What an interesting plant to force, Eileen! How did you choose gladioli? If you have them in good potting soil, they should receive nutrients, but as you water, the ferilizer washes out, so you might consider a weak solution of fertilizer that encourages bloom. One thing about gladioli is that they tend to flop because they grow tall. In the ground, I just plant them deeper to compensate. In pots, you might use long bamboo sticks or rig a little tuteur of sticks to tie them up, with some raffia or pretty string. I hope you see blooms. I'm trying to remember how soon they bloom after planting, 6-8 weeks, maybe? Have you forced hyacinths? That's one of my favs, because they're easy and smell good, too. Nell

Unfortunately, I can't help you either, Susan, because my fall buckeye cats have always, including this year, pupated and emerged before cold weather sets in. I've got one late chrsyalis, and I'm keeping it on the porch - I'll see what happens. We're having our first taste of winter/fall now. It got down to 48 last night, and it's supposed to be like that tonight, and then gradually warm up. I'll be leaving the cats in their cages on the porch this winter, because last winter I had quite a few butterflies to emerge before their host plants were making new growth. I've consolidated the many pipevine swallowtail chysalides, so that I've only got four cages out there. I'm covering them all with a sheet at night to keep any excess wind off them, should that occur. If we have abnormally cold weather, like maybe a night below 20 degrees (that happens occasionally, but not in about ?10 years) I'll bring them inside to the unheated guest room. Your buckeye cats may survive - I had some gulf frits cats to overwinter one mild winter. They resumed eating when spring came and the passionvines they were on made new growth - that might happen with your buckeyes, I don't know. I sure hope they survivie! Sherry

Kel~ I hope the tub comes out easier than you think. How disappointing. :o( I'm glad the electrician at least showed up, but leaving broken glass all over.... sheeesh!??! Well, we have a great electrical crew. They were installing switches and plugs even in unpainted walls today, just to have something to do. ;o) LOL! They plan to bring an additional 2 men (workers who finished up jobs and must have nothing better to do) to our site tomorrow. This, and I haven't even ordered my lighting yet. Oops! They did install the recessed lighting in the master bed/bath today, and hooked it up. Woo--hooo! I have to say I am loving the lighting. DH was in there after dark, and I looked out our RV window and saw the glow from that room lighting out on the little private porch off the master. And it was such a thrill. :o) Sometimes it's the little things. The finishers have not been here for a week, and said they would come this evening? Nope. The tile crew (a big one, thank goodness!) arrived this morning and worked hard all day. Lots of backerboard layed, and they worked on the master shower pan. Yippee! Nevermind that if my finishers don't show soon, my tile crew will pass them up (as will our electricians). Only the 1st floor is finished. There's a bit of trim work drywall to be hung on the 3rd floor, and the hanger said he'd be back Monday. Nope. HVAC supervisor came out to discuss pads with dh. They will be installing our units soon. All 6 of them. LOL! The concrete man arrived today and discussed paving our driveway and out to the barn. We've got to get that done.... the rain the past few days is turning our old, graveled driveway into a mud bog. Not good when it's uphill to the house. LOL! DH and I are painting (and beginning to wonder the wisdom of "saving those bucks". I love to paint, but I'm already tired... LOL)! We painted the walls in the master bedroom and dh's office tonight. Whew. Will I ever stop seeing big white spots of primer? :) Can you tell we're so thrilled that work was being done on our house today?! Last week was a ghost town around here, and it was honestly depressing. Now this week, things are hopping. Sortof like labor pains.... once everyone starts showing up and getting busy, you forget how mad you are at them.... ha, ha. :o) Hope our busy work place continues.... and I hope that tomorrow brings all sorts of activity to your site, Kelntx. Just wanted to tell you to hang in there and keep hoping. It's amazing what one day of a busy crew on a house can do for progress.... and your nerves! ;O) Now... don't tell me I jinxed myself with all of my happy talk....... :O)

