So hard to pick a favorite from this group. I've been wanting NTS for a while but wasn't sure it would look like the pictures. Thanks for posting your's. It's beautiful and now I know I must get it! :) Also love Panchen Lama. Haven't seen that one before. Very pretty....they're ALL pretty. Tahoe is new to me this year and I don't think it will bloom. So I'm happy to see a picture of your Tahoe. Michelle

Tammypie, I've had retusa for a while now. Love it. And cummingiana is on it's way. :) I've developed my own rooting methods over the last few years that seem to work well in my climate. Baggies and aquariums do NOT work well here (I found out the hard way). :( But, live and learn! Mike, aldrichii is one that's been in my collection for over a year. My rooted piece is alive, but just not doing much of anything. Just wanted to add a bit to it from a different location to see if it would acclimate faster. GG - "does it have to be human"? hehehehe Carolyn

Dear all, I did bring up the suggestion of babysitting so they could have time together. As expected, it was declined. I didn't actually think of paying for the date. Some time with our grandchild is well worth the price of some movie tickets. Great idea. Fred doesn't seem to be fully aware of her hold on him. He has to wash his own laundry, pay the full rent etc... while being on full parent duty every moment he's not at work. He seems to think that the better father he can be that things will improve and be cured. We've purchased a book called: Grandparent's Rights: Your Legal Guide to Protecting Your Relationship with Your Grandchildren by Traci Truly Sourcebooks Inc 2006 My husband feels that things are so precarious with Tracey's strong hold over Fred that he is terrified to broach the subject. In the meantime we have be keeping a written log of contacts and visits just in case. The bursting into tears was comletely involuntary. I would take it back if I could. (Fred had reported back to her that I had cried. She uses this as a reason to be upset with me, saying that I overreacted, and that that was really immature.) Fred had been thrown out for the umpteenth time and had actually spent that week with us. We thought he was finally free of her. When he announced the news I saw his life before me -tied to her forever, constantly fearfully of upsetting her, manipulated, his own child used for leverage and power. Am I really sure that Fred is the father? No. Only she can know that. When he was here with us we both advised him to continue making his plans to be on his own and to get a DNA test, while still walking away. He protested money and we said we would pay. He wouldn't get the test, though his name is on the birth certificate. It is sad times here in our house. We have so much love to give. Technical Questins for Dana: I'm brand-new to this whole online thing. DH = dear husband? Dnephews =? Thank you for your responses.

Hi Rob, Not much to add ... and hope that you're back at least part way out of your blue funk. Brother, retired farmer who lives 1600 miles way, has one son, only child, in a city 100 miles from here, a couple of small grand-daughters from son's second marriage, and comes to visit them a couple of times a year. He'd called to say he was to be in the neighbourhood, and we got together on Friday, I called son and he and his partner were there for lunch, as was brother and wife ... and a couple of favourite cousins were, as well. Brother spent a few years when he was very young with the family of our Mom's brother and their two children when she was ill, so he considers one as almost a sister: the son, a local farmer, died several years ago. The other cousin lives locally and I see her at church fairly often - she, who had voice training, has sung in the choir for 75 years. The brother and I went to deal with some complications over inheritance of cemetery plots that Dad owned ... and it looks as though resolution is to be easier than we figured. Then we sat and had a chat ... and he's rather worried about future viability of his son's marriage. We don't see one another often, but we've been close, over the years. Our brother died over forty years ago, when his kids were in their teens, and our ready-made sister that came with our stepmom lives near brother in Saskatchewan. It's a red letter day when we get together. ole joyful