You have a good eye for jewelry making, Cena! I especially love the dangly earrings. I sold Avon for 20 years, mostly to buy the jewelry for myself, but a couple years ago, I started to get bored with the stuff they were putting out, so I quit. Your stuff is very vibrant - I like that! Are you selling it, and if so, where?

Great photos as always, BTW. As for these economic times, all is so fan-freakin-tastic here, I shouldn't even mention it!! I stopped watching the news when it all became about how "bad, bad, bad" everything is. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy if you let it get into your head. So I don't. Won't even read the newspaper anymore. Well, not entirely true. I scour the headlines to find upbeat articles sometimes and cut them out. For instance... did any of you hear about the motorcyclist riding down the street one of these warm days recently, here in Omaha. He apparently had $2500 in his wallet, which was in a pocket in his jacket that wasn't zipped. It fell out as he was driving down the street and the guy behind him saw it hit the pavement and the 100 dollar bills go flying. Well, he stopped and a bunch of other people stopped, and he left them to gather the bills while he drove ahead and caught up with the guy and tell him what had happened. The guy comes back to find 4 lanes of traffic stopped (2 in each direction) and all these people holding money and waiting for him to come back! He got all but 1 of the hundreds back!! Now if that doesn't make you walk around with a big smile, nothing will!!

And I know that anyone who's going through tough times hates to hear chipper retoric, but I've been practicing the (sometimes hard) art of positive thinking and I can't believe the great things that are happing in my life. And as you keep the beat up, it gets easier - easier because you start to believe it works as evidence materializes. So, chins up, everybody!

Denise in Omaha

Nice plants Cena and so many blooms.

I have to agree with Denise. I also don't watch news or read about our currant situation. I believe a positive state of mind will go a long way and what the news people are cramming down our throats is not at all good for the economy. I beleive they are only adding fuel to the problem. I think we all should stop focusing on the negative and think and do positive things and it will make a big diferance.

I loved that story Denise, it shows just how people can be with a positive influence.

Hey Cena,

Hiya, & welcome back, good to see you're still around & kicking. What is your "'Princess' that's already sporting bud", no idea what you're talking about, is that an Orchid, a Hoya or what? Please clarify. Otherwise, all your blooms look gorgeous as usual.

Am happy to report the Stephanotis seeds you'd shared are going strong. I've got 4 survivor seedlings, from almost 20 seeds, most of which germinated, (I'd tried them in different set-ups, unfortunately the set up w/ the most dried out).

The H. australis cuttings you shared are going strong, I just cut one back yesterday & thought of you. Here in NYC, it's just thinking abt becoming Spring, but they're doing fine, w/ their new darkish leaves w/ the bright green dot on the tip, so cool.

Glad you've popped in, good to see ya!

Cena, Beautiful pictures as always!! Sounds like you have so much on your plate... but its great to have you back, and always looking forward to more great pictures!! Great Jewelry BTW.

I'm so sorry to hear about your dog. It is so hard to lose a loving companion...

Yoga sounds like it is really a stress reliever, might have to give it a try it someday.

Cena, good to see you on line again, I am sorry to hear about your dog. The power of positive thinking is a powerful tool for everyone.
Here are some of the stuff from my house.
{{gwi:381798}}
{{gwi:381799}}

Few more.
{{gwi:381383}}
{{gwi:381384}}

Jan, What a beautiful Home and yard/garden you have!! I especially noticed your nice Mango tree? I love mangos, my young trees got severly damaged by the freeze this last winter...I think it will recover but it has really been set back...I thought the freeze killed it, but I think(hope) it will recover? Thanks for the great pictures!!
Sorry for the off topic Cena...

Back again for a minute.

Cena, sorry for your loss.

As to economic downturn, I'm now out of work 16 months -- hard not to notice it, but the plants & quilts keep me going while I keep looking.

Anybody got any networking leads or tips for me in NYC please (can you imagine)? I used to be a legal secretary, am trying for exec/admin asst in anything art/ cultural / educational /social service / philanthropy related & or by extension related to law. Hoping to switch to quilt related, selling them &/or teaching them altogether.

Cena, so sorry, I forgot that 'Princess' likely refers to H. Krimson Princess (duh, Karen).

Can someone pls. post the link to the jewelry, I've tried several times & can't see it. TIA

Good to 'see ya' Cena!

