Thanks Vagas and Tclynx. I had the cocoons in a plastic bag w/o air or food. Just worm doo and cocoons which aren't that recognizable to me yet. I could not imagine leaving them in the plastic bag vagas, so I prepared a bed of peat moss/a couple cups of cornmeal/ and a couple cups of wellllll rotted bagged cow manure that has been laying out in the weather for about 3 years/and a few handfuls of small shredded paper to break up all that dirt looking stuff. Well Mixed and damp. I poured the plastic bag of worm cocoons out onto this mixture in the bin and covered it with a layer of dry shredded paper. I did put some drain holes in the bottom, and I did put another container w/o holes under that to capture any liquid excess or baby worms that might fall through and of course the brick to keep the upper plastic container from falling down below the air holes. And I did put a soaked piece of cardboard box down in my bin to cover the holes for the babies to lay on,first thing. I did that about 3 days ago with the cocoons and I don't see any babies yet, but since I am still afraid I will damage them if I put my hands down in the mixture to look, that doesn't mean they aren't there, I'm sure. In the meantime, I am down to opening and looking at the worms only about 3 times a day and that IS a struggle for me. I put the 3 containers together like Vaga said. The worms are awfully skinny and aren't moving too fast just yet. It has been only about a week and a half since I put them(1000) in there and NOW I can see that they are eating the bedding up and pretty quickly. So, Friday, I set the second prepared container that makes the tiered bin on top of that W/Oa brick (The worms around outside are all laying under heavy stuff so I figured the small weight of the container could be helpful) and I put about 1/2 lb or less of kitchen scraps and coffee grounds and of course shredded paper in it in case they wanted more to eat. They really are skinny. I have never seen such skinny little worms. I am sure they must grow (red wigglers)bigger. Anyway, Today when I looked at them, I DID find that they are migrating up into the food...or at least about 20 of them have so far. Out of fear that they would attempt to escape and inadvertantly commit suicide, I placed the whole 3 layer bin in a large black garbage bag leaving it open and loose in case they try to explore outside the box while I am gone. That way, I won't find them dried up on the floor or step on them. Once I saw that they weren't trying to get away, I took the bin out of the bag. Not one fatality due to escape...not one worm in the bag either. =o) So, I am learning not to sit and prowl through their bedding to see what they are doing.....all the time. Just nervous about them I guess. Trial and error is the way of life, I suppose. I will either get more worms, or they will not do well for me. Thanks so much for your input. It helps to know that you guys are out there willing to share the information with me. =o)

Hi Jimmy's Girl: So glad to hear your cat's ok. Please don't let obnoxious losers - who have nothing better to do than hide behind their computer and be a negative a$$ - deter you from visiting this site. Best just to ignore that type of person. You'll find that the number of kind people here more than make up for that sad type of individual. I agree that vet bills are, at times, ridiculous. I've found that you really need to shop around. I have a vet 10 minutes from me, but I drive 45-60 mins across town to go to a vet that is much less expensive and also much more caring and knowledgeable. If you need to, try several different vets as various issues arise until you find one you like. To get some good referrals, check with some cat rescue organizations in your area. They will know. It's such a relief for me now to have such a good vet, and to know that if I have to take one of my cats there, it's not going to break the bank. Also, do some reading, either on here or get some books from the library, so that you know which symptoms are the most urgent. To scope out which books are the best, use the reviews posted on Amazon. And, yes, please get your kitty spayed. Not only just in case she gets out again, but for behavioral purposes overall. You don't want her going into heat. Plus, if she's not spayed, that is definitely a driving force for her wanting to get out. And, and this is my opinion, please don't declaw her. When I was young, I declawed my first set of cats w/o realizing what a horrible thing it was. If you decide that you need to declaw her, it's your decision, but do educate yourself first. I know that money's tight, but you may want to consider adopting another kitty to be a friend for the one you have - especially while she's young, so they will definitely get along. If you adopt one from the Humane Society, you most likely won't have to pay much, if anything, for the cat; and they will provide a coupon for free spaying. And, again, your kitty may not be so keen to get out if she has a friend to play with. Another good source for cat info is Cats Int'l - I've provided the link below. I hope this post hasn't come across as preachy - I guess I'm assuming that you are young and/or new to cat ownership. ;) Best of luck, and please don't hesitate to come back again for help if you need to. Betsy Here is a link that might be useful: Cats International

I have had my trex about 7-10 years I am guessing. I was so excited, maint. free and all. Boy was I wrong. Still looks nicer than any wood deck but need to clean mold/mildew twice yearly is a pain and I have a very large deck. Today for the first time I used a power washer on low pressure with the cleaner that came with it "G Clean", didn't do much as far as I'm concerned, for mold mildew etc, NOT. Its cleaner but all mildew/mold spores are still there so i thought I am going to try a test area with vinegar/baking soda and see what that does, pretty much nothing again. I can deal with the way it looks as the spotting doesn't show when dry so thats good but I am looking into prevention more than anything now. Any luck out there? I want to stay as organic as possible and may just do vinegar and baking soda and see how it goes. Not feeding the mold/mildew is probably better than anything. I live in MN which can be very wet at times and my deck is East facing primarily with some South sun as it passes on by to set in the West. I love everything about my trex except the mold issues http://www.maids.com/blog/3-non-toxic-ways-to-clean-mold/

Well thank you! Pattycakes, the bathroom tiles are ceramic. I've seen a similar treatment in peel and stick, though, and it's just beautiful. In fact, Georgiagal has black and white peel and stick in her laundry room. Beautiful! Annaclaire, I did all of it....with MUCH help from the Home Decorating forum. (I swear there's hidden genius on that forum.) Poodledoodle, yes the cabinets are white (cream, actually) with a glaze. We painted them, then went back and glazed. To glaze, I slathered the glaze into the corners and crevices, then gently wiped it off. For the broad surfaces, I used an old paintbrush, and did long strokes, then again just gently wiped it off. The glazing process is more of a glaze removal thing than an application thing. Again, the bathroom tiles are ceramic. I must have some hang up for checkerboard patterns! Downsouth, we're moving (only about 1/4 mile away) because we need extra space, and wanted a larger pool. We bought a house that I'd been eyeballing for close to 2 years. It needs to be completely redone, so I'll have fun sprucing it up and giving it some style. The paint color is Benjamin Moore "Spice Gold". It's one of my very favorite colors, as it's a deep, rich color, but not too dark, and it's very neutral. It only took me having to paint the dadblamed kitchen 11 times before I found that color!