You can just snap the spent flower off. I try not to remove leaves from young plants-- they are needed for growth.

Gross? Now, I used to be vegetarian and still have strong vegetarian sympathies, but it doesn't seem gross to me. And even though I'm a city type, I have killed and dressed 3 chickens. (and I do have photos, but will spare you). I figured, if I wasn't willing to kill them personally, I shouldn't eat them. Now that had some gross parts (especially since they were aged layers and one had disease, so I guess I should say I killed 3 and dressed 2). Deboning an already dressed chicken is a labor intensive, but I don't think it's really any grosser than any other whole chicken prep. Galantine bird is a very nice prep (even if I can't do it anywhere near as fast as Pepin). As a roast it results in more evenly cooked meat than whole bone-in bird, is visually very nice at the table, and without the bones, very easy for guests to eat.

First of all, thank you for not declawing your cats. I assume you have researched the procedure and understand that it involves much more than the removal of claws. It is, in fact, amputation down to the first joint of each toe, comparable to the amputation of each of your own fingertips down to the first joint. Declawing is not only a painful and completely indefensible surgery, but it may very well end up causing more problems than it solves. Declawed cats sometimes experience permanent, chronic foot pain that results in rejection of their litterboxes. Then you're dealing with cats who end up soiling all over your house for the rest of their painful lives. Some cats who are declawed also become insecure and defensive, resorting to biting as a "first strike" mechanism at inappropriate times. Sure, there are plenty of declawed cats who don't develop litterbox avoidance or biting behaviors, but why take that chance with your own healthy, happy felines? Furniture is replaceable, but you can't replace your cats' amputated toes if the cats develop post-declaw behavioral issues. OK, that covers the reasons why declawing shouldn't be considered a reasonable or advantageous option. Now to the scratching thing. Here are a few options you havent' mentioned trying yet: 1) Provide a variety of scratching surfaces. Some cats prefer to stretch up when they scratch and like tall, vertical scratching surfaces. Other cats prefer to stretch out when they scratch and will enjoy horizontal scratching pads. Different cats like different surfaces: corrugated cardboard (a favorite around my house), sisal rope (another favorite), natural wood (draws them like flies - esp. firewood with the bark still on it)), carpet (NOT in favor in my household), fabric (also NOT favored here). Try as many different orientations and surfaces as you can find. With five felines in your household, you're bound to be living with different scratching preferences. 2) Buy a package of loose catnip leaves and rub them generously into all acceptable scratching surfaces to inspire feline activity. 3) Buy a roll of very sticky, double-sided carpet tape and tape the areas on your furniture where the cats have been scratching. Cats HATE getting their paws sticky, so they will avoid the taped areas. Once they have been successfully and reliably deterred from the furniture and redirected to their own scratching surfaces, you can remove the tape. 4) If the cats still refuse to leave your furniture alone, buy some "Soft Paws", little plastic or rubber caps that you glue onto their claw tips so they can't cause damage to furniture. 5) Buy cheap furniture that can be replaced as necessary. 6) Abandon the folly of "training" cats. Make peace with the fact that you are now a slave to five felines. Such is the joy of living with cats. :-) Laurie, who is happily enslaved by 14 of the beasts

good ideas above. non-toxic non flammable approach: 1.take whatever cooking oil you have in the house - olive, vegetable, doesn't matter. 2.rub oil on sticker or goo left by sticker 3.use edge of credit card, plastic spoon, or thumb nail to scrape off 4.warm water and dishsoap will remove excess oil this works with any sticker residue anywhere. the oil incorporates into the sticky stuff and makes it easy to remove with no sticky leftovers. Goo off and chemicals like that contain solvents that are teratogens (cause birth defects) and/or carcinogens (cause cancers). they are also more expensive.