Glenda, lots of work, but I too love older homes. This one is really special to us and yes it did call out to us. We can't take credit for much of the renovation as the PO did much of the interior work. However, we picked up where he left off when he moved to another old house (in much better repair). When we purchased it there was not one perennial flower in the yard! Tammy, we have 4 "squeaking" wood screen doors! :-) One on each of the porches on the house. I am lucky in that both DH and I are lovers of old homes. natal, doubt there is anything in store for the pink "blob". Maybe, sometime down the road, we may try to remove it but it will be a very tedious job. We did think of painting just the brick on that side of the house as it is not visible from the road, but decided we did not want to do that. Guess we just consider it part of the character of the old house. My only concern with the new color scheme is that it won't blend as nicely with the garden room colors of pink,blue,red and whites. The new colors are an olive green, yellowish gold and rust, historical colors. With the green being the primary color. oceanna, thank you. miracle? nope, just hard work, if we can do it so can others. I am playing around with the idea of blogging, but not sure if I want to commit to the time involved with doing that, or if anyone would want to read it. I have seen many of your "eye candy" posts and have thoroughly enjoyed them. You are a very caring person to spend the amount of time it must take to share all those beautiful pictures! gramma jan, yes, so far it does look like it is unanimous. That surprises me as I thought for sure some would say it was done, and it was time for me to move on. If I would remove it, it would not be until next year. I will finish the 2009 page for this year. Others with opinions? Any "nay" sayers?

So far, you've mentioned 'gourds', 'pumpkins', and 'squash'. While in the same family they are three separate things. Someone here on the forums may have some guidance for you. Check with your local Cooperative Extension Service for booklets or bulletins on cross-pollination. Good luck. Jan

Susan, I just visited your website and I think everything looks fantastic. I love the chocolate hazelnut biscotti. I used to make those years ago. Good luck with everything! Tracy

barb_roselover_in- How much tomato powder did you order? If it's a small amount (8-oz. or less), then store it in the refrigerator. It hardens because there are no fillers (ingredients) to keep it free-flowing. So any time you open it, get in and get out quickly. The moisture in the air can cause it to clump, or even harden. I tuck a few moisture absorbers (leftovers from bottles of supplements we take) in the top of the jar to absorb any moisture from opening the jar. Your frost-free refrigerator is a very dry environment, which is why it works to keep your powder dry, so to speak ;-). If the tomato powder gets hard, you can usually break it up with a spoon or grate it on a fine box grater or microplane back into a powder again. Just don't leave the lid off for any length of time. If you purchased a large amount, like a #10 can, place it in user-friendly amounts - pint or 1/2-pint canning jars - and vacuum-seal them shut with a FoodSaver using the jar attachment. Kept in a dry, dark and cool environment (vacuum-sealed) it has an indefinite shelf-life. I've suffered with arthritis since I was 14-years old, so you have my sympathy.... You may get some relief if you limit foods from nightshade plants, so you might want to research that. I decreased inflammation considerably by eliminating wheat. I have a flaker mill so I can make flakes from a large variety of soft grains - rye, spelt, einkorn, barley, wheat, kamut, quinoa, oat groats, triticale... Check Bob's Red Mill for a variety of flakes. Unfortunately, nothing tastes like oats. Many years ago a local mill made "heavy bran" from hard winter white wheat, which was made like oatmeal, and worked in recipes just like oatmeal - but that wonderful taste was sorely missing. I was part of a small group challenged to use heavy bran in recipes, but the product was too work-intensive to be put into production on a local basis - after I used 25# of it in experimental recipes. Heavy bran is generally used as the base product for making flaked cereals. You may have better luck if you soak your oats, rather than consuming them raw in granola. Or soak and dehydrate them first, if you want to use them in granola-type mixtures. Oats contain more phytates than almost any other grain. I generally soak and dehydrate nuts before I add them to granola so they are easier to digest and have more available nutrition. If you aren't familiar with soaking gains/nuts/seeds, check your library for a copy of "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon with Mary G. Enig, Ph.D., and you can find more information on-line. When it comes to chia seeds, I purchase them 5-pounds at a time and have used them for 7-8 years. They are my #1 health food. -Grainlady