Thank you Fetters. Really good post. Quite timely for us as DH has suggested putting in a garden pond. My first question was, "What about the mosquitoes?" I was intrigued by the mention of Lemon Eucalyptus. E maculata sounded somewhat familiar so I assumed we call it something else down here. I googled it and this is what I found. E maculata is known as Spotted Gum or Honey Gum (good for bees). E citriodora is known as Lemon-Scented Gum. And there is a hybrid E maculata citriodora. Recently these particular gums have been reclassified from Eucalyptus to Corymbia (useful to know in case the nurseries change the labels). I debated whether to mention the next bit. In some areas they are getting a reputation as an invasive weed. It's hard to know when such a reputation is truly warranted. (I have some birch trees, which are most definately not indigenous to my area, and I do get seedlings coming up, but after all these years my birches haven't taken over the nearby bushland. Or is that because they have no chance against the Patterson's Curse, which was once an introduced garden flower.) I suppose all I can say is do some research if you're thinking of planting one. Perhaps conditions in the areas of the US where they are grown are such that they are happy enough to grow okay but not so happy that they get out of control. And the good news is if you change your mind after you've planted one, it apparently makes really good timber. Hello OzOrganic. Sorry to hear about your landlord issue. Don't get me started on that subject. Hope you find a solution soon.

Sunnie, please see your doctor. I've been on anxiety meds for about a year now, and boy-o-boy, howdy!!! What a difference. They don't make me drowsy, don't make me 'stupid' (at least I don't think so)...but it takes away that heaviness in my chest...if something goes wrong, or I'm worried, I can deal with it, or fact it, then it just goes somewhere else instead of my DWELLING on it every minute of the day! I no longer obsess about what COULD happen, and worry much, much less. You need to take care of yourself, or you'll be the one being taken care of. *Oh! I've always hated dropping a participle like that! hmph. Where was I? Oh, yes....Sweetie....you can't run on 'empty'. Everyone needs to re-charge now and then, and we all have different ways of doing that. Debbie has her bubbly baths, and I go shopping with friends and to lunch, or I put a chick-flick on and sip wine with abandon ! lol! You have to find a way to re-charge...that weekend coming up with your daughter sounds wonderful! What a nice bonding experience for the two of you! Make it a celebration! Take in a movie or two! Bring bubble-bath for yourself!! And apply wine medicinally! haha! Find what brings you some joy and just do that when you can. Even 1/2hr spurts now and then can re-charge you. Snap those ear-phones on and blast your favourite music! Or retreat and say your rosary. Whatever is your bliss. Sooooooo, Debbie!!! Your daughter will be on MY TURF next year, eh? hahahaha!!! Hope you can come here and we can both drive over and visit her! I have tons of room, several guest-rooms and you're welcome to whatever you need! Sandra's taken the bus here for a visit...you both can come! haha! OMG...she's coming in two weeks with 3 hockey-dads and their 3 hockey-playing 14-year old sons (her cousin and his son) who are also staying here! I hope there's enough room on that bus going back for all the Christmas stuff she's going to pick up at Costco! hahaha!!! Wow! 7 guests in two weeks! PAR-TAY~ !! Now back to you, Sunnie....please pay attention to yourself, okay? It's so important, we can't stress it enough. I've had anxiety attacks, and they're no fun at all. Time to get a little help and find what you need to refresh yourself. Blessings Linda

Nice job awm!! Isn't it amazing how good it feels to drop a few pounds? Do I remember you from the kitchen forum too? I recognize you from somewhere. So sorry to hear about all the continuing knee problems. That has to be extremely frustrating especially when you're used to being so active. Hope you can recover soon! I don't know what triggers cravings for sweets for me - other than just the sight of them. Addiction I think. Yesterday someone brought these beautiful, gourmet cupcakes into the office for someone's birthday. For several hours I just admired the beauty of them but at the end of the day I could no longer control myself and snatched a lovely key lime one. I was practically drooling over it. I ate it, savored it, logged it and stayed within my daily limits and today dropped down a couple tenths of a pound to my lowest level since early 2010. I haven't actually maintained this weight for any period of time since 2009. One thing I'm finding kind of helpful is sometimes eating half the amount I normally would - small glass of juice vs. large, one piece of toast vs. two, etc. The thing I have to figure out is how to incorporate treats into my diet without going completely crazy and eating massive quantities of them.

Ok this will kill the health food freaks, but oh well :oP You're warned... Hangover MacDonalds chocolate milkshake will cure it faster than anything. I used to work for a DR and he was a nut about health, but on occasion, I'd see him drive up in the AM with a MicD's drink glass. He didn't drink soda...I was thinking he was getting huge orange juices. One day while cleaning the office a bit (his desk was frightening LOL) I saw that the soda cup was actually milkshake. His medical explaination... Milk will aggrevate the acids in your system from the booze, likely curdling and coming back up. MacDonalds fake shakes actually aren't made from milk so much as chemicals, so they'll go down and sort of "Sit" on the acids and absorb them as well. The chocolate gives you the sugar boost you need until your body can bring itself back to normal (it's just temporary) and the cafeen will help with a perk up. I use it myself ever since :) I don't drink til I pass out daily LOL but on occasion, when entertaining wine collectors especially, I'll end with one taste too many (port always gets me LOL I can't say no). I also used to drink for a living (ok I was community relations, but in AK that means you spend quite a bit of time at a private club here that specializes in wine) and every once in a while, it would be hard to get up in the morning heh heh My staff knew if they saw me with a milkshake before 10, they should leave me be for an hour LOL