by weedy unkempt fields. I am slowly going to make inroads to the south (far end of picture above, past swale and cypress tree), even though I don't own it. I am trying hard to follow the organic mantra and just got my first soil test back. I guess two years of liming has paid off, as my PH is good. I am high on both phosphorus and K and my organic matter is 2.7%, which i find amazing, i guess going bagless and mulching leaves helps. My wish list includes a compost tea application. Might brew a batch myself and overseeding with some KGB over time. right now, i think i am mostly fescue. the lawn was originally a "spray" lawn, and the guy says he used what he had laying around? Sweet........ Anyway, i feel good about using organic, and someday, i think my lawn will thank me. In my case,the impetus was all manner of animals surrounding me, turtles, deer, groundhogs, toads, ducks, geese, and a nice size creek that my lawn runs off into. So no high phosphate synth fertilizer at this house.

Chris, hi there. Actually it is Hazel that first wrote about her massive lack of flowers, then she and I got into mentioning our other 'downsides' of 2007 which then took over the thread...(sorry Hazel). Anyway, back to the loss of flowers,....hopefully Hazel will pick up again on this. I personally only have a Celadine which I grew from a cutting taken in Oz in 2005, which did incidentally flower in 2006. In 2007 it produced only a few, maybe 6 weedy leaves, nothing like the size and strength of the previous years growth. Following an accident I had my arm in a cast so was only able to top dress it's pot when it did eventualy start to grow, so that may not have been enough. It was fed, but that didn't do the job either, but I gave it no bloom booster as it hardly had leaves never mind being able to sprout an inflo! My other 4 'NOID' plumies were seed sown in spring 07, so are still immature although three have grown several branches and are almost as tall and thick as my Celadine. Hopefully Hazel will get flowers this year as I know she has many plants as you can read in the first msg on here... I'm also hoping for some on my Celadine too as I will be able to give it more TLC come spring! Last years season was a washout in the UK, literally, we did have a hot spell in April, then it went downhill rapidly with very little sun and tons of rain right through till August, our so called summer was over then and so was the growing season. Regards, Gill.