Sorry I never got back to this thread. Wow, pbrisjar, my first reaction would have been to walk right back out again! Glad the surprise party turned out to be fun, and that you also got your romantic dinner. Well, let's see, where did I leave off? I called middle SIL on her cell that AM, she said they were in NH and would be at house around 5-5:30, we'd go out to dinner and then they'd try to find a motel. I checked out a local B&B (expensive), stripped all the beds and washed sheets just in case. Didn't go looking for motels b/c I realized it was a holiday w/e and the nicer things would be booked (would have to change rooms at B&B since didn't have any available for 2 nights in a row), didn't want to take time away from cleaning. Asked my dad about air bed but he couldn't find pump so decided ds could try out his new sleeping bag in the study, dd could sleep with me, and DH would get the sleeper sofa (at least Thurs night since he had to work Fri and would be getting up early). They called at 5:30, were still up around Boston, said not to wait dinner for them. I had put the small roast I had thawed out b4 I knew they were coming back in freezer, so DH and I went out with the kids (and my parents, aunt & uncle since I found out it was their 26th anny and we had missed the 25th last year), SILs pulled in our driveway 8pm just behind us. After telling everyone all day her aunties were coming, DD suddenly got shy. She didn't get to visit much b4 I put her to bed in our bed and told everyone the sleeping arrangements - it was really too late to look for motels and of course DH wanted to visit. I stayed up til 11, DH and youngest sis stayed up really late. Oh, and I took advice to throw everything in closet (master bath) and shut the door - put the big 3-bag laundry sorter we use as hamper in master bath, found a standing towel rack (nonheated) we used in old house and put that in so everyone would have room for towels, shoved some stuff I had in study going to yard sale in WIC. Then as I'm bringing them into MBR and saying "Here's unfinished bath and WIC, but please don't open..." middle SIL opens the door b/c she wants to see how big it is! DH had told them we were still finishing trim, but they had no idea how much work we were doing/still needed. Asked me about all the blue tape on floors (loose tile) and walls (marking studs to nail baseboards). Oh, and then the last night after I put DD to bed I came down and found oldest one taking pics of all the wood on the floor of my DR, my LR with no curtains and half (not even all!) the trim pulled off the windows, no baseboards. I asked her not to, she said her DH wanted to see pics. I have to email her some when we get things finished (she took pics of my kitchen island, liked the layout, but I could have gotten the finished trim out of my BR and stuck it in place for pics! My cousin nailed it up a week later). DS had a science test but DD decided to play hooky (I stopped by preschool with a floppy - cards kept jamming my printer so teacher had to print them but I formatted everything for her, told her then that DD hadn't seen them in 4 yrs so she'd be absent). Then they decided we should all go to Mystic Seaport so I have the largest SUV, got gas, drove 2 hr to spend 2 hrs there, was afraid we wouldn't be home in time for Ds so called DH - he could get off early so OK. My parents invited us all up for BBQ so I headed straight there after getting ice DH said they needed, he was bringing steaks and chicken I had taken out on Thurs to defrost. Got to my parents', my dad said steaks were freezerburnt and chicken was frozen, so down to grocery store (30 min drive) to get steaks, potato salad, etc. We ate pretty late, stayed visiting later, at 9:15 I noticed, wanted DD to stay there but she had meltdown, wanted to come home. So about 10pm b4 kiddos got to bed, adults stayed up til midnight or so? I remember everyone had to brush their teeth 1 at a time even though we have 2 sinks so I fell asleep waiting my turn (should have brushed when I did DD's teeth), finally brushed my teeth about 1:30am when I woke up to pee. Other than that, no problem scheduling bathroom. Sat AM took everyone out for brunch and they left since they all had to be at work day after Mem. Day. They were going to stop and see niece in TN on the way (hope they called her!). Turns out DH either is not good at reading b/t the lines, or set me up I don't know which. I asked about miscommunication, b/c I could have had vinyl tile down in MBA so we'd have another shower and prob toilet, heck, i could have gotten a stock laminate countertop from HD and put in sink(s) since I have them and faucets already. Not to mention a railing on the stairs (2 SILs have had DVT and had trouble with stairs but didn't want to take sleeper sofa). Anyway, youngest SIL said she had told DH that when they were planning this road trip (tour of NE) this was the onyl time they all could get off work. If he had told me that (and that they were trying to see other states in NE, not just driving to see us and whatever else they could on the way), I would have *known* they were coming, even if/when she didn't get back to him after "checking with the others." So I told them please in the future call the home phone to talk to us/email me as well as him, so we avoid the mis(lack of) communication via DH. Though DH tells me they will probably never travel together again (or at least not with oldest sister) b/c they were about ready to kill each other after a week of 24/7. I did hear (driving DH's car back from my parents with single SIL) about how owner of car was having fits over the way the other 2 drove. And youngest SIL was glad to have ds's room to herself since the other 2 snore. So it was a whirlwind visit that really didn't last much more than 1 day. I think they enjoyed having someone else do the driving but still being able to see (a little) of the area that day. Dad was going crazy cooking everyone's steak to order (since they were being polite about what they considered "cooked", talking to a family of vampires LOL, my dad kept throwing it back on the grill when they said "Wheeeeel, a little more than that..." and "Umm, yes, I can eat it like that." when they should have just told him well-done). But I think they appreciated having 1 dinner at someone's house. I know they enjoyed visiting with DH, and oldest was showing my mom pics of her grandbabies. DD enjoyed meeting them, she said she missed them after, promises (?) she'll be a good traveler if we go visit them sometime.