Here it is, Karen...

Denise in Omaha

Here is a link that might be useful: Cena's jewelry

Denise, I've avoided the 'Nightly Horror Story' for years. I am not focused on the down turn, because so many things in my life are on the upswing... how can one CHOOSE to focus on the bad when there are amazing things happening, and one only has to open one's eyes?!?!

When Avon switched to Newport News I sorta quit participating. Thanks for the nice comments, I need to find a market for my product. This is a total OT breach, but if anyone is looking for custom work, contact me, please.

Once I moved, four years ago, so many things changed. The amount of spiders trashing my plants, the amount of scale I had to deal with. The fact my new location was so much more in line with epiphytics, orchids, epiphyllums, hoyas. AND I had property "I" could plant how "I" wanted it to be... Not to mention no HOA could tell me I can't have a double decker bed frame in the back yard... See the results here!

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/orchidsgal/msg0320431828653.html

Karen, glad you caught up on the Princess thing. I'll be posting pix of 'How Not To Grow' hoyas. See said Princess.

Thanks for ALL the nice comments, and I hope to stay more in touch. I took lots of pix today but it turns out my camera is... malfunctioning. And there is no budget for, extranius pleasure making apparatus labled camera...

I'm over here in the corner, saying many bad words. You will see what I'm talking about when I post the princess pix.

Y'all are so sweet!

Jan, I went galloping off and never mentioned the beautiful pix of your yard, your wonderful snail vine, the amarillis you seem to have great luck with and to reiterate just how BEAUTIFUL your yard is!!! That kalenchoe grouping is to DIE for! Is your 'Snail Vine' fragrant???

We could arrange a trade if it is....

Beautiful work and oh, so appealing.
Thank you for sharing those photos.

Pirate Girl...as far as I can tell entrepreneurship is the way to go! Also, as far as I can hear, it will be worse. I myself am a full-time student, expected to graduate this fall, but I had a full-time job until september 2008. It was terrible losing my job at first, but it allowed me to go back to school in the meantime of looking for a job. I am personally going to school for non-profit management...and I think it's important to have a degree that can attach itself to many jobs...good luck though...it's rough out there for all the good people like yourself!

Puglver, thanks! I started mango from a seed 10 years ago, got some mangos few years ago but didn't taste too good but I am keeping the tree for the shade.

Cena, thanks! snail vine does not have fragrances. The kalancho is only one plant, the leaves are about 10-11" long.

I am going to focus on good things in my life, what ever happens in the future I have no control over just have to deal with it as it comes.

Jan

Slightly off topic, but to Saltarello pls (then if we want to talk abt this more, we should take it to Conversation side or private EM).

"entrepreneurship" is awfully broad & amorphous & an easy term to throw around, but really entrepreneurship IN WHAT?

Also, suggesting that it will be worse, (to my mind) is a pointless endeavor & one that I find absolutely useless & not helpful. Maybe it's cause you're young & a student, but generally one can observe that it serves nothing to think that (no matter WHAT the media is saying).

It's neither constructive nor helpful to repeat negativity, so I don't allow entry to thoughts like that; I don't mean to sound so Pollyanna but it's true.

Sorry to waiver off topic, but had to say that.

Pug, you have a mango that fruits that you grew from seed? Holy mackerel that's amazing, oh wait, FLA sun, but still, that IS amazing!

I love growing mango from seed, they go thru funky color changes, apricot colored to burgundy to green & then look like ordinary green leaves. While I find it fun, they get buggy indoors after 4" tall or so, that's the longest I've gotten 'em here, before I got frustrated w/ fruit flies & tossed 'em.

I grew up in the tropics; next door neighbor had a Mango tree that dropped fruit on our side of the wall all the time. I LOVE eating mangos, yum, yum, yum (had 1/2 one yesterday, w/ banana & raspberries)!

What are snail vines pls?

Is that the pretty lilac colored flower in yr. pix?

My Dad (living in FLA 'til recently) had that & neither he nor my StepMom knew what it was, but lilac, sort of trumpet-shaped & quite a vigorous grower even in full & unrelenting sun. They had it as hedges on the side of their property, seperating from neighbors & climbing the fence btwn the properties. Very pretty covered the fence rendering it invisible, yet full of light purple blooms -- VERY nice!

