Hi High, As long as you put the peony hoopÂor whateverÂout early so the foliage & stems can grow to fit it, IÂm sure it would work. Pinching the mums a couple times would also help to keep them a little bit shorter. I never got around to pinching mine this year, so they got taller than they have in the past, and what I did, starting as soon as I realized how tall they were going to get, was to tie lightweight twine (string!) around the plants several times as they grew taller to keep the outside stems from flopping over. It works really well as long as the plant is flopping pretty much equally in all directions since the weight from each side counteracts the weight from the opposite side. When I have something that flops toward one side, I still tie twine all the way around the plant, but with 2 or 3 stakes on the side it needs to be pulled towardÂif that makes sense! Whatever you decide to do with mums, you need to start doing it when theyÂre still small and flexible. By late summer, the stems are getting woody and brittle. I donÂt use a hoop or other metal because I donÂt like the way it looks most of the summer while the plant is growing into it. And luckily I was able to get a large cone of green twine when my brother quit selling poinsettias and didnÂt need it anymore, so it really blends in and is virtually invisible. David, if you want more of the one purple mum, the easiest way to do it would be to dig it up VERY early next spring and divide the new growth off of the outside of the plant, making as many new ones as you wantÂand throw away the old, woody center. Ideally mums should have this done to them (no, I donÂt!) every couple years. (My parents used to grow mums commercially when I was a kid!) Skybird P.S. You need to take some of those flowers up to your crowÂs nest, High!

The owner of a nail salon I frequent has a hoop and uses it in the back room during slow times. I haven't really talked to her about it, but she looks slimmer! I was also just reading about it in a Weight Watchers magazine last night. They said to start with 2 minutes and work your way up to 10. Seems like a great thing to keep in the kitchen and do while waiting for dinner to cook! I might give it a try. I'm just starting to see that midsection growth that is such a treat for those of us in our 40s.

I do still have my red clackers somewhere! I had the ankle one too but it was not the lemon twist it had a red ball on the end. We all did the hula hoops, my sisters were very good they were older than me. I jumped the hula hoop. We also had these big bamboo poles that two people held one on each end and tapped them on the ground then together and we had to jump in between with out getting smashed by the poles, I don't remember what that was called, I was actually pretty good at that one. And remember pick up sticks?Pick-up sticks I still have my Chinese fortune telling sticks too. They come in a canister and you would gently shake the can till one stick fell out. Each one had a fortune on it. the Foo Chu those are the exact ones I still have lol. Did anyone else have a Frosty snow cone maker? shaped like Frosty the snow man and you put ice cubes in and cranked it and it shaved the ice to make snow cones. I had the coke fountain too have no idea where that is because it would probably have some value.

Terricks, over in Home DEco Conversations is an avid hooper. She inspired me to get one and hoop. It is actually easier with a weighted hoop. I found a place for lessons but they stopped doing them. I only learned one trick! I hoop in my basement I the evenings. I would love to find another place to learn routines. It can be a good work out. Maybe there are places you can take your GD in your area where she can learn routines. it is fun. The thing about hooping is, you can't fake it. By this I mean you can go to a yoga class, or an exercise class and participate to your ability. But with hooping, if you can't do it, it's obvious.