Hi Neighbor, AV's are very hearty and can take almost any punishment you can give them except for overwatering. Personally I wick water my violets but as a newbie I would suggest you put the pot into a saucer of water and remove it after 10 minutes. By that time it should have soaked up enough water to keep it for almost a week, depending on the soil mix it is in. To know when to water, you should stick your finger into the soil and when it is dry about an inch down into the pot, water it. Where in NJ are you. I live in Columbus in Burlington County. Email me. Fred in NJ

Susana, In regards to "Tip Pruning vs. "Pinch Pruning" I believe the following is what you are asking for. Pinch pruning is when you are physically pinching off new growth while it is still supple. Using the thumb and forefinger frequently pinch back soft growth throughout the growing season this will allow you to avoid future pruning. The benefits and reasons for pinch pruning are to redirect growth and to increase the plant density (if the plant can not grow upward it will start branching outward). Pinching is also used for dis-budding flowers and thinning fruit trees. When you say Âpruning the tip I believe you are referring to the removal of terminal buds which will result in next lateral bud to become dominant on the branch. You want to prune near a lateral (side) bud that is pointing in the direction that you want to train the branch to grow. This is very useful in free form topiary when you have a bare spot in you display which you want to fill in. PS If you have any in progress pictures of your display I would like to see. Hope this helps. Mark

There is some history below. Anything with the words "lead free" are newer...as are all the powder blue and the straight mugs with the loop handle. Probably it is all newer Fiesta. Linda c Here is a link that might be useful: Fiestaware history

And if you do need an abrasive for, say, soap scum or dried-on toothpaste, a paste of Oxyclean and water rubbed on with a plain old rag or sponge does wonders. I LOVE Oxyclean and use it for almost everything. Don't buy it off the TV, it's a lot cheaper to get it at Walmart or KMart. The cheapie version they sell at the dollar store doesn't work anywhere near as well, I think, because it's more filler than anything else. I had to use so much that it negated any savings.