PG,I started mango from a seed. Snail vine is the light purple flowers, your dad might had a sky vine not the snail vine.

Jan,

The light purple flower I remember seeing, looks the same as yours. What pls. is the difference btwn a snail vine & a sky vine? Got any botanical names to compare?

Thunbergia grandiflora aka blue(I forgot) sky vine, Trumpet shape flowers.

Yes Pirate, I completely see your point. Yes, we can speak of other things privately, just to say this though, I guess I see things differently, and do not see it as being a negative thing, but as a thing to make someone think differently. A lot of things are changing. Maybe my comment was ill-concieved before I wrote it, because I thought I was writing something constructive. Although, I can't give anyone that I don't know advice on what type of entrepreneurship to pursue. So, I probably should have just said nothing. I'm sorry that you found my comment unhelpful. If I feel the urge to say something next time, it will be private.

Well Saltarello,

There seems to be no way to EM you privately. Clicking on your Member page doesn't list a EM addy or offer a way thru GW (as it does w/ older GW participants like myself).

Clicking on your name doesn't go anywhere either. I am trying to make private contact, but you appear to be inaccessible, so, can we pls. drop it?

Here, the whole country seems to have succumbed to "recession fever". One of the things I like to do when I'm stuck, usually squashed, on the tube every morning is to read the free papers, and they're quite full of recession news: if it's not a banker getting a massive pay off, it's another company that's had to shut down because it's gone into administration.

However, I find, I still have a job, my company's not doing too bad (someone left and they've employed TWO new people) and I still have the same amount of money to spend on stuff (not enough, but I still have a roof over my head and food on the table).

I've also found that some things are cheaper - this is good, because it means what's left at the end of all my bills I can spend on things I want.

But sadly, the plants that I would like to buy from Europe are more expensive because the Euro is up and the pound is down. I'll just have to buy fewer plants - ha.

Hills,

If you're speaking from England, what please does "gone into administration" mean?

Would that be like into receivership, which here means the beginning of bankruptcy proceedings?

Also (am I the only one who isn 't understanding?) what does "stuck, usually squashed" mean?

Not trying to be dense here, just really don't know what these things mean. Thanks

PG good old Google has the answers. I think Saltarello was only trying to help, entrepreneurship is always an option and like you mentioned earlier you would like to get into quilting as a job, that is the answer to your question.

Administration
If a limited company goes into administration, an administrator is appointed. This legal procedure gives the company a break from having to deal with people they owe money to. The administrator will see if the company can be rescued or sold as a going concern as an alternative to going bust.

For anyone who is not familiar with what is going on during this global financial crisis and just why governments are pumping billions of dollars into private companies you should learn about the great depression and why it came about. The current governments are trying their best to do just the opposite of what was done that lead to a depression that lasted an entire decade. Having said that the banking system is a complete fraud designed to make bankers rich and nothing else. Zeitgeist is a great place to learn about the banking system and just why it is falling apart and in need of replacement with something that actually works. Allowing the banking system to completely crumble is never going to happen but there should be government action taken to introduce law to prevent greed and speculation from controlling our financial institutions.

I know way off topic!

Mike

Here is a link that might be useful: Zeitgeist

wow, i hope that wasn't saltarello's first time posting on GW, he certainly won't be back after that reception.

PG, think public transportation... "when I'm stuck on the tube every morning". Being a NYer I'm sure you are familiar with the concept of riding PT during rush hour.

Thanks Cena,

Closest I guessed it to mean was maybe stuck in traffic driving. I'm almost immune to the subway, I ride an hour each way & have for 20 yrs. Mostly I read & in recent years I've taken to doing the hand-finishing work on some quilts on the train. Attracts some interesting comments.

Mike, thanks for that explanation, I certainly wouldn't have been able to put it better myself, and now I understand what administration actually means... you know, you hear these phrases often, and you know it's not good, but at the same time not exactly sure what the technical term is.

Re stuck, usually squashed: Think of a tin of sardines. Now think of a tube train. Then think of people, like sardines, in a tube train. They usually don't smell too good, have elbows that ram you right in your kidneys, and are in a bad mood because they're also being squashed and probably squeezed themselves onto an all ready over full train because they're running late for work and have had to let several trains go past all ready. Oh, and being tall, doesn't help either: if you get in late, I have to hunch next to the doors until a space in the centre comes available. It's worse for my taller friends.

