DH has been working too hard around the homesite lately. With his bad back and painful gut he doesn't need to be laying rocks! But he's doing it, because he loves to play with rocks and is good at it. The muddy morass between the back of the house and the old rock wall which contains the flower bed will be all ROCK. Spring is trying to be here..the dogwoods are just coming into bloom. The daffodils are all gone, the creeping phlox is going wild, the rhubarb is up (pie, soon) and maybe..just maybe..the berries will do something this year if we get enough rain. The peonies are full of buds. I hope we've had our last freeze. I need to mow the grass. That's my job, by my choice, because I don't like the way DH does it; and he's hard on MY lawnmower! I love driving the mower around, with the suicide knob on the steering wheel, and amazing all onlookers with my sophisticated pattern which leaves no blade unmowed without ever stopping and backing up. Tomato and pepper starts are living under the fiberglass leanto outside now, getting strong before moving to the garden. We've had too much wet in the past few days, so the garden area is untillable, and it's still really too early to plant. I planted two rows of Swiss Chard in the middle of the newly-cleaned out strawberry bed, with a row of radishes between the berries and the edging. Why not combine? It's close to the house, and I might even water it. I have rhubarb in the front flower bed, with the butterfly bushes and forsythia. The weather has been weird! A couple of warm, dry days..then two or three days of rain. The plants love it, that's for sure..but it cramps my style when I have to work on the only days that are sunny and dry. Planning a trip in August to the west coast to see kids, grandkids, and old friends. Haven't checked on prices yet, and am prepared for sticker shock. Haven't told DH I'm going, either, but he will support me in my need to connect with family and friends. It will be a busy, busy, trip; I dare not stay with DS and family for more than a week, or we would certainly NOT stay friends! Just too different! I just walked around the yard, and some asparagus is up! Spears the size of my thumb..but not enough to make a meal. I hope they do better this year than they have done in years past. I am getting creative urges..so it SURELY is spring! Replaced a wicker seat in a bench for a friend, and have been looking at my old basket books. Another friend wants me to paint an old window for her for her exercise area, so she has something to look at besides a blank wall. I have the window, and the paint, now all I have to do is do it!

How did it get to be Monday again? Didnt we just have one ? At least I can spend the evening on a leisurely tour of IU day one over on the thread that Cindy put up. Got a nice cold beer and leftover BBQ chicken , and no chores(ok well, postponed chores anyway) so I will bip over there after I post this. I looked at it for a few minutes at my office today and realized I needed uninterrupted time. Sounds like you guys had a blast ! On the red garden link I posted yesterday, I could never do that either, but oh how it made me long for the space to try ! I have a red and yellow garden that I started last year,but it isnt quite there yet. Part of the problem is the exposure and too much shade from a mature crepe myrtle. Mariann, my late DH and I built a home-made hoop greenhouse several years ago, whicj I just dis-assembled this year. We used ½ pvc pipe, left-over and fall-down lumber, bender board and I ordered greenhouse poly sheeting that repels UV rays for up to three years . It lasted about 5 . However , my heating system was c-9 clear Christmas lights under the benches, and our winter temps here dont usually get lower than the high 20s, so it worked great for me. I would love to have something more permanent and climate controlled some day. bug, what funny faces that young man makes ! Eden, 18 coleus ??? Will we see some pics? Were they 18 different varieties? I just strted putting some orange in my garden last year-I had that 60s shag carpet aversion ! Try it next to something purple Okay, time to hit the IU4 thread , hi to those missed Kathy in Napa

I just wonder how Samantha's lease specifically addresses the issue. In my apartment complex, the music teacher's activities would be in violation of no less than three different lease provisions: 1) "Resident shall not conduct any business... on the Leased Premisis. 2) "Resident shall not permit... musical instruments on the Leased Premisis to disturb the neighborhood or occupants of the building containing the Leased Premisis at any time." 3) "A musical instrument, typewriter, radio, television, or stereo shall not be operated in a manner that is disturbing or annoying to other residents. Blummy is right that giving music lessons for pay may not be strictly interpreted as "running a business" by a court, but it really wouldn't make any difference in this case. In my complex, I can tell you for sure that if these two parties were not able to reach a mutually-satisfactory arrangement on their own, there is no doubt that the music lessons would be shut down by management. I know for a fact that some people in my complex run businesses out of their apartments. As long as no one is disturbed in the process, everyone looks the other way. But let one person complain, and management will put that resident "out of business" in a quick hurry. People that live in apartments need to accept that a certain level of noise from their neighbors is inevitable. It is normal for people to make noise in going about their lives. But those neighbors need to understand that there are just certain kinds of activities that may not available to people that live in apartments, and accept it. Glad to hear that the problem has been solved, Samantha! Paula

Marlene - I saw a couple of clips of "The Hoff" in J&H and yes, he was very good! Constantine Margoulis of American Idol fame will be playing the lead in the production I'm seeing. I'm curious about Book of Mormon! I know nothing about it, but the woman who sold me the package of tickets that I bought told me that by subscribing, I would be among those to get first dibs on BoM tickets, and that I absolutely should not hesitate when I receive the phone call that they've gone on sale. I've seen a few plays in London: The Importance of Being Earnest (starring Patricia Routledge), We Will Rock You (weird, but the music was great), and a production by The Reduced Shakespeare Company which was absolutely hilarious. I'm hoping Mom and I have the opportunity to see a show when we're back in the UK next year.