Terry, maybe you're right, and I certainly hope you are, but it has not been my experience. House sparrows are very opportunistic, and they are fierce competitors with native birds for nesting sites and food. Because they didn't evolve with the birds who are native to this ecosystem, natives are unprepared physically to compete with them. Any non-native species whether it is a plant or animal has the potential of outcompeting and outpopulating the natives. It is the natural way of it. This is seen across the country with plants, fish, etc. Some examples are the uproar over kudzu or snakehead fish. House sparrows (and starlings for that matter) will kill other birds and destroy their eggs and nestlings. They will also build right on top of their dead bodies. I am not trying to be graphic here. I am speaking from experience and would not want anyone else to have to find such a thing. I wish someone had warned me! I know that house sparrows are doing what is natural to them. It is because of this that I don't find house sparrows annoying, I just don't want them becoming the only species in my yard. Left unchecked, I know that is what they will do. They tend to nest earlier than most natives claiming nesting sites before natives have a chance. From the sialis website cited above "HOSP [house sparrows] are prolific breeders. They may raise 2-5 (average of 3) clutches of 3-7 (very seldom less than 4) chicks each breeding season, (averaging 20 chicks per season). One pair can theoretically quintuple the population in one year. Using some conservative assumptions, one pair could increase to 1,250 birds in 5 years. Eggs are incubated for 10-16 days, and nestlings are fully feathered in 15-17 days." Pigeons, starlings and house sparrows have become the only birds that you see in cities. That is because of human sprawl, but also because they outcompete the natives. Lack of species diversity is an indication of an unhealthy ecosystem. Each species within the system has a job to do and so is an integral cog in the wheel. Good luck to you. I hope you find that you are right. Please keep us posted as your garden progresses.

Because a human being in general wants to be loved and needed. And being in a marriage makes them feel safe and secure, it's that feeling that everyone else can leave you and get mad at you but as long as you're family is there, you're good. It's a place where you're accepted and loved for what you are. Knowing that the family won't just abandon you because you made a mistake. But of course you should also try to change for the better and be the best that you can at least try. Couples should marry for the right reasons. Marriage is a commitment it's supposed to be that one other thing (other is love) that can make a person walk the extra mile for the sake of the marriage, family and love one. But now since Divorce is so easy to get Marriage has lost its meaning to most people. If it's hard to get a divorce or if there's no divorce, I think maybe almost 50% of the marriage couples had stopped first and thought what they are getting into and have tried to test the waters first like living together first. Or maybe tried to work the marriage out really hard than leave and find another one, or find another one then leave, this is the common thing nowadays they look first for a replacement then leave their spouses. I think the government should have a law that starting 2008 couples who are getting married then on should be married at least 10yrs or cannot have no divorce whatsoever. Imagine how many couples would now doubt marrying their partners (yet) or leaving their partners for another and instead work it out. By the way, I am not single and I am not in a happy marriage either. My husband is cheating on me but I am trying to be there for him because he had some insecurity issues. But now what I do is let him have it sometimes, sometimes I just go with the flow. I have 23 month old baby and also 5 months. We were married for 3 yrs but actually lived together for the last 2 1/2 yrs. I think that while I still can I will try to be there for the marriage and family.

I think I would move on to someone else. It sounds like this guy has a poor work ethic, as well as being downright strange. I hope you didn't pay out a huge deposit. The extra stress isn't worth the money lost, or the toll on your health. By the way, I found hiring a builder caused WAY more stress than DIY building. My husband and I have built three homes. Two we built with our own sweat. The third we hired a builder. Never again. We sold that house, bought some land, and are in the process of building a log home, ourselves. Fortunately, we know some local trades people, who are wonderful to work with, for the large jobs that we need extra people for. Good luck. I'll be looking for a good cabinet maker also, as the quality of the ready made seems to be poor these days. Sandy

TLBean, the only kind of begonias I've rooted are angel wings, so I can't speak to the particular begonias you're attempting to root. But I've rooted cuttings of many different kinds of plants, and in general, the cutting needs a way to uptake water. Some plants can uptake water through a cut stem, but many cannot do it efficiently enough or long enough to root. So they need to be able to absorb moisture through their leaves; hence the need for a humid environment. When I root plants that don't root easily in water, I put them in an aquarium. I like clear plastic drinking cups with holes poked in the bottom because I can see when rooting happens without disturbing the cutting. The soil needs to be damp but not dripping wet. I have a lid with a light over the top and gravel in the bottom of the aquarium. I put water in the bottom of the aquarium no deeper than the gravel. I also use a reptile cage heating pad (they get warm but not too hot - around 75-80 deg. which is perfect for cuttings) and place it under the aquarium for bottom heat. Obviously, the cups with the cuttings sit on top of the gravel. Since the water is just below the gravel level, the cuttings aren't sitting in water, but the water evaporates and provides the moist environment they need. I have the aquarium light on a timer for 14 hours a day and the heating pad is on all the time. I've had great success with this set-up. It provides constant moisture and heat, which cuttings generally need for rooting, as well as light. The more light your cutting gets, the more energy it will have and the better it will root. The aquarium is a controlled environment, whereas if you enclosed your cuttings in plastic and placed them out in the sun on a warm day, they'd probably cook. BTW, I always clean the aquarium with soap and bleach, as well as soaking the gravel in soap and bleach (rinse it of course before using) before setting up the cuttings. Cuttings are very susceptible to pathogens so everything needs to be very sanitary. And cuttings can take a month or two to root, so just when you think nothing is happening - voila! You start seeing some roots! Good luck! Deanna