1--The bad news is that the local postmaster who has been so helpful in the past is no longer there. He is no longer employed by the USPS....sigh 2--This AM I called about making an appointment with the person in charge. I spoke with the 'officer in charge'. When I asked his name, he gave me his first name, and would not give me his last name. Why would he have refused me that info? 3--I explained that I had several padded mailers that I had received in and they were unopened, and the customers who had sent them had been overcharged. I was wanting to bring them in, and have him (or anyone for that matter) inspect them and determine that they had indeed been overcharged. I explained that I then wanted a signed piece of paper saying that they were overcharged. He said he could not help me and gave me the telephone number of Consumer Affairs in Louisville. Well, I know from talking to someone down there a while back that there was at that time no Consumer Affairs Manager and that NO ONE was even an acting manager. gggrrrrrrrr........ 4--This week I received in a bubblie from Williamsport OH 46134 that was overcharged. It weighed .7 OZ yet was charged $1.05, which is for a 2 OZ large envelope. That means that either the clerk failed to weigh it, or else their scale needs calibration, thus is overcharging a lot of customers. I got a tel# for that PO, and when I called it, I get a non working # recording.........ggggrrrrrrr.........shot down on getting that done. 5--I was on the phone probably 30 minutes or so this AM with the USPS complaint #, getting 3 separate complaints filed. I have the confirmation numbers on all 3 of them and someone is supposed to call me back within 2 business days. Yeah right. I'm not holding my breath on that one. On the one report that was filed for overcharge, I have asked that the overcharge be sent to me. I wonder how they are going to handle that. shall I go on? Anyway, I this AM I learned about Restricted Delivery. Below is the info on that. Restricted Delivery Be sure your mail gets into the right hands. When you want your mail to reach a specific recipient, use Restricted Delivery. Sometimes, you might have private or highly classified documents that you require to be seen only by the addressee. Restricted Delivery ensures that your mail is only delivered to the person you specify, or to the person authorized in writing to sign for intended recipient. I just checked and the cost on a 13 OZ First Class Parcel, sent Certified, with Restricted Delivery signature and signed receipt of the person that accepted it being sent back to me would be less than $11. The exact amount escapes me now. What a bargain, huh, if the Parcel gets to someone who does their job? I have started to compose my letter to The Honorable John E. Potter..but will have to abandon that until I am feeling better. Postmaster General U.S. Postal Service 475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW Washington, DC 20260-0010 I also found an email address for him this AM, not that anyone would even really read any of the complaint emails and actually respond. I found the addy at the Answers.com site, so don't put much faith in it being up to date or valid. E-mail: pmgceo@usps.gov Light bulb moment. I can try taking in the overcharged envelopes, (one at a time might be best) along with an email from the member who sent them and they can authorize me to file for and collect the overcharged amount. I would think that would generate paperwork and that paperwork could then be used as additional evidence (proof) of the 2 year 9 month old problems of post offices across the US overcharging.

The old adage "if you want something done right, do it yourself" rings very true here. I like the yellow stakes idea. Even if the mow/blow guys can't read, surely they know their colors - do not touch!!! The yard man who does the landscape care where I work clips the formosa azaleas like hedges - even after August when they have set their buds for next spring. I told my boss but he still does it, and there were no flowers this year. Duh! You grow up in Florida and don't know azaleas aren't hedges??? I've had my neighbor's "20-year old handyman/gardener" spray RU in the wind (my whole front yard of roses was downwind) and say "my uncle says it only kills grass". There's no cure for stupid. The builder of our subdivision (34 lots) did not want an HOA but after erecting a nice entrance sign for the subd name was told by the city that doing so required him to have an association (?!?!). So he went the minimally invasive route of a POA - Property Owners Association. In Florida anyway a POA may or may not apply even the few rules they have which are only meant to protect property values NOT dictate house color, yard plantings, etc. Our rules do say we must have grass in the front yard, but the board has not enforced that against me. :)) Invariably, there are errors in communication - especially between men and women (I won't say more, but I don't understand what's so hard about LISTENING). Funny thing - my bosses DH is a very verbal, non-mechanical, lawyer-educated but non practicing man who repeats EVERYTHING he says at least twice. At first I found it kind of aggravating, but then I came to appreciate the second chance to "get" his instructions and now wish everyone would "tell me twice". I'm more and more grateful for the toughness of OGRs. I hope hoovb's HOA Mons Tillier is on its way to recovery, and I hope luxrosa's 12" tall teas survived. I will be hugely impressed if they do. Sherry

Thanks everybody! I haven't decided which mix I like best. Measured by volume I find 3 parts Vermiculite, 1 part sand, 1 part Portland cement & 1 1/2 parts water O.K. This gives a crumbly mix that barely sticks together when squeezed in my fist, and that has to be pushed into the mold. What I absolutely avoid is a mix that's gone muddy. I'm also going to try mixes with more Vermiculite. I think they may need a hint more water. The next lantern's going to be between 12 and 14 inches high, but that's a few weeks away. I'm still working on the molds for it. Here's a picture of a smaller one (about 10 inches high) sitting out in the garden waiting to see if it'll grow moss. Small, hypertufa Misaki lantern

Between 3 and 6 months you should begin to notice little (at first) tiny improvements. It's really hard to work with a 3 month old because they are still on survival autopilot and will do what they need to do, as driven by their brains and development. They don't yet communicate 'normally' in a 2-way sense so it's really hard to work with them. If there is a part of the pattern that leaves her screaming when you can reasonably know she's not 'too' anything and she is safe, then you can try soothing her without touch (she may still need your touch though, so use your best judgement and experiment). You can probably soothe her with your voice, singing, humming, and things like that. The 'trick' is to get her attention with that soothing thing that reinforces for her that you are present/near _before_ she is worked up to the point of panic or screaming (at that point, touch will probably soothe her most effectively and quickly). Use the vocal soothing as if by reflex, and it might help buy you some time and help her to cope while she's all freaked out because of change or the pacifier gone or whatever it is she thinks/feels. 2 hours later for bedtime maybe? (you could try adjusting times bit-wise by about 15-30 minutes at a time and staying at each step for 5-7 days to see if there is any change). when you need a pep talk, look at her at that 4am waking; smiling, it's quiet out and there's just you for her and life is probably very good for her at those times and when she is shattered by imposed unanticipated change (the noticed absence of the pacifier), she can trust that you can make things right and good again P.S. Is there a baby-safe way you can secure the pacifier (or a pacifier) to her sleeping clothes, or bed? It might be possible (don't count on instant results) to kind of teach her how she can find her own pacifier. (She might have initial trouble finding her mouth with it, or with letting go at the right time though... by 6 months odds will improve that she can manage this task on her own).