Al, Thanks so much for the explanation and the advice. "All plant behavior is normal." What a lovely thought! If only that could be said about us. :) I still haven't figured out how to post photos, but for sure there are no leaves yet -- so I'll plan on the re-potting for this weekend. Will I lose this new growth? I should let you know that all my experiments with rayon fell apart when we entered an early and unusually heavy rainy period here (which we are still getting, off and on) and I gave up on that, bit the bullet -- or the stone, I should say -- and bought some #10 crushed granite. It wasn't easy to get the stuff up to my unit -- a quart or so at a time -- but I managed, and, working with small quantities, I put together your recipe for 4 clay 3 bark and 2 granite. I'm sorry to say I couldn't manage the sifting (I began to have coughing and eye problems), but what I have will, I hope, be at least close to a proper soil. Claire

I acted! And I'm really glad I did!! The last time I looked at its roots (about a month and a half ago) they looked ok. They didn't reach more than halfway down the pot, but that still measured a 7 cm layer of roots. Now the roots were almost completely rotted away - only small chunks of 1-2 cm long root were left. When I started to gently remove the plant from the pot the plant just loosened from its roots. Most of the the vines were still green and healthy - I got A LOT of cuttings! I put them in pots filled with hydroton (and some with small bits of orchid bark). Then I put them in a rooting aquarium, and the aquarium was placed in a north facing window. Now all I can do is hope they will root and start growing! Some pictures... Here's what was left of the roots. (And what was left of the plant after I cut it up and planted the cuttings.) I put the sad remains on top of moist hydroton and wrapped it all in plastic - just to see if it will re-root. Who would have thought a plant with roots like that could look as healthy as this (most of the leaves were like this, only some had shriveled up and died): Now the cuttings have moved into a nice and humid environment, and I hope they'll like it there (3 more pots were filled with cuttings, they were put in plastic bags because there was no room in the aquarium): Some of the cuttings:

"I still believe it is the culprit and I researched AZ when my husband was diagnosed and found a document written by one of the top immunologist in this country saying he thought it was alum and said it was rampant in this country and one day there would AZ patients in the streets because there would not be enough homes for them. Aluminum enhances meds and it is in almost every shot you get, it's in 95%of all anti acids meds, etc." I agree. I also think we are getting too many toxic chemicals from vaccines. Emma, do you have the link to the document by the immunologist? I'd like to read it. Here are some more thoughts on this subject. "Studies confirm fluoride enhances 'bioavailability' of aluminum What apparently happens when individuals with aluminum-induced neural degeneration are exposed to fluoride is that the fluoride enhances the toxicity of aluminum. In terms of bioavailability, or the ability of aluminum to cause harm, fluoride greatly increases the overall toxic burden of this pervasive metal, rendering it exceptionally more toxic. "[A]luminum-induced neural degeneration in rats is greatly enhanced when the animals were fed low doses of fluoride," reads the news release for a 1998 study published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Brain Research. "The presence of fluoride enhanced the bio-availability of aluminum (Al) causing more aluminum to cross the blood-brain barrier and become deposited in the brain. The aluminum level in the brains of the fluoride-treated group was double that of the controls." Links that might be useful. www.naturalnews.com/044366_fluoride_aluminum_brain_damage.html http://www.realfarmacy.com/22-medical-studies-that-show-vaccines-can-cause-autism/

Before I went to college, a hundred years ago, the student counselor suggested I spend the summer working with different age groups to narrow which area of psychology I wanted to specialize in. I worked in a nursing home for only a month as it just broke my heart. An experience has stayed with me all these years. One of my patients was Bess. Her mind was gone. She thought her bed was her house, the closet for her clothes was a pantry. She told me the flower arrangement was her potatoes. She would be moving her hands and said she was peeling potatoes or making some kind of food for dinner. It was all so real to her. I took time to talk to her and we would plan picnics as she had said she liked picnics. She went from one subject to another in a matter of a few minutes. One day Bess lay there with one arm stretched up. I tried to get her to lay it down to be more comfortable. She acted like she couldn't do that so I tried to get her attention on something else. I had noticed when I first met her she wore a man's watch. I commented that day that it was such a nice watch. Her expression changed, she lowered her arm and told me," this was Chris's watch, he loved me very much" and she began to cry. I held her and comforted her. I later asked the supervisor who Chris was and she told me he was Bess's husband that had died years ago. My heart sunk, my throat tightened as it was such a beautiful thing. To think that with beds being houses, a closet now a pantry to her and the flowers were potatoes, she still knew the love she and her husband shared. It says in the bible that "love endures all things". It certainly does. Some days while caring for someone, we'd like to just hide in a closet or run outside and scream. When all is said and done, you are doing what you do out of love. It may not seem so but the person you are caring for knows this. There mind is in a state we can't really understand their thinking. However, they do know love. Keep strong and find some time for you and know you are not alone. Lynn