I strongly believe in knowing the names of all my hostas. Among other things, I record the grower/hybridizer, the year it was first introduced, and where and when I acquired it. I will not buy from any of the various home improvement stores, where labels often get switched around. That being said, every spring I end up with a dozen or so plants without labels. Obviously, the names of the NOIDS most be among the names of the hostas I acquired, and can easily be found. Most of these orphans result from dividing known hostas, when I forget to label the new divisions. Then there are those hostas, which are either sports, OP seedlings etc. and I record them just as well. If you feel it is to early to name them, identify them at least with some letters or numbers. By fall it is time to take pictures of all my hosta beds. I make B/W printouts and walk outside with the stack of paper in my hand and enter each name directly on the print out, or you might use 1 inch dia. Avery adhesive labels to white on. Use color prints if you don't mind the expense. If you are trying to identify plants from a friend, or those that came with house, try to estimate how many years they were with the last owner. That will reduce the number of possibilities drastically.

For all my old pets I give subcutaneous fluids at least once a week. Most of my older dogs and cats have had some degree of kidney insufficiency in their later years and hydration alleviates the nausea associated with it and perks up their appetites. I believe this has extended most of their lives, but more importantly it keeps them comfortable. Probably of all the things I've done to help my senior pets, this has made the most improvement to their lives. My older cats enjoy(ed) their heating pad covered with a towel. In or near their 20s, they have all lost weight and it was/is harder for them to generate enough of their own body heat to stay warm. I have a 4 foot wide gradually sloping ramp that I built so that my old dogs do not have to climb stairs to get in and out of the back door into the yard. I covered it in that fake grass indoor/outdoor carpetting so that it is not slippery. It is tough stuff and I can scrape snow and ice off it without harming it. For my collie in the last months of his life (He had an inoperable tumor in his abdomen that I believe caused him to be incontinent) I wrapped his beds with plastic tarps and covered that with washable and comfy fleece blankets. (His beds were 2" thick blocks of dense upholstery foam that I had made for him when his arthritis made it too hard for him to get up on the couch.) When he slept urine would just run out of him, so I could just change his blanket and sponge off the waterproof tarp-covered bed with soap and water. I had about half a dozen blankets that I would just throw in the washer everyday. It was a system that was easy for me and comfortable sleeping for him. Likewise my last two cats in their 20s were "leaky" when they slept. I lined all of their beds with plastic waterproof tablecloths, cut to fit. Then I covered that with soft cloths made from old towels and old clothes that were disposable. I affixed the disposable bedding to their beds with masking tape that I could tear off the next day. I had boxes of discarded fabric items cut into cat-bed-sized linens. When the supply began to run low I bought a box of hospital pads and used those. When my dogs were very old their appetites waned. I home cook for all my pets, and I cooked only those foods that they liked the best in their last days, because it was most important for them to eat to keep up their strength and to get adequate nutrition. Poultry was a favorite, and I cooked many a 25 lb turkey back then. Toward the end it was too hard for my guys to stand to eat a meal, so I hand fed them so they could eat lying down. For my dogs, glucosamine/chondroitin and fish oil capsules have helped their arthritis noticably. Eventually old age gets the upper hand, but these remedies stave off the crippling effects of arthritis for some time. I hope some of these suggestions will help you with your older pets. I find it very rewarding to care for my pets in their later years. There are so many ways to make their lives more comfortable, and to provide them with contentment. They appreciate the extra care and enjoy this phase in their lives, even though their world and activities have shrunk from what they once were. And now that I, too, am old I can empathize even more with the difficulties they have, and instinctively take steps to alleviate them.

I had a few extra inches planned between my refrigerator and framed entranceway so that the refrigerator door could open fully. A panel was supposed to cover it. I never would have been able to do something really useful with the few inches as I didn't need a pull-out that big right next to my doorway. After the sheetrock was put up, we discovered a few more inches! I remembered that someone on this forum had a cabinet mounted sideways next to the refrigerator so that it opened out. I kind of used that idea but the cabinet opening is on the other side of the doorway. So now I've got a recessed custom built-in cabinet in my tiny mudroom. The cabinet depth is the door frame and "kitchen filler space". The filler space is covered by a small panel and I think of it as my reclaimed/found space! jayne

Hi Andrea. To me the other room with the direct sunlight sounds good. Succulents can get sunburnt though, especially if it's lived in a garage for a while :-D so needs to be acclimated to direct sunlight. Maybe couple of hours in direct sun first. Then increase by 2 hours every 2 or 3 days? I like Katherine's advice and she would mean to put the skewer in for 2 minutes then pull out to check. I would stick it right to the bottom to make sure it's all dry. Personally I would see what the pups, offshoots, do as you repot. If they seem to be falling of the mother plant I would pot them separately so I have 3 plants lol. But if they are seemingly hugging close to mama I would leave them be as I don't know about Sempervivums. If it was an Aloe vera i would seperate because I know those plants will grow. When repotting wash all the soil off the roots first, dry them gently with a paper towel, then let them dry off. I usually leave my succulents overnight. If the roots or bottom of the plant don't look good, post us some photos of the areas of concern before you repot. As I said, I don't know Sempervivums, so hopefully someone will post if any of my thoughts aren't good for them, but generally Succulents all need similar care. Hope it all goes well.