Hi, I have a journal, given as a gift, so it's brand new, entitled, Days from the Heart of the Home by Susan Branch. It has lovely pages full of the authors own artwork, and could be used for any year, for it's a journal full of home spun art and all things, ieth no yeara ttached just days and dates. I will post a picture of it on a separate email, if you are interested. It's published by little, brown and company and is very sweet, with lots of things realting to nature. I also have a Hawaiian Plantation recipe book which is a spiral paperback and full of inspirational recipes from Hawaii. In the dedication, it says Nature made Hawaii beautiful..... I have the following magazines for trade: Progressive Farmer: Nov. 2002 Country Discoveries: Sept./Oct 2002 Reminisce: March/April 2002, July/August 2002, November/ December 2001, Jan./Feb. 2001 Birds and Blooms: Dec/Jan. 2003, April/May 2002, Dec./Jan. 2002 Farm and Ranch: Dec./Jan. 2003 I am interested in trading for what have you. I love natural objects and things like bird nests, shells, etc. and anything unusual, and also homemade things, or whatever. We could also possibly trade for something live or heirloom seeds, or garden stuff etc. Thanks, I'm open. Please post here. Best, clearsky

That's what I would've guessed. I've got another video that's uploading now but is going to take a long time. There are two of these wrens that hang out at the edge of my woods and the other one let me get right up and close, tonite. I'll post this video tomorrow if I can get it to load. I have a satellite connection that conks out if I don't sit here and wiggle the mouse to keep the screen up. Try not to laugh at me, I beg! I've gone a lot overboard then I would normally to the point where I laughed at myself a few times. It could take me a few days, so be patient, as it's kind of fun. It's definitely dorky... which is worth all ya all's time. Dax

What happened a month later? Violina has established! Look at the new leaves! ----------------------- Seduction: ------------- Moonstone: Not yet full bloom.... I just can't wait to post her..... --------- Neighbour's cat: Cant believe I bought three pink roses this year...haha I totally enjoyed the journey and considering ordering more in 2017!!!!! Thank you all for your advice!

Hi, Amanda. Because of the sudden reduction in the amount of water your plant will actually need, maintaining appropriate moisture levels has just been moved to the forefront in terms of criticality. The easiest way and arguably the best way to monitor moisture levels deep in the pot, where it counts most is by using a wooden 'tell', which can be very easily made from a 1/4 or 5/16" wooden dowel rod. Using a 'tell' Over-watering saps vitality and is one of the most common plant assassins, so learning to avoid it is worth the small effort. Plants make and store their own energy source – photosynthate - (sugar/glucose). Functioning roots need energy to drive their metabolic processes, and in order to get it, they use oxygen to burn (oxidize) their food. From this, we can see that terrestrial plants need plenty of air (oxygen) in the soil to drive root function. Many off-the-shelf soils hold too much water and not enough air to support the kind of root health most growers would like to see; and, a healthy root system is a prerequisite to a healthy plant. Watering in small sips leads to avoid over-watering leads to a residual build-up of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil from tapwater and fertilizer solutions, which limits a plant's ability to absorb water – so watering in sips simply moves us to the other horn of a dilemma. It creates another problem that requires resolution. Better, would be to simply adopt a soil that drains well enough to allow watering to beyond the saturation point, so we're flushing the soil of accumulating dissolved solids whenever we water; this, w/o the plant being forced to pay a tax in the form of reduced vitality, due to prolong periods of soil saturation. Sometimes, though, that's not a course we can immediately steer, which makes controlling how often we water a very important factor. In many cases, we can judge whether or not a planting needs watering by hefting the pot. This is especially true if the pot is made from light material, like plastic, but doesn't work (as) well when the pot is made from heavier material, like clay, or when the size/weight of the pot precludes grabbing it with one hand to judge its weight and gauge the need for water. Fingers stuck an inch or two into the soil work ok for shallow pots, but not for deep pots. Deep pots might have 3 or more inches of soil that feels totally dry, while the lower several inches of the soil is 100% saturated. Obviously, the lack of oxygen in the root zone situation can wreak havoc with root health and cause the loss of a very notable measure of your plant's potential. Inexpensive watering meters don't even measure moisture levels, they measure electrical conductivity. Clean the tip and insert it into a cup of distilled water and witness the fact it reads 'DRY'. One of the most reliable methods of checking a planting's need for water is using a 'tell'. You can use a bamboo skewer in a pinch, but a wooden dowel rod of about 5/16” (75-85mm) would work better. They usually come 48” (120cm) long and can usually be cut in half and serve as a pair. Sharpen all 4 ends in a pencil sharpener and slightly blunt the tip so it's about the diameter of the head on a straight pin. Push the wooden tell deep into the soil. Don't worry, it won't harm the root system. If the plant is quite root-bound, you might need to try several places until you find one where you can push it all the way to the pot's bottom. Leave it a few seconds, then withdraw it and inspect the tip for moisture. For most plantings, withhold water until the tell comes out dry or nearly so. If you see signs of wilting, adjust the interval between waterings so drought stress isn't a recurring issue. Are you left with any additional questions or concerns? Al