If I'm lucky, I get a seat within a couple of stops so don't have to stand in such a mass of humanity, but I'm telling you, it's unpleasant, and usually bad tempered. And you're stuck because you have nowhere else to go.

Thank you.

Cena,
I've missed your wisdom and witticism. I love the rose quartz earrings on the purple iris. The offer for a kitten still stands. Purrum's about to pop. I would be more than happy to drive one down if it's ready by Mother's Day. I have a couple sans & other goodies to send you also. Email me so I can give you the details.

Cena,

I think you should take Mentha up on that offer. I lost my last kitty, Samantha, in May 2005 (she was 20.) She was such a sweetie, I was leary to get another kitty for fear that it would never live up to my expectations after having such a loving cat. Finally, this last August, I got two kitties from a lady I work with. It was like fate had brought them to me... She had recently lost a dog she loved, and here this stray kitty wanders up and comes right in her house! The plump kitty turned out to be expecting, and she popped out three kittens a couple weeks later. My friend knew I'd been longing for a kitty, but was "waiting for the right time," and wanted me to have my pick. Well, I ended up taking home two sweet "cow kitties" and now that I've had them 6 months, I'm kind of kicking myself that I let 3 years of my life go by without the company of kitties... They're so deliciously wonderful! And Lucy, our 100 lb. German Shepherd, adores them almost as much as they adore her!

Denise in Omaha

Denise, I remember your cow kitties!!! They looked so much like my girl. We still have two kitties in the house and have possibly been adopted by an abandoned cat. He is an intact male and he sprays everywhere. Plus had no fear of coming in the house through the pet doors. He woke my husband up in the middle of the night yowling in our bedroom!

I may mention it to DH again. I was at the Shelter today, looking at all the sad puppies.

Cena,
I know this is OT, but Purrum had her kittens last night, four little black & white spotted babies.

I was hoping for one which had as much white as she does, but she didn't.

But they will be cute as a button anyway. Unfortunately as soon as I got the camera out, mama had to come protect her brood.

And to keep this Hoya related, my new Hoya from WM. They finally started getting EA plants in, so I bought both of them. They were even cheaper than they would have been had I bought them at their website. I put them both together in a new pot.

PS The Sans was a rescue I had to soak the peat off and repot :S & you must come over to the other forum and look at all the Sans blooms & buds.

Mentha, what a Sneaky Pete you are!!!

(I'll tell you what, those pictures of Purrum did the trick!) DH has determined that part of the problem, losing my Jasmine Kitty was that she was mostly white. I am loathe to tell this, but she had an overwhelming flea attack that neither of our other two cats suffered. DH SWORE he would never own another white animal. (Fleas recognize white as heat and food.) Jasmine and the other cats were getting regular baths and treatment, but for some reason (I keep telling myself it was health) she was overun and collapsed within two days.

SO, the upshot of this is, tell me when you are coming down to the SDES meeting and I will meet you and pick up kitties. Black ones, please! AND I got DH to agree to two. He would prefer girls, I would prefer boys cause I think girls are 'high maintenance' and difficult to fold in. Our Senior is a Siamese male and we nearly lost him when Jasmine 'disappeared'.

So, there, I've gone and done it!
Please let me know. I need to prepare.

Geesh, those photos were OverKill!!!
But I should mention I've been to the shelter in the last ten days...

Thank you, friends, for helping me not be a Mess!

Cena,
I'll keep you updated with pictures. I'm not sure what she has just yet, she won't let me look. Purrum's kittens are usually very friendly and well mannered.
Diotomaceous earth is supposed to be a good alternative to flea medications as it cuts the insect causeing dehydration without poisoning the animal.
I'll tell you that with Purrum being mostly white, her ear tips burn each summer. I had hoped for an almost all white baby, but she didn't have one, but there is one half & half, & two with white spots on their backs. Her last litter were all face lickers. I had never seen a cat lick your face more than a dog does, but they did.

Mentha,

They're so adorable!! I could never allow a cat to have kittens because I couldn't bare to part with any. By the time they're 6 weeks old, I'd be WAY too attached. In fact, takes me about a minute and a half! When I brought my kitties home, I couldn't keep my hands off them, and I still could spend hours holding them (if they'd let me!)

