I can't believe all of the responses, thank you so much! I'm saving all of them and am going to go through the suggested plants to choose some for the space. The area in question is rather dry, although this spring/summer has been on the dry side so far, so many of our garden beds are dryer than usual. I think this spot tends to get less watering from us because the one spigot in the front of our house hasn't worked since we moved here and it's a pain to drag the backyard hose all the way around to the front. DH has promised to get down in the crawl space and fix the darned thing before next spring, so hopefully with a well-placed soaker hose under a layer of mulch it will be more moist next year. In the event that the area does remain rather dry, are there any shade-loving perennials that will flourish in dry shade? The idea of having a tree there is intriguing, but I do think that the area is a bit small---one of my husband's pet peeves is trees that are planted too close to houses. The window there is pretty much our one and only 'view' from anywhere inside the house, so we'd like to keep it unobstructed. We also have so many trees in our yard (especially in that half of the yard), I think the idea of adding more makes us start to panic a little ; ) This is a horrid photo (I think it's from the realtor) but you can see the three huge trees on the right (one is a double-trunk); there is also an enormous maple directly behind the garage. http://pattycakedesigns.com/house6.jpg I'm not positive, but I don't think that the garden stays warm in the winter. We planted three hydrangea there last fall, and none of them made it through the winter. Maybe the freezing wind blowing in from the west hits full-on whatever's planted there? We live a block from the shore of Lake Erie, so it does tend to get pretty cold/windy here in the winter. I do like the idea of a birdbath or some other small structure there (I think our four cats would enjoy drooling from the windowsill), and I think we have one in the shed that we aren't using now. I saw one the other day that had been planted with annuals that were positively dripping over the edges of the bowl; I seem to remember DH moaning about having to scrub out the birdbath more than he liked, maybe if we don't use it for a birdbath per se we can use it as a focal point for some fancy annuals? Other than impatiens, what annuals grow well in the shade? Begonias? I've been trying to come up with some more ideas for plants that might look interesting through the winter (since it's winter here for about six months, or at least seems that way, especially when it snows in April). Any thoughts for anything other than holly? We're not big evergreen/dwarf conifer fans. We love climbing hydrangea (left one behind at the old house, I still mourn losing it); if I wanted to start one up the siding there to the left, what would be the best way to support it? I'm guessing the siding is too slick for it to hold itself up. A trellis? If so, how do you attach a trellis to the siding, or would you just anchor the bottom in the ground? My goal now is to try and get the unwanted flowers moved to the backyard somewhere so that I can hopefully plant some shade perennials here in the fall. I moved the Clara Curtis this morning (from the way it spread in just one year, I have a feeling it's going to take over whereever I put it) and am going to move those sickly-looking geraniums when we hack them back in a few days. I need to get that poor hydrangea out of the corner; would it be better to wait until fall to move it, or could I do it now? Thanks again for everyone's responses, this is all fascinating and so helpful! Amy Here is a link that might be useful:

Well, if you're worried about looking weird, Sandy, you might as well stop right here. I've been different my whole life, in a good way, I think, so I try not to let anyone make me feel bad for engaging in unusual behavior. If I worried about what people thought, I probably wouldn't do half the fun things I do! I swear, any more, people are getting more and more conventional, but that sure doesn't seem like much fun to me. The sorts of flowers that are attractive to hummingbirds usually are described as tubular, the petals flaring out from a long, gradually expanding conical base. From my explorations, the nectar is found deep down in the base of that tube. The way I usually test a flower for nectar is to pluck the entire flower off, including the little green sepals at the base. Carefully, I grab one of the petals, and tear the flower all the way down to the base. This is sometimes difficult to do, especially with very small flowers and big, clumsy fingers. I suppose a very sharp knife or X-Acto blade might help if fingers can't manage it. If the flower has nectar in it, you will see it as a glistening liquid filling the base of the tube. If you touch your tongue to it, even very small amounts will be detectably sweet. Don't worry, even poisonous plants do not have poisonous nectar. It is all sugary water, with only trace amounts of other things, so it won't hurt you. The reason for this is that flowers do not want to harm their pollinators, so never put their poisons in the nectar (at least, as far as I know, they don't, and I'm not dead yet!) Sometimes, rainwater can work its way inside and dilute the nectar, but it usually doesn't get deep inside the flower where it is produced. Another way to check for nectar is if you are outdoors on a sunny day. What I do know is that with certain flowers, you can look at them with strong sunlight behind them, and you can make out the nectar through the translucent base of the flower. If you squeeze the flower gently, you will see the liquid move around. You may need to move or remove the sepals to see this. Although I've never tried it myself, you might also be able to see this by going out at night, backlighting flowers with a flashlight. Then your family and neighbors would really think you're weird! You, at least, may still have a reputation to keep up, but no one who knows me would expect normal behavior from me! Another method I've heard about, but never tried, is to insert a tiny glass capillary tube into the flower. If you get it deep inside the flower, it will draw the nectar inside by capillary action, and you will see if there's nectar inside. I feel a little guilty about this, but after buying some nectarless flowers at garden centers, I've begun sampling them surreptitiously. (or is it surruptitiously?) I'm afraid if I ask permission at the store, they'll just say no. Besides, I only take single flowers from plants that have many blossoms, so I'm not really harming their appearance. If there's lots of nectar, I buy the plant! I hope this helps!

I love a glass of wine when I go out for a meal or have dinner with friends. We always have wine at my book club. I truly enjoy the taste and the relaxed feeling. I certainly know my limits and never have more than two glasses. I enjoy some mixed drinks, but only have one because of the caloric intake and also because I am usually out somewhere an have to drive home. Wine always wakes me up in the middle of the night, so I drink plenty of water along with it. I was camping for a night with friends and we had vodka and cranberry juice -- one drink each. It was very pleasant. I almost never drink at home. I just don't enjoy sitting by myself and drinking. I'd have a glass of wine from time to time but I end up pouring out most of the bottle because it goes bad before I finish it. I don't like beer, never have. I would absolutely never force a drink on anyone else. I bet the person who did that was three sheets to the wind. Lots of people have good reasons for not drinking and I respect that. I am sorry your vacation was miserable, Olliesmom.

Interesting thread. I have several sets of drinking glasses. My clear set I don't like, I got them from Mom. Just don't like the shape, it's kind of like a beer glass. In fact I almost got rid of them because I thought that's what they were and we aren't big beer drinkers. But they work if I need a clear glass, since my other ones are blue or gold or have a stem which I don't particularly like for a big glass (ok with wine glasses that way). I almost bought a set of nice ones yesterday at the Goodwill, six for six dollars but I decided to not even spend that much, I have bigger fish to fry and can live with the ones I don't like. My favorites I only have three of, the Anchor Hocking "Wexford" pattern. I love it, and when they were new they were as cheap as cheap, but now they don't make them anymore and to get more for this set would be quite expensive . . . sigh. https://www.replacements.com/crystal-anchor-hocking-wexford-11-oz-flat-tumbler/p/57600591 I keep looking for them at Goodwill or Salvation Army type places. I bought a set of matching wine glasses, paid WAY too much at an antique store, and then later found several more for a buck a piece at the local Salvation Army. I don't even mind repros . . . Edited to add a photo. My best friend has a matching set of the old fashioned glasses and I have the wine glasses and three of these, which are called "iced tea" glasses. I also have a set of three footed small dessert dishes too, in the same pattern. Not enough to really use for entertaining. Every day we use the mish mash collection of glasses that are not part of any sets, at least not anymore.