I think the "Conversations" title of this forum can be misleading. It is difficult to have a true conversation when you can not see the other person's smiles or sympathetic nods, and you do not get immediate feedback. It is impossible to read and comment on everything that is said here, and I think we are all aware of that. I often write a post in haste, then I later think of other comments I meant to make. I think of all of you often. Here is a picture of the loot from my Home Goods spree of the last few weeks. Now, I am getting spring fever thinking of plants to fill them! I had a meeting this AM at DS's school with his "team", and it went very well. He is dyslexic, and gets a lot of help at school. It went well; they assured me he has made great improvements. They had a lot of positive things to say about him. The kids have state-mandated standardized testing in a few weeks, including a 5 paragraph essay. My DS can speak very fluently and intelligently, but he has a lot of trouble getting his thoughts down on paper; I was dreading that essay for him. Turns out they will allow him to have a "scribe", a teacher's assistant who will actually "take dictation" and do the writing for him; no editing allowed. What a relief! He has had his struggles at school, but the staff has been so helpful and encouraging to him - he still enjoys school and has a positive attitude about it. I made sure to let each of them know how much we appreciate the work they do. Deanne, one fruit salad coming up for Saturday. Looking forward to seeing everyone! Also, love the birdie pics, as usual. They actually do seem to pose for you! The blue jay with a mohawk was a riot. The "trick photography" with the pair of cardinals is amazing. Does that mean you can do that tabloid stuff like putting my head on someone else's body?! Babs, I think you have the key re: kids and manners, they need to know what is expected. My kids are not perfect, but good behavior in all situations is a must. From the time they could speak they were taught to say "please" and "thank you", and it went on from there. We would never think to allow them to get up and wander around at a restaurant, and they don't even know how to make spitballs (I hope!). When my DD turned 10, we actually took her and three of her friends out to lunch, and let them sit at their own table, within sight of ours. There was much giggling at the girl's table, but they managed to order for themselves and eat without incident. Martie, glad things went well at your brother's hearing. The job offer from the social worker is a real compliment on the way you handled yourself. I agree, a job like that would be way too heartbreaking. Eden, the cake is a masterpiece. (Cynthia, thanks for flipping the picture!) Bella looks like she had a great time, I'm glad all went well. Michelle, are you tired of painting yet?! V, Ken Druse at 8am - can I be you when I grow up? He is an amusing speaker. I am doing a reverse snow dance now, glad this is the internet and nobody can see me! T, so sorry about your goat. Hope to see pics of the twins soon! I hope every body's aches and pains are improving today, or at least you are finding ways to deal with them; recreationally or otherwise. Sending good thoughts to all who need them. I was re-reading the book by Thomas Cooper "Odd Lots - Seasonal Notes of a City Gardener" last night, and wanted to share his comment about spring in the northeast: "Spring appears on the calendar on March 20, but it doesn't show up at our place until a month or more later. I suspect that the earlier date is only the day when spring leaves South Carolina, or wherever it was playing golf, and heads north for the season." -Wendy

Afternoon coffee break (besides it is raining) So I've gotten most of the driveway garden cleaned out and we ordered our composted manure this morning from HD. They will deliver 3 pallets on Monday AM. Half of one pallet is for my next door neighbors but the other 150 bags are mine. te he! (6,000 pounds!!! maybe I won't have to lift weights next week. LOL) V, I'm so sorry I missed the mating dance of the Whooping Cranes on your front lawn. That must have been amazing to see!!! And those Ivory billed Hummingbirds were here also. They stopped in to feed at my fuchsia that are in full bloom hardening off in the driveway. ~~ So you have 32 pots of perennials and shrubs? Hmpff... You think I need an intervention. I think I only have about ten perennial pots around here not 32. Jeesh.... T wow, you really scored with those wood chips. Fantastic! Your DH is too funny about the lawn but I completely understand. In this household I'm the kurmudgeon (sp?) who doesn't allow heavy equipment on the lawn. Doug would be over the moon if I told him to just drive the trailer up the hill whenever he needed to move it. How long do you think it is going to take you to move all of that? and do you have the curvy beds all laid out? Photos please? Eden, bummer about the weather there. We were able to get quite a bit done between the two lines of rain squalls that came through today. The only problem is that Doug decided to use the leaf blower to blow out the gutters and then blow off the patio. The only problem with this scenario is that the windows to the dining room were all open at the time so now the dining room has to be thoroughly vaccummed and dusted before company arrives tonight. Everything in here is covered with a layer of silty dirt. Grrrr.... I did ask why he didn't close the windows and he said it never occurred to him. Hmmm... I think Doug needs to dust and vac for a bit because that would probably tweak his memory the next time he uses the leaf blower and the windows are open. My very favorite Dougism to this day is the time someone asked how often we dusted to keep the house so clean and he said that we didn't need to dust because it never got dirty. Yes, he really did say that and mean it. ROTFLOL! ~~ Do be careful of that vaccuum. They tend to get cranky during the spring cleaning season. Mary, it sounds like the concert was a huge success but emotionally draining. What a wonderful tribute to your friends. I'm glad to hear you were able to catch a few extra 'z's' this morning. Hi Babs, thanks for checking in and for letting us know you've heard from EP. Glad to hear all is well with her. So Sue, did you get a lot done outside? and has the foster arrived yet? You must have been a happy camper that your Mom changed her plans and you have the weekend to garden. ~~ When is the Tony Advent lecture there? and do you have to be a member to go. OK break is over and I need to get motivated to get a few more things done before 5PM. Oh yes, I wanted to ask you guys if anyone grows Hakonechloa 'Albo Striata' and if so has it behaved itself in your gardens over time? My patch of it in the driveway garden was very well behaved for the first three years but last year it started travelling and it now looks like it wants to migrate to a different state. I'm going to have to dig the whole thing up and prune and replant it. Later all, Deanne

Pretty flowers.

Before this thread, I had never heard the term "open concept" used outside of Canada, but I guess it has spread south. I still say "open floor plan" instead. I do not like it with regards to kitchens because it means that there is less wall space available for upper cabinets, and I hate lower cabinets, and I cannot understand how anyone can store dishes in drawers! I want my dishes stored vertically, so that I can easily get to them. Also, I do not like having to stoop. I also like to contain noise, but that is less of an issue now, but if someone is watching a football game on TV, I absolutely do not want to have to listen to it when I am in the kitchen. In the late 1960s and early 70s lofts were very popular, and in 1973 I lived in a converted storefront in San Francisco with several roommates. My bedroom was in the upper portion of one of the store windows, and so I got a lot of natural light - not so much privacy. Actually, the storefront had been converted to a dance studio before it was converted to a living space and still had ballet bars. Anyway, I'm over it now, although I think it is fine for younger people. I remember houses in Texas that had been built in the 1930s would often have a sight-line to the back door when you opened the front door, and these houses were called "shotgun" style and considered vulgar and unappealing. Fortunately, I never lived in one of them. I like houses that have an open central courtyard (as in ancient Rome) with rooms surrounding the courtyard. I've been in many houses in Mexico like that, and I find them very delightful. There are also a few houses here in Los Angeles like that. If I want open space, I go to my pergola, and I get all the openness I want. We frequently cook outdoors, and we also often eat outdoors, but do not have TV outside. The inside is for privacy. My brother laments that with fewer walls, there is less space for him to hang paintings, and so we have a lot of them stored in the garage.