But oh, it's been such fun since we got the kitties. What's interesting is the personality differences. Bella, the short-haired kitty, is gregarious and playful and loves to get Lucy (our Shepherd) chasing after her. She sleeps right next to me almost every night. Pearl, the long-haired kitty, is laid-back, loves to flop over and roll around with a "come hither and rub my belly" look. If she's walking quickly through the room (she rarely breaks into full run) and Lucy chases her, she stops in her tracks - URRT! - and looks at her like, "What the heck do you think you're DOING??" But she's Lucy's nap-buddy. Lucy lays down and Pearl's all over her, purring and asleep before you can snap your fingers!

Here's a pic of the girls napping...
{{gwi:932034}}

Denise in Omaha

Denise, that picture of your girls napping is the cutest thing I have ever seen! Makes me feel bad for my little girl who has nothing to snuggle when we're not home.

Cena, you have beautiful plants and spectacular blooms!

Denise,
It's a lot easier if you have the right outlook on the kittens, they are livestock, they usually bring in money to the farm, so we can't afford to get attached. I used to have blue cats (as a matter of fact our first blue we got when we moved back to CA was Purrum's great-grandmother) which the kittens helped pay for the feed of the other animals. I tend to think of my cats as I do all my animals, they don't get names unless they are breeders, then they are lavished with attention. This doesn't keep the kids from naming them though. This is going to be our last litter, hopefully we can get Purrum spayed once she has weaned her kittens. Since we lost our blues, we don't sell our kittens anymore but offer them to anyone who wants them. The pet store will take them but offers nothing but the reassurance they won't go to the pound.

I was looking at the kittens today, one looks like a previous kitten we had my kids named Troll so he is now known as "Troll jr." another looks like Purrum's mama who was poisoned when Purrum was 3 weeks old, Chantilly, so she will be Tilly. Two down, two to go, it looks like either three females and one male or two/two, one is questionable at this age.

PS Your girls are adorable.

Oh my gosh! Denise, that picture is priceless!

Denise, my how your Cow Kitties have grown!!! It was hard to look at any pix of them for awhile! Here is my Jasmine Marie with her half made up face (eye liner and lipliner on one side) with her mustache...

Mentha, you let me know which of the blacker kitties you think we should have. I do know that DH won't have another mostly white as it was just too heartbreaking to lose her that way.

Thought I might try to steer this back on track...
Gulf Frittalary out while I was photoing jewelry!

Thanks for all the cute pictures!
Kinds words!
Encouragement!

I forgot to mention that my 22 yo son is in the hospital, over night with his fourth concussion in 6 years. He got to horsing around with a Belagarth group he meets with every Sunday, and leapt onto a slow moving car. The car slowed to move over and stop, but my son leapt off, tripped and ended up falling backward, cracking his head.

This is the second time he has been in this hospital for this type of injury. The two times before were relatively minor, first head traumas, and caused no issues except for the lable 'head trauma'.

We send them out into the world, armed with as much of what we know that they will listen and absorb, and then, I guess we pray...

He is fine. Won't know how many side effects we'll be dealing with for how long. His vision was very clear this evening but he was vomiting.

Oh, what I mess I am struggling not to be!

Thank you, my friends, for listening!

Cena Im so sorry to hear about your son. I hope he will be OK.Head trauma can be tricky.

Cindy

I'm assuming the Belgarath group has to do with David Eddings books? Otherwise, I have no idea what a Belgarath group is. We'll be praying for your son as soon as I wake the kids up. My son was knocked off his bike about 7 years back by a bully and couldn't talk for about 6 hours. He started to talk just as we walked in to see the Dr. at the hospital.

Cena, my thoughts & prayers are with you and your son.

Cena,

JM was a beauty! Love the mustache! Hope your son is all better soon - and maybe a little more careful in the future!

Denise in Omaha

Cena, so sorry to hear about your son's accident...hoping for a speedy recovery.

Great pictures of all the kitties and Denise's dog!! And the rest of the pictures too!

Just an update for all who are interested, some kitten pictures. :) I am happy to say that Cena has agreed to take two of these lovely kittens. They are four weeks old yesterday. My favorite is the little girl, last three pictures. I got scratched while she was playing with my face, youch!

{{gwi:932039}}