Morning Everyone! Justayoungroot, Thank you for the information regarding your husband's camera. I think I'm going to venture out and look at other brands, not just Kodak. The Cannon Powershot is a good place to start. I am like you, rather new to this forum and new to identifying the little jewels. For the most part, I've gotten pretty good when it comes to identifying adult males (all because of the photos that the regulars post on this board) but when it comes to the females and the youngins, not so good. *smile* Mnktx, WOW, those photos, right down to the pollen---Incredible!!! Tess wrote: "blue for black chin's and red for rubys...it doesn't take a genius!" Too Funny! LOL (Note to self: Avert eyes from reading board while taking a sip of coffee.) Organic Hummingbird, Hello, Good morning and Welcome to this fantastic board! I'm rather new to posting here myself (lurked for quite awhile and learned a lot from the regulars here before I got the nerve to post). The photo your husband took is spectacular! Looks as though that little jewel is looking right at your husband telling him "I'm posing for you. Look how purdy I am. Quick, take a picture cuz I've got places to go, people to see!" Texashippie, Um.... what's the definition of "show-off" ??? LOL Just joking with ya. Only in my dreams could I see what you actually have! And your feeding system - the raising and lowering of the feeders, I HAVE to show this pic of yours to my husband when he gets home from work! Kristin, Steve and all the rest of you without hummers yet: I know it's hard for you, but I can wait for your pictures while you wait for your hummers-I'm patient. *smile* When you finally see your first for the year, you'll be excited and I'll be just as happy and excited for you!

Not bad here today. Temp is 28 with no wind and partly cloudy. No sun, but very bright sky. I guessed that we had 10-12 inches of snow but after I went outside in it decided 10 was a closer number. The official total came in at 9, but it sure looked like more than that here. The county made two passes with the snow plow yesterday morning and our neighbors said the road to town was pretty good except for our very steep hills which were still a little tricky. He was making sure he could get out because they were leaving for a cruise yesterday. LOL We have only been out long enough to feed the birds and clear the front porch. I had cooked so much food in preparation for the possibility of losing power that I haven't even had to cook much all week, so I have had a little mini vacation from the kitchen. We have been looking at the Lee Valley catalog on-line and wishing spring would hurry. I have my tomato seed on my desk, but still haven't decided which ones to plant this year. I got some really good ones from Jay and I know I have to plant them. I have 3 types of Goliath which I am going to try for the first time. I think my main crop will be Sioux this year, but I also realized yesterday that I didn't have any Arkansas Traveler seed and I always try to have a couple of those. Luckily they are usually on the local seed racks. I have lots of heirlooms to choose from after my two trips to Baker Creek, the seed swap, and my windfall from Jay. I will most likely plant a number of determinates in containers so I have room for more big plants in my garden area. I can keep containers outside in an area outside my fenced garden. So many choices and so lille space..... I think I may delay planting my seeds a bit. I had planned to start some in mid February, but now I am thinking that will probably be two early since that is only a couple of weeks away. I did a small amount of winter sowing, but I can't even see the jugs right now. I know they are still there tho because I can see an elevated pile of snow. LOL If I start anything mid February, it will probably be peppers. I usually start them at the same time as tomatoes, but just don't put them in the garden until a little later. Instead, I may start them and when they germinate, I will put them under lights and start my tomatoes because the shelf above the light seems to provide the perfect temp for the tomatoes to germinate. I guess I am a cheap gardener because I don't own a heat mat, but have really not found it necessary. I have plastic domes to cover the trays to hold in moisture until germination occurs. After I put them under lights, I throw an aluminum camp blanket over the top of the shelves to reflect the light and trap a little extra heat from the lights, until they are a few inches tall because I grow them in a cool room. The peppers seem to grow a little more slowly than the tomatoes so I can handle them inside for a little longer. I try to get everything outside during the day as early in the year as I can, but it is a big job to carry things in and out once they are in larger pots. I have plastic pots that are a perfect fit to have 8 in a seed flat, so once they get big enough to be in that size pot, it takes a lot of trips to get them out into the sunshine. I need a greenhouse.

I love your Rainbow Sorbet!!! , I have to say I was expecting this rose to have small blooms and fade alot ,when I was at regans awhile back a was very surprised at the wonderful color on this rose and the size of the blooms were amazing! GC is very pretty to mine seems to be a slow starter , love that bloom on Viking Queen never herd oF this one like the name!

It may be the Walmart potting mix. I started three flats of tomatoes from seed this year. I finished up a bag of soilless mix I had leftover from last year, and then for the third flat I opened a bag of stuff that I bought at Walmart this year. The first two flats took off like gangbusters. The third flat was slow, anemic, disappointing, and more than a bit puzzling. I started watering that third flat with fertilized water and things are starting to really happen, so my belief is that the stuff I got from Walmart didn't actually have the nutrients in it that they claimed. I set the bag at the curb on garage sale day and it disappeared, so I can't tell you the exact brand of it. My plants are in those little tiny seed-starting trays- probably 3 ounces of soilless mix. But the plants themselves are 2 feet tall, with many leaves. Adding fertilized water every day now. Looking forward to putting them in the ground this weekend. Gosh, I can't wait for some real, ripe tomatoes. I went to the farmer's market. They are selling tomatoes from Georgia. Nothing wrong with Georgia, but the farmers in Indiana aren't growing toms in Georgia. More picked-green, not truly ripe stuff. Might as well hit the supermarket! Not wandering as much this year.