I am a little nervous each time but I do it. One time I was hijacked sort of. I was in the airplane in Atlanta. Everything seeemed OK. But I did notice that there seemed to be an extra stewardess. On the way down there had been two. There were three on that flight. One headed for the rear of the plane. A couple of meinutes later the other two scurried back. Then one of them went to the pilots cabin and there was a lot of whispering. The pliot stode determidely back. A couple of minutes later the pilot came on the intercom and said he was sorry there would be a slight delay. Two of the stewardesses started handing out free drinks. Two more stewardessses came on and headed for the back of the plane. About then my seatmate poked me and said, "Look out there! What the he!! is going on?!!" There were police cars parked all around the plane with their lights flashing. I scrunched down in my seat as far as I possibly could. I was trying to figure out if it was possible to wedge a person of my girth under the seat. (No way, really.) The pilot came on and said they were experiencing some minor difficulties and if they were not resolved in five minutes we would have to get off and would be put on other flights. A couple minutes later three stewdardesses came from the back of the plane one of whom was crying hysterically and shouting "I wanna go home!" Almost immediately the pilot came on and said "we are cleared for take off please make sure your seatbelts are securely fastened, We are starting a little late but I think I can make up a lot of the time in flight." The stewardess then explained that the other stewardess had been told for the third time that week that she had to work a double shift. The Overtime stewardess refused and locked herself in the bathroom. Of course the plane is not allowed to take off with someone in the bathroom. The amazing thing is we started 45 minutes late but we arrived only five minutes late. We hurtled down that runway and suddenly I new what astronauts feel like as we blasted into the sky. No one came on to tell us at exactly what speed we were traveling, but I promise it was not slow. It makes you wonder how short flights could be if they really tried their hardest, but I suppose it is just as well they do not.

They are fungus gnats and yes, they are especially damaging to seedlings - larvae feed on fine roots. Bacillus thuringiensis v. israelensis (israelensis is important here, there are different types of BT for different pests) specifically controls the larva of fungus gnats and breaks the reproductive cycle. BTi is a biological larvicide that contains naturally occurring bacteria - not toxic to animals, birds, humans, fish. It does not persist in or contaminate the environment in any way. Some products containing the BTi are Gnatrol, KnockOutGnats, and in a pinch, you can make your own solution by floating a mosquito dunk in a container of water overnight, then using that to water on your normal schedule...using it about three consecutive waterings. Be sure to do all pots and containers and not leave any larvae to grow to adulthood to start the cycle over :)

Bee-O-Wulf would be closer to the literary figure.

Hey, thanks ever so, webkat! I almost forgot I had posted this query. *heh* I originally dismissed the YCSM, coz most of the pics I found didn't look right. And most had orange-looking collars. Anyhow, you spurred me to look further and 'VIOLA'. 8-] And thanks for the link, CT! I'll definitely check it out. ICA, Sophie ^i^