I think I need to do A LITTLE BIT of explaining as to at least PART of why I became so scarce here for quite a while. A large part of it was just a bit of GW burnout... I'd been VERY active both here, and on the Ponds forum (and a few others), for several years, and then got involved with other forums on other subjects (and still am), and doing other things (and still am), which is ALSO why I will NEVER be as active as I once was. But another BIG PART was that when iVillage bought GW from Spike, they posted new Terms of Service, and they were, without a doubt, the most RIDICULOUS, most RESTRICTIVE, POMPOUS, PATERNAL AND GREEDY TOS I've EVER SEEN ON ANY WEBSITE BEFORE OR SINCE. In fact, if those same TOS are still in effect, I can get banned for what I just said in the paragraph above, lol. My biggest gripe was that they suddenly claimed ALL RIGHTS to EVERYTHING posted in any GW or related forum, either written or pictures, IN PERPETUITY, to reproduce whatever was posted in whatever medium they chose as many times and as many ways as they wished WITH or WITHOUT attribution to the author or photographer and without ANY recognition of either original copyright OR requirement to pay any compensation, regardless of what they used it for or how much money they made off of it. In other words, IF I happen to post a picture in a forum, which turns out to be a picture of some new species, and I'm the first and only one to photograph it, suddenly THEY own ALL RIGHTS to MY PICTURE, which might be worth A LOT of money! NOBODY -- I MEAN NOBODY else online (that I've seen -- and I've looked at A LOT of website TOSes) tries to pull that kind of BS. That's why you haven't seen my post ANY pictures since, and likely won't... Also why you won't likely see me write anything that you could call "stunning," lol (not that I ever did, necessarily), but I'm DEFINITELY NOT going to post something HERE I think I might want to PUBLISH ELSEWHERE later. So, by way of explanation, anyone who may have thought any of my abscence was because I didn't miss you all -- I did... I just was highly offended by the new TOS. I LOVE all you folks... Just wanted to make that clear! Jeff

I'm NOT a computer guru, but I know that many websites can find out your city from your computer's ISP address (they are assigned geographically). I don't know how this could be done through email. However, websites gather a lot of information on you unless you take steps to prevent it. If you give any website your email address they can put it together with your city (from your ISP address). A lot of websites compile databases of these known valid email addresses and SELL them. If you also give them your name they may sell that along with your email and city, too. They may also sell anything else they can get about you - physical address, what products you look at and buy, and if you fill out those forms that ask your gender, age, income, etc., it will also be included. Building and selling extremely detailed databases on individuals is a huge industry. Each website has a privacy statement that is supposed to disclose exactly what information they collect and whether they sell it. (Of course, almost no one reads those.) Some websites are unethical and collect information without disclosure. Even ethical websites that don't sell user information can have their data stolen by hackers from the outside or by an employee looking to make some extra cash. Most consumer databases are legally used by advertisers, but cyber-criminals buy/steal them, too. So, most likely this spammer is using a program to spam everyone on a list - probably thousands of people. The spammers use personalization programs which generate form emails using the correct city for each email address. This accounts for statements that include the recipient's city, such as, "The mayor of Palm Beach gardens will cause you bodily harm if you don't respond within 48 hours." A computer security expert could tell us a lot of other ways that spammers, hackers, and criminals can get creepy amounts of information on us without our knowledge. The web is a scary place.

I had started to respond to Leon's comment at work, but got tied up and couldn't finish. I had started to recall seeing a bumper sticker on a car which said "Keep honking, I'm still reloading." I had started to laugh when I remembered I was in Texas, and there might be some truth to that. When I was in college, one of my jobs was taking pictures for the Real Estate Book. While it was extremely rare, more than once I had a rifle-toting homeowner come out the front door while I was taking a picture. One learns to be as clear as possible about one's visit to a stranger's property. Having said that... I've met Yadda and Mountainman. I can't really see either of them sneaking onto someone's property to snag a cutting. Guns or no guns. ~james

Agree with laceyvail and Babs about removing what’s there. If she wants a more formal, uniform planting look, she could do dwarf shrubs, depending on how deep those beds are. If she wants color/more cottage-y style, a mix of perennials, small ornamental grasses, annuals — in varying heights and textures. I think another paved walk to the sidewalk, if budget allows, would look nice and give some definition to the yard. I’d make it a bit wider than the other walkway, and slightly flared where it meets the public sidewalk. A lamp post would be very charming on the driveway side. The ledge under the left window is cute, and if it’s sturdy enough, I’d put some small, pretty pots (or one rectangular pot) on it with flowers. A narrow trellis with a non-aggressive vine would look good on the vertical white thing by the door. Or replace that detail with a post or column. ETA after seeing her location: I googled ‘California cottage’ and saw some ideas. This one has the similar ledges under the windows. :) Also, with being in S Calif, google ‘xeriscape plantings’ for ideas of things that survive drought and heat well. And ask for advice at local nurseries, of course. For painting ideas, you might want to post on the Home Decorating board ... or download a paint app (most of the major paint companies offer virtual painting) and play around with it. HD board — http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/decor