Sunday was a no starter but I got lucky in between cold spells and planted my bulbs yesterday afternoon. Just as I was collapsing the bulb boxes for recycling last night, I noticed two more bags of minor bulbs that had not been planted. The temperature had gone down to 33F by then but I donned my down coat, latex gloves and a hat and proceeded to plant the remainder of my bulbs. Thank goodness we have a security light that is activated by motion in the location I had to plant! I'm glad it was also in a spot that was invisible from neighbors and the street in general!! I'm thrilled I did get the bulbs in, though, because they are forecasting 6-10" of snow today and the temperature went down to 20 last night. We are even expecting night temps in the single digits next week. Needless to say, I didn't water in my bulbs since we were close to freezing. Do you think that the minor bulbs will survive that since they are so relatively close to the surface? I guess I have nothing to loose, right?! Another close call averted and now, I'm ready for Spring :-) Marianne

Quinn, I have a question for you...is your Rebel's Astral Spinner a plant of Rebel's Splatter Kake that sported for you, or is it from a sucker off Rebel's Astral Spinner? I too have Astral Spinner, and it started out as Splatter Kake and then had an identity crisis, resulting in a phsycotic episode and morphing into Rebel's Astral Spinner. I have no idea if there is any more stability of the chimera if you are working with the original, or a plant from a sucker from the original. I may try some of the same, propagating from a leaf to see how it reverts. If it reverts to Night Breezes, that is ok, I love the intensity of the color. Barbara

Thanks! Diana we've been think what we want, guess we will take a sketch of it with us this winter and figure how we want it put back together. It is not a huge room. Think we will steel some space from the barn for the fridge. Please! offer all the advice you have! We want to get it right the first time! We had two excellent contractors do the professional work outside. The did an excellent job. We are doing the paint and paper type stuff and I'm demo'ing the kitchen! I just did a post for that..... Keesha the neighbors are thrilled we are fixing it up! I've gotten most of the wall paper off and done a LOT of cleaning, still lots to do!

Decisions, decisions! Those recipes all sound so good! I'm going to copy and paste this thread so I'll have them. The risotto recipes are calling my name, I think. I love cauliflower, and capers, and could probably get the specialty capers, but I don't want to brave our specialty grocery store on Christmas Eve. Central Market is claustrophobic even on an ordinary day, I don't even want to think about what it's like today. I will save that recipe to try soon, though. However, LPink, I'm liking your Rice, Lentil and Spinach Pilaf. It would be more like a protein, with the lentils. Hmmm, decisions, decisions! lol! Jesse, if you're still reading this thread, I guess you've figured out by now what I was asking. It would be funny, though,if I was asking a vegetarian for meat cooking advice! lol. Linda, maybe it's a regional thing, but to me and to DH, a pot roast is a roast that's cooked in or rather just over water, (braised, I guess?) with carrots, celery, and potatoes cooked right along with it in the liquid. What makes it different from stew is that the meat is still a big piece of meat, rather than cut up into cubes. I agree that there's not a lot of difference, if any, in taste from stew. When I was a meat eater, I thought pot roast was okay, but nothing special. I liked oven roasted beef much better, but Dh loves pot roast, the kids okayed it for themselves for Christmas dinner, so that's what they're getting. Y'all are always so helpful. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, and my stomach! Sally