Hello, I am not sure what it is yet I have similar things growing from an never blooming Orchid plant - bought on cheap sale rack at Lowe's 2 yrs ago-- it has a few leaves and after a summer on the porch it looks good and gives me hope--poor thing is hopeless Just love our interesting world of plants...never boring !! Looking forward to some warmth here in MA -from a freezing snowy winter to a cold wet Spring with a few beautiful day tossed in as teasers-Tulips coming up happy little guys....

Everybody's been so busy! I've been working on putting up a greenhouse, which includes clearing and leveling a spot, cutting trees and branches, driving rebar, making a frame, and the like, plus gathering seeds(it's going to be a tropical-type greenhouse) for when it gets time to sow them, and also putting up one for my mother, since she bought the materials for mine(sweet, huh? lol). I've also been researching, potting up cuttings I've received(12 so far this week) and Hoya seeds from Sue(THANK YOU!!!), and caring for 4 children under the age of 9(not to mention the husband who sometimes ACTS like he is 9 LOL). And I have still found time to come on here and read all these great posts! Oh, almost forgot to mention the rearranging of the Hoyas- I put up a new shelf in the master bath that gets lots of good light, so I've been moving and rearranging all 80 or so plants to put the Hoyas where they will do the best and the rest where they will survive. Sorry, but the Hoyas get that prime real estate! I do keep most of my plants in the house(which ultimately means a lot more work for me) because I live in an apartment complex with a LOT of latch-key children and unsupervised children, and when I first moved here I had planted a lot outside and had several pots sitting outside in my flower bed, but they were DESTROYED by the neighborhood kids and a couple of adults. I'm not risking it with my Hoya babies! I have a really nasty cactus and a large agave with huge terminal spines out there now. Is that mean? lol I really can't wait to move onto our property, and how sad is it that I put up a greenhouse before a real house? My addiction is showing!!!

A lot of people tap on the top of cans, theory being it releases pressure and won't spray all over. I've shaken many a can for people, and seems to be the same results for tappers and non-tappers. My mother had a couple quirks. The road into our cabin was a dirt trail for many years before a new road was put in. When it would get wet, it'd get slippery, there'd be ruts and it's through the woods so not many options to go a different path - just wind through those trees and some were close and driving a big old DeSoto, the squeezes could be tight. When we'd be in the car and start spinning the wheels or something she'd start rocking back and forth to give a little oomph to the car I suppose. Plus the "keep your tongue straight in your mouth" going through those trees. I probably do things people think are strange but can't think of anything that's out of the ordinary.

I think you may need to definetely set bounderies here,not only with your sd but with your husband as well. The doors of my house have locks. I not only have the right to lock my doors, but I have the duty to protect my family from thieves and dangerous people. Yet, even with the doors locked, my home is occasionally invaded by telemarketers who interrupt whatever I'm doing with the hope of making a sale. At other times, my girlfriends may call and poison the atmosphere with endless whining about how unfair life is. Yes, life would be unfair if we were "forced" to listen to someone whose only purpose in life is to complain. Thankfully, life is not unfair. We have power. We can define what we are willing to put up with. We can establish what is and what is not acceptable to us. We don't have to listen to every call. We can say, "Sorry, I'm busy now. Thanks for calling. Talk to you later. Good-bye," and hang up. In a word, we can set boundaries. Boundaries don't separate us from life- they "enrich it". After all, boundaries give us the freedom to become the person we wish to be. Some people however, are afraid to speak up. They are afraid of being rejected and losing someone they care about. They are willing to give up all that they can become in order to hold on to the little that they now have. It is like a tadpole refusing to become a frog or a caterpillar refusing to become a butterfly. It just doesn't make any sense. If we wish to be in charge of our destiny, we have to learn how to speak up and tell others what is unacceptable to us. You can start enriching your life today, by setting boundaries.I know from expierience that this can be difficult,but with the help of therapy-i can say that i've been able to make life alot easier for myself. What i learned in therapy was that there are four steps to setting bounderies.You begin by saying, "WHEN YOU ..." (state what is unacceptable),then "I FEEL ..." (describe your feelings),'I WANT ....." (describe your expectations), 4) "IF YOU ~ I WILL ...." (describe the consequences of ignoring your request).Like whenever i would say something that my x- husband disagreed with, he rolled his eyes and sighed, dismissing my opinion. I decided to set a boundary and told him, "Whenever you disagree with me, you roll your eyes and sigh, as if you are exasperated by something stupid I've said." it is important to be specific. The person you are dealing with is not a mind reader and cannot be sure of what is troubling you unless you spell it out. Note that i did not say, "When you belittle me." (that is too vague), but said, "When you roll your eyes and sigh." By being specific, i not only made sure he understood me, but i was helping him become aware of his behavior, which may have been automatic and done without any thinking on his part. I then continued by saying, "WHEN YOU do that, I FEEL hurt. When you dismiss my opinions like that, I FEEL as if I have nothing of value to say to you." Steps 1 and 2 are not about blaming. They are merely factual statements. i wasn't accusing him of being coldhearted. I was just expressing my feelings.Having said that,i went on to tell him:"I want to be in a loving, caring, supportive relationship. I expect to be appreciated and admired. When he treat me with disrespect, I feel like we are being driven apart. So, from now on, when I express an opinion, I WANT you to stop rolling your eyes and sighing as if I were a jerk. I WANT you to listen to what I have to say, consider it, and respect my right to express an opinion without being laughed at. I don't always agree with what you have to say, but I respect your right to have another opinion. At the very least, you can grant me the same courtesy." A new boundary cannot be established unless it is enforced. The role of the last step is to announce the consequences of refusing to comply with the request being made. It isn't always necessary to announce the consequences to the person you're dealing with. However, it is essential that you choose the consequences in your own mind and commit to carrying them out if necessary.In my case, my purpose wasn't to antagonize or threaten my husband. I merely wished to correct his unacceptable behavior.But after asking him to stop this several times i had to take things to the next level.A boundary without enforcement is not a boundary, so i had to announce the consequences. Although there wasn't much i could do and say to change his behavior,i told him "I asked you to stop rolling your eyes and sighing whenever I express an opinion that differs from yours and you have refused to stop. So, I have decided to spend less time at home and start taking night school classes where I can improve myself and make new friends. If I cannot find the respect I need and deserve at home, I will find it outside the home. I hope you understand." Eventually i got tired of "setting bounderies" and enforcing consequences-i felt as if i had a child instead of a man for a husband.Sadly,he was unwilling to make the changes nessesary to preserve our marriage and i was unwilling to be his "mom" for the rest of my life. Everyone resists change, so if you try to set a boundary with someone that ridicules you, they will probably try to brush it aside by saying something like, "I was just joking. You're too sensitive." But don't accept that explanation. Immediately reply, "You may have been joking, BUT I AM NOT. If you continue to ridicule me, I will find another friend." That may seem harsh,but if someone is being hurtful they don't deserve to be treated with any "courtesy" if you ask me... You are not less important than others, so stand up for yourself. The other side of the coin is, others are not less important than you, so respect and honor their boundaries. Rewording the point I wish to make, you are not here to live up to the expectations of others, but neither are they here to live up to yours. Seek balance or the middle path. That is, don't be passive, allowing others to step all over you. Also, don't be aggressive, bullying your way through life. Rather, be assertive, defending your rights and the rights of others. The purpose of setting boundaries is not to be separated from others, but to gain the freedom and strength to better serve them. It is only after we learn how to protect,honor, and love ourselves that we will be able to do the same for others. Hope this helps.=)