Good Morning Idylls! Well, what a pleasant visit to the Idylls this a.m.! You guys had me laughing and smiling all the way through...what fun pics! I knew Deanne was feeling her oats as soon as I saw that pic of her holding the little maple tree! You looked so cute and what a mischievous look on your face..."Psst...Mary...look at this little maple...isnt it lovely?" "What?!?...smuggle it on the plane, Moi?!?...*Never*!" LOL! Youre too funny! Loved all the beautiful pics of your spring garden and your Sutherland Gold is doing wonderfully! I hacked mine way back last fall and much to my relief, is also doing well this spring. Its a gorgeous shrub and Im very happy with it too! Thank you Mary for sharing the pics of your get together. It was wonderful to see all your smiling faces and it looks as if fun was had by all. :-) Really enjoyed the spring walk through Maries garden too. The unfurling fronds on your Maidenhair fern were wonderful to see...nature is just astounding, isnt it? BTW, is that Bruces White phlox divaricata in the one pic with the grape hyacinths? What a gorgeous picture. I just planted Bruces White in my garden last year and they are still very teeny tiny plants, but one managed to flower and the flower looks very similar to those in your pic, so Im hoping yours is p. divaricata too. If it is, I am in for a real treat when my plants mature! Marian so glad you are feeling better dear friend! :-) I can hear the laughter in your voice and the smile on your face and it warms my heart! BTW, dont forget to let me know what you want to do with the myosotis...i.e. plants/seed, now or in the fall. Babs sorry to hear Ryans physical was worrisome. Like Marie, I also have a lazy eye (which the doctors didnt treat), but I have been lucky in that it has not affected my vision. Most of the time I dont even notice it, but if I am over tired, I do lose control of the muscles in that eye, which is more embarrassing than troublesome. Also, when I get pics taken, often I look like I am drunk and thats because that eye will close if there is a flash or the sun is too bright. Anyway, have you talked to the doctor yet about the risks and or the benefits of having surgery to correct the problem? Well Im sure you are doing your research (youre such a good mom) and I know you will make the right decision for Ryan, whatever that turns out to be. Re the blood in his urine. My son had that too, when he was just about Ryans age. Cant remember a lot about it anymore, but I do remember the doctor referring to it as "spilling sugar?" He told me that it was not uncommon in children and serious joggers too! I took the doctors word for it and as it turned out by the following spring Paul didnt seem to have the problem anymore. In retrospect, I wish I had been more informed and I think you are wise to find out more abut it too, if you can. In fact, if you *do* find out, I would be curious to know why it happens too and why, as the doctors say, "its nothing to worry about". Michelle your garden is looking lovely too! So tickled that T.E. has made an appearance at your house. BTW, I meant to tell you before, I like my street name too! LOL! It was great when I had the biz cause we used my home address as the biz address and you would be amazed how much confidence it instilled in our clients...LOL! Honey! It was great to see you! :-) And I am in love with your Acalypha! A few of us garden gals are making our second trip to Sunrise Nursery this week and I am definitely going to be looking for that plant! Cant wait to see how you combine it in your always lovely pot combinations! Sorry to hear your landscape designer was such a disappointment! Stick to your guns and/or find another landscaper. It makes me very unhappy when I hear about designers who dont listen to their clients...its just wrong! I always think of one of my ex-bosses clients, who loved the color red. I always felt sorry for him because every year he would ask to include red in his garden and every year my boss would refuse to listen (just because *she* hated the color red)! I thought that was a terrible thing to do to a client and always thought she should have compromised. I mean, Im sure there was some way she could have included some red in his garden, without insulting her own tastes. Okay, Ill get off my soap box now, it just that not listening to your clients needs and wants has always rubbed me the wrong way...I find it insulting! Of course, you hire a consultant because you want their knowledge and experience, but that doesnt mean that the *client* cant have good ideas too! BTW...we will be seeing lots of pot combinations here, wont we? Please? I so loved that last spring....what inspiration I found here! Did I mention too how much I enjoyed all the eye candy here today? Just beautiful everyone. Eden...Im so tickled a gardener whom I admire so much also loves Dicentra Gold Heart! I know some people feel it may be a little to bright, but not me! I think it is gorgeous and I absolutely swoon when in a good spring, it blooms with my Redbud tree! :-) You and Marian have mayapples too die for. Though Ive had mine for several years now, they still have not made a great show like yours. When I was working for a gardening service, one of her customers had a huge stand of them in the woodland part of her yard and it is an image that I carry with me all the time...just lovely! Well, maybe one day I will have a stand too! :-) Enjoyed seeing all your unusual plants. It amazes me how many plants I have yet to discover...LOL! Lauren! So enjoyed your pictures...just beautiful and the pic with the droplets on the leaf is really a work of art! Boy, we are so lucky here at the Idylls...so many wonderful photographers! Gorgeous pics from Sue too! My fothergilla is finally recovering after a couple of bad years where my husband completely buried it during snow removal...GRRR! BTW, Sue is that your new "do" I see? You look fabulous! New do or not I think your hair is beautiful and I need to know what you are doing to have such fabulously chiseled arms! Youre looking fabulous dahling! Well, Im going to keep this short, as I want to come back later and post pics of the trip to Arizona and my surprise on coming home in a separate post. I was going to post it all here, but then realized I had way too many pics. Ill be back here later, to do a better read! Have a great day all! Ei P.S. T that is *so* encouraging and a joy to see the honey bees! :-) P.P.S.S. Meant to tell you all I read "Shocking Beauty" while flying...wonderful book! Can't wait to get to my "Jewel Box" now! Thanks for the recommendation! Okay gotta go now...TTYL! Ei

Hi Bonnie, Long Ago is working on their site, so the page being down isn't surprising. I know she's like Burling in that she's a one person operation. You can imagine trying to take care of hundreds to thousands of plants; propagate them all; handle all the "chief cook and bottle washer" duties for the business and household, etc., AND mess around with a web site. It will get there. I don't know who will have stock ready first. Remember Long Ago is on the east coast and doesn't ship west of the Rockies. Burling is less than three hours from you. Actually, I prefer receiving young plants during weather as we're "suffering" right now. Replanted in a larger pot, in good soil, placed in filtered sun and kept well fed and watered, most will grow like mad with this heat. It sets the stage for the perfect opportunity to push them by keeping them disbudded. I'm impatient when it comes to pushing plants. It drives me crazier for them to just SIT there, appearing to do nothing. Kim

oh Nora, i feel so bad for you and your dad!and your right, you both need to be together and also your time alone to grieve!! thanks for asking about us, its been like a zoo around here lately, a lot going on!!!! Dh had to have a bunch of tests done to see where the cancer is, if spreading etc. went to dr on Monday, we knew they found a spot or something on his 11th rib, so had to have MRI done on it on TUes to have a closer look, haven';t heard the results of that yet, but might have to have radiation again on that the dr said, but we'll wait for the results. otherwise we were realy surprised that he doesn't have other spots or hasn't spread other than that rib, if thats what it is! he has a lot more pain in hips and legs, etc, but glad for the results he did get!! God is Good! our SIL Darren, had to have his testicle and cord removed last Friday. he's always had problems, but also had a complicated cyst on it too, dr had to make a cut up where a woman's ovary would be, its about 3 or 4" long, but it was as big as an orange the dr said, an he wanted it to come out whole incase it is cancer.Darren's been having a lot of problems with swelling an infection, was to er on Sunday night they wouldn't call dr, for him to see his dr the next day. the dr wasn't to happy they didn't call him!! changed his antibotic, and increased pain meds, but having more problems this morning, DD called the dr but he was in IN at a conference, said he could go to the ER and have another ultrasound done,but we know how our ER is! so he has to go see the dr tomorrow before noon! the dr usually uts a drain in but he didn't incase its cancer, doesn't want air to get to it, etc. pray its not cancer, bad enough he won't have any paychecks coming in! think he is a nervous wreck that it might be cancer!which is understandable! DGD K has been sick since Sat,coughs, throwing up, etc DD tok her to the ER last night, of course there everything is a upper respitory infection, her throat is really red, but didn't give her anything to take. i do't think she's thrown up today though, but wonder if some of it might be her nerves too, as they go to court the 2nd of Aug, about Darren adopting K!! DD is doing pretty good, hands full with her DH and K and the other 2 kids!DD starts LPN courses at Vo-tech the 1st of Aug! have to miss the 2nd day due to the court thing! I'm having a lot of problems with my neck and hand, been going to chiropractor to see if he can help, but hasn't made much difference. He says i have a double whammy, my neck has a herniated disc,degenerative disc and joint disease,spurring, something else but forget with it is right now, both my sisters have the same thing, only theirs affects their right hand!and I also have carpal tunnel in left hand. from below my elbow and whole hand will jsut start tingling like going to sleep,very annoying!!I would have thought i'd have it in right hand since that is the one i use the most and run mouse with!! so go to a specialst the 1st going to start there seeing about the hand. I also had to have a DnC done again an couple of months ago, but no cancer. go in Sept for another ultrasound on uterus. so now aren't you sorry you asked!! LOL so say a prayer for all of us too. never a dull moment around here! the other DGKs and our DS are doing ok though, so thats good! thanks for the prayers! take care and God bless! DianePA

A new day! I fiddled with the chandy last night until I got it to balance, and, looking at it this morning with fresh eyes, I'm really pleased. It looks like it belongs in the room. Dd and dh like it, too. I found the exact same make-up mirror on Amazon (thought they'd been d/c'd years ago). Homegoods is full of cute apothecary jars and now I have an excuse to go shopping at Homegoods. Sorry for posting my meltdown, but I didn't think dd or dh understood why I was upset about a new chandy when I'd been looking for one for so long. And the other stuff.