Aw, how cool. I hope you give it a little water and some liquid fertilizer to reward it for trying so hard. Reminds me of a moss rose that came up in a crack over the center line in the main 2 lane road at the end of my neighborhood. I watched that stupid thing grow and bloom for a couple of months, just amazed me that it could survive the heat of growing surround by black asphalt AND no car ever apparently drove over it and crushed it into pulp. So, there it was, a stupid little yellowy-orange moss rose growing in a crack in the pavement, and just a bit darker in color than the yellow center line painted on the asphalt. Life is tenacious and wants to survive, to paraphrase Carl Sagan.

Don't let one failed pollination discourage you! I can't even count the failures I've had this past season, and I'll continue to try... I've had failures in the form of aborted pods, and they've been in all stages of growth, from tiny to quite large... and I've also had flowers simply not take the pollen they were dusted with. We had a failed dog breeding just recently, as well... although, I know why it failed... Bonzee, a female Olde Bulldogge, went into heat and we couldn't get the chosen male to her in time because he lives rather far away with his family. We were able to make one tie toward the end of her cycle, and we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best... but we were too late, and she was empty. We'll try again next cycle. Luckily, flowers will take pollen when they're fairly far along in bloom. I've had seed pods form when the pollination was made just as the flower was fading... so the plant world is much more forgiving than the animal world, in certain respects! I pollinated my Papilio Butterfly just a few days ago... I self pollinated two of the blooms, and used another pollen on the third bloom... it's too soon to tell if any pods are forming, but the flowers are fading fast... I'm hopeful of getting seeds, but if I don't, I'll just try next time around! I do have quite a few bulbs that are growing babies, little offsets... so I will have more plants from some even if they didn't give me seeds. This whole process of growing, blooming, pollinating, harvesting seeds, and sprouting those seeds has just been so exciting for me! And I've only just begun to collect hippi bulbs and cross the different varieties... I'm very excited to see the results of my pollinations, but those blooms won't be opening for at least another two years... the anticipation of seeing them will have me on pins and needles for a long time! Perhaps you'll get seed pods to form the next time you pollinate your flowers... you just never know!

I have kept soup "burn your mouth hot" for easily 4 hours...in a le Cruset dutch oven, in a styrofoam cooler ( the kind that frozen steaks came in)...newspaper on the bottom of the container so the hot pot wouldn't melt through, then a dish towel over the newspaper, because it somehow seemed un appetizing next to the food, then the pot and a folded towel on top. There was really no space in my coolers for the Dutch oven, paper insulating and towels for hot bricks. Try it out and see....get some water boiling in your heavy pot, then pack it as I have described, wait a couple of hours or more and open and see how hot it is. If it's too cool....try it again with added hot bricks or whatever.

Oh you poor thing. I can relate to the red itchy rash. I developed one over two years ago on my elbows and forearms. It then spread to my knees. This itch was so intense that I wanted to keep scratching even though my skin was raw. First I was diagnosed with psoriasis (wrong) - then after waiting 6 months to see a dermatologist I was diagnosed with Dermatitis Herpetiformis. This rash is associated with Celiac Disease. I do not have Celiac Disease. Went through blood tests, endoscopies, colonoscopies, biopsies. All which showed no Celiac and the biopsy came back as folliculitis. Inflammation of the hair follicles. This Dermatologist put me on a pill called Dapsone. This pill was prescirbed years ago to people with Leprosy. Well, I thought I died and went to heaven when I first started taking this med. The rash disappeared - no more itching. However, two years later my bones ache, my joints ache not to mention I am so badly anemic. I feel like I'm 100! I'm told this is all because of the Dapsone. I have asked to see another Dermatologist. Remember I live in Canada. I received the referral in January/08 and my appt. is scheduled for October 28/08. Nothing like waiting 10 months. Don't feel too bad - 1 week is nothing, although it seems like forever when there is discomfort!!