Well, I've been off the clock for awhile...I'll ID the buds above. "These are nice..." Viburnum setigerum "Another..." Aesculus sp. "...odder than most..." Firmiana simplex "This one has a fan." Fraxinus quadrangulata "...more of these than I first thought..." Hamamelis x intermedia "...pretty prominent..." Rhus glabra "Another from out in the yard..." Viburnum sieboldii "...marcescent..." Quercus dentata Nice nut trees, Dax.

I've never met any ground squirrels, Westelle (knock on wood), but I can imagine they're about as fun as pocket gophers. Blah! This is a story I posted over on the Ponds forum. I guess I can blame my hysteria on the heat. :D I let Princess Pookie out last night for her early evening, before-the-sun-goes-down-and-she's-stuck-inside-for-the-night ritual of bird watching and cat napping. She stopped half-way out the door and started sniffing around the corner to the right. Yep, HUGE snake. I grabbed the broom from in front of it, and tried to sort of freak it out, without touching it, so it would slither off. Nope, it was happy. Heart pounding, I leaned further out the door to check out the tail. Ok, it didn't have a rattler. WHEW! But it was LONG! Ugh. Ran to get the camera. Snapped one pic, checked out view finder. Pretty good shot of its head and part of the body curled around (will post that another day). Just one more pic. No, off kilter, but...what's that SOUND?! hsssssSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! Holy carp! I guess he didn't like the flash in his face. Yelled at the kitty, "NO, POOK! Get OUT of there!", since she was still sniffing this odd creature. She was a good kitty and went to curl up next to the fountain feeder. HSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! OK!!! Slam the door, heart pounding. I'm going to GET that sucker! How DARE he hiss at ME! Open the door, broom still in hand. hssssssSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! Slam the door, can still hear it through the thick door, windows closed, cooler on high. This guy is hissin' me off! Must be more determined. Open the door, prepped for action. HSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!! Slam the door. Ok, he means business. *pant, pant* Call the old neighbor down the street, since DH was conveniently away from home. "Lloyd, BIG snake, right outside the door, he has me trapped, might be more out the back door in weed territory. Help!!!" Look out the window, see Lloyd bookin' it down the street with shovel in hand. Gee, I've never seen him move quite THAT fast before. Hmmmm. Open window. "He's right down THERE, but there's no rattle, so...." Ok, Lloyd is a "shaker" (heck, I was shaking like a dog pooping out razor blades!), but I've never seen a shovel jiggle around that much, even if a great song had been on the radio. He was movin' and a-shakin', YEEHAW! Anyway, he raises the shovel in front of him *shake, shake*, inches closer *shake, shake, JAB*. I notice that the shovel seems to bounce right back from the area of the snake. "OH, he's tough! And he's hissin' and lookin' at ME now!" *JAB JAB CLANK JAB CLANK JAB JAB* Yeah, overkill, but I don't blame the poor guy. "Uh, I think he's dead, Lloyd." *nervous laugh* After the flinging into the street, and the neighbor kids arrived "oooohing" and "ahhhing", Snake started moving again. I wish THAT part was on film, seeing everyone scatter. It was merely residual twitching, and all ended well when the sacrificial, SIX FOOT gopher snake (a.k.a. "phlegm serpent" due to that gawdawful HISSING) was dumped into the trash. **Quick note - I would normally have left the poor bugger to himself, but one that size, sitting on my stoop, just can't be tolerated. For snake lovers, I apologize. If it makes you feel any better, I DID have a Western Yellow-Bellied Racer in my yard last week, but he did the polite thing and wiggled the heck out of the way, and I let him hide under some pots on the OTHER side of the entryway.** I think I owe Lloyd a nice bottle of whiskey. :D Brenda

LOL, you got bitten by the "dish bug" for sure Lynne. I think you were warned that would happen if you hung out here for awhile! I really like the plate with the leaves, and the swirls and solid white will work for so many events. I'm going to have to hit another Dollar Tree, the one near me hasn't added any new dishes in a long time. I've not seen the pretty ones like you found there for sure or they would have had to come home with me! NanaKaren, I'm really glad to hear that your kids are encouraging you to "play dishes", it's really fun to create something and use your pretty dishes and accessories instead of having them just sit in a cupboard. You can even do tables for one if you like, and you know they say food tastes even better on a pretty plate. ;o) Did we post some step by step picture posting instructions for you? If not, just say the word, and we will help you learn to post your pics. Believe me, it makes it so much more fun when you can show off your creations--and if I learned to do it, anyone can. Luvs

Marlene, I bought my stacked cake plates thru Target ONLINE (not in any stores) some time ago. Tho one time I did see them in a Ross or TJ Maxx. I added the sundae cup to the top, it was a dollar at Walmart. I discovered all this when I first joined our Forum many years ago, thru a gal named Judith who was an amazing decorator. Wish she was still here, maybe someday she'll come back. Some of her things are in our various holiday albums at least. I'm sure its not hard to find stuff to make your own stacked plates from scratch at thrift shops or yard sales. I saw somewhere online, a lady had put a small cloche on the top plate!! I may try that for Easter. I really liked the idea. I use to tell my kids if they ever drug me, kicking and screaming, into a nursing home...they darn well better bring my stacked plates and a cloche for me to decorate. Those things don't take up much room and give you a LOT of bang for your buck I think. Thanks for all the kind words, Gang. I wish my heart would get back into decorating, this felt kind of thrown together thanks to Lil Paddy pushing me to do it. But I have a feeling my BF is going to make sure I get all the Easter stuff out no matter what. LOL. hugs, Karen