While I think that the "FAQ" as outlined by swanoir was presented tongue in cheek ('the humus'), many of the subsequent comments and/or links to threads that could/should be included in a FAQ were presented in a more serious tone. And maybe they do make sense as a foundation to a real LD forum FAQ. But I've also sensed something else in these comments that may contribute to the apparent lack of communication between new posters seeking advice and those that regularly frequent this forum and offer it. And that is that the long checklist provided by Miss R must be (or should be) answered in detail before posting. Well, of course not! But it is definitely something worth reviewing and giving some thought to. This checklist, or something very similar, is what most designers utilize when first meeting with a prospective client. It gives them a feeling for what the client wants to do with the property, how they intend to use it, what they hope to get out of it and how much effort (time/$$) are they are intending to put into it. Hopefully, reviewing an outline or checklist such as this could help to refine and focus some of those blank slate questions and even educate those new posters totally unfamiliar with the process the degree of complexity, the number of variables and exactly what is involved in the formulation of a landscape design. Even DIY landscape texts intended for the homeowner with no previous design or landscaping experience offer similar checklists to get one started thinking about the process. Obviously, this is overkill for those questions that are more issue-specific, but I think very appropriate for those that are much broader and far less focused.

Howdy All, My God, has it been 2-years since I started this thread? The thread I forgot existed. :) This morning, while checking mail, there stood a solo email with the heading, 'Lauterbachii & questions.' Guess I checked the notiification box, but cannot recall receiving other notifications to this thread before today..Strange. I hope all here are well. Preparing for summer. Soon, 'I pray' those of us who live in cold climates will once again set Hoyas outside for summer vacation. Although my Lauterbachii is still alive, it looks NOTHING like it did Aug 26. 2009. One problem is lack of sun. If I could root Hoyas, I'd cut its trunk in sections, then root each to start over. But, I've never had luck rooting Hoya cuttings. Cablock, Wonder what was going through your husbands mind after 'toasting' your Hoya. lol. Actually, my Hoyas are nowhere near the toaster, or even in the kitchen. The counter was the best location to snap a photo. One problem is kitchen has two windows, both north-facing. Plants before either window are low-light types. Ferns, etc. Actually my Hoyas are kept in the upstairs bedroom and bathroom..bedroom windows face south, bathroom, west. Second problem---Bird cages are less than 10' away from the counter w/toaster. If a plant was left unattended, each and every leaf would end up chewed to pieces. LOL. Wish I could hang Hoyas in our kitchen window like you, only 'far away from the toaster, lol.' Does your lauterbachii stand erect in its hanging basket? Hot or cold air hitting a plant will destroy leaves. A similar thing happened with Chlorophytum 'Fire-Flash.' I placed the Chlorophytum on a plastic container near the water heater vent..Outside. Guess someone was showering. Minutes later, leaves wilted. Before I had a chance to relocate, I noticed foliage was also marred. They looked frost-bitten. Never again. Learned a lesson the hard way. Is your Hoya okay now? Andrew, don't know if you're still around, but it's funny finding you here, too. lol. Toni

For anyone who may be interested in an update to my problem... I finally managed to get a Bhutan Telecom engineer to stand by my computer and actually see it disconnect from the internet. He hooked up his own very high-tech looking box to my cables and verified that the problem was theirs, not my modem/router. And from the very next night, I had continuous, 24 hour connection. I rang him to ask what the problem was, and he said that they dug up and replaced the old cable down the road (narrow diameter and many old repair joins). They replaced it with a new, larger diameter cable. So now, I only get a drop-out every couple of hours, and that for only a couple of minutes before it automatically reconnects. A pain when I'm on Skype, but pretty standard here. But he still cannot explain why it used to disconnect punctually at the identical time every night.

If you are running MicroSoft Windows, they offer a free malware cleaner. In fact, Microsoft sends that cleaner out about once a month with other updates; It runs once and then excuses itself. When it runs, it takes a long time for it to scan critical files and locations on your disk. Over a year ago, I converted to Uverse to get the better internet speeds and at about the same or less cost that I was paying for DSL and the old analog phone (voice) service. I was renting 2 lines from the phone company: one for the computer and the other for phones. IN addition, I was paying $240 per year for dial-up internet connection. But with the increased amount of data that flows today and high graphic content, dial-up no longer was practical. Also, software and software updates no longer arrives on a CD of DVD, it is downloaded. Dial-up is too slow and error prone for effective software installations or updates. I chose Uverse when it became available and the sales force was knocking on my door touting all its good points - they did not adequately explain all the changes required. Uverse has been very convenient since it sets up a wireless network within your house. A number of things can be connected wireless PROVIDED they contain a radio to converse wirelessly with the gateway. A PC can connect wirelessly or through the air. The computer needs a wireless card if it does not have built-in capability. (Most newer laptops do have a radio.) Many newer printers have a radio, but the lower end versions may not. I direct connect my printer to the desktop computer with a USB cable, but I can also at the same time, activate its radio and then it can be seen by other computers. The Uverse set-up negates your analog phone connection. Once Uverse is installed, phone signals arrive in digital form and a converter-to-analog is included in the incoming box so that the analog phones continue to work. Here;s the rub. Most 911 emergency calling systems today have locater capabilities for the older dial up phones. That is, the 911 operator is able to locate the phone that is making the call. This is critical in case the caller can not speak, That capability may be negated with a switch to digital phone service. At my location, AT&T assured me that the location feature was available at my phone exchange. The second rub: Depending on what kind of phone you had, some older simple phones did not depend on house current to operate, but ran from the power supplied by the phone company. You could still make a call if your power went out. With Uverse service, that function is handled differently. Part of your installation is a battery box that is plugged into your house power. It keeps a battery charged that can maintain your phone service for about 18 hour. After that, you are without phone service until power is restored. That also means you have no 911 capability after the battery runs down. After that, you will be dependent on a cell phone. For Uverse service, you will need to dedicate one electrical outlet to power the installation. It is recommended that a transient protected extension be used. My gateway can handle 10 channels, i.e., 10 signal sources such as printers and computers. Our typical load is 2 to 4 computers and 2 printers. My original gateway failed early. The replacement unit has ran trouble free for over a year. I have rebooted it only twice during that time: once because power line glitches upset the system, and once when it was shut down for vacation. Because of old telephone cables (outside) and the distance to the fiber optic node, the installer had to use 2 phone circuits to bring my service up to the intermediate speed they had sold to me.