OMG Sandy, Just read this post and you talked about thrush. That is a nasty, nasty word in my book. I supposedly have asthma and am on the inhaler Advair. After too many, too many bouts with thrush I went cold turkey off of Advair. I got thrush back in February. It got so bad it went to my throat and tonsils. Even my gums were bleeding. I couldn't even drink tea I was in so much agony. I lost 5# because I couldn't eat. I still had thrush in May after a month of being on Diflucam to take it away. I could eat but it still hurt, and forget about taste. I lived on applesauce, jello and pudding. On Father's Day this year I thought I had a small stoke. It felt like someone had stabbed me in the left side of my head with a sharp pencil, then my whole left side went numb, even my tongue. The MRI showed I had a slight brain aneurysm that had healed itself. That was it. I decided the Lord gave me a second chance at life and I wasn't going to abuse it. I am now on a strict low-sodium diet. I have lost 30#. It seems like the pounds are just melting away. If it ain't natural it ain't going in my body. I gave up diet pop, and anything with splenda, neutrasweet or aspartame in it. I have been told I have had asthma and allergies my whole life, and I can't believe the difference. I haven't used an inhaler since February and don't have a problem breathing. I haven't had an asthma attack (thank God) and this is the first year I haven't sneezed my head off during allergy season. I am up to 1.60 miles on the manual treadmill and can bench press 50# on the Bowflex. I don't care what my allergist tells me, I refuse to put anymore steroids into my body. That's what caused the thrush in my mouth and throat, steroids in the Advair inhaler. I feel like I have been reborn. Jenny

Hibiscus need full sun, all day if they can get it, especially to flower. Many leggy plants will get fuller by cutting back (or pinching back, on small plants). Years ago when I lived at the beach, my neighbor would whack back her pink hibiscus to only about two feet tall. And that thing would be absolutely GORGEOUS a few months later, loaded with blooms. It was in full sun. But that the cut back used to kill me - it was way before I was ever a gardener. Carol

well when I posted on here about storing things in a crawl space no one thought it was a good idea..so good luck with that. As far as the Christmas things, I have a tree, kept the box it came in and store it in the garage rafters. works ok there no animals have bothered it in the many years we have had it there. I have underbed totes for my Christmas and other holiday items..(one fall)..i noticed this year that two entire totes were taken up with a porcelain nativity that I no longer put up..so I attempted to sell it on Craigslist..didnt sell..thinking about donating it to a church, it was a very expensive set..large porcelain figures all from the kings animals and shepherds and angels to the wooden stable. lovely, but i don't really want to set it out and would rather have someone else be the caretaker of it now. thus said this will chisel down my stored ornaments to only tree, skirt, and wreaths, and lights..which is fine with me, also one small fontanini nativity..which is non breakable. I wanted to store these items in my crawl space which is totally dry ..but was strongly warned by people on this site against it..so they are still all under the bed..in roll out plastic totes. still have the creche for sale..or going to give..and i am on a mission to clear out more and more every year until i don't need extra storage totes for anything..and i will never rent a storage unit..ever.

Thanks for all of the good wishes!!! Posted an update on another thread. And MARION! I've been playing ostrich, as usual lol, and sticking my head in the sand :-P . But I'm emerging, and trying to get back into the swing of things :-) Crossing my fingers as well for all of you who are trying to sell too - as I tell myself over and over "it will happen when it's meant to happen and no amount of worrying will rush it!" april