Thanks all. Temps get down to 40's but briefly for a short time. Arthur, I tried to grow one of those hybrids in NY and I recall I couldn't get it to flower. I think I'll pass on these dends. I'm running out of space. Brooke, thanks for stopping by. I was hoping to hear what you were growing and how well they do in Florida. I think the night temps in January would probably do the trick, but I think I'll just stick with the monster hard canes I have and pass on anymore dends. Nick, I'll try to pass around a basket on the forum. You can get some help by joining a 12-step program. I was wondering where you were... Badanobada, nice to meet you and welcome to the forum! Maybe you can help your your old friend? Jane

The cultivar known as "Heavenly Blue" is Ipomoea tricolor. Clarke's Heavenly Blue was selected out by Mr.Clarke because it was an early blooming strain , blooming 30 days earlier than whatever other Heavenly Blue / Ipomoea tricolor was available at that time. Clarkes Heavenly Blue in addition to being an earlier blooming cultivar , was also a lighter blue color than many Heavenly Blue available today. The Heavenly Blue commonly available today is a darker color that was being pushed by the jobbers around the early 1980's because they thought it would be more visible from a distance and marketed this darker version as the 'improved' Heavenly Blue. The fact of the confusion regarding the species is based on the fact that many merchandisers really do not know how to tell the different species apart and simply mimic whatever they find on google. The Clarkes description is often used because it is related to an old heirloom cultivar and therefore likely to sell more but most sellers don't have real Clarkes (= false advertising) or for that matter even know what Clarkes really is... Sellers , merchandisers, et al - Rule #1 in business = Know Your Product - and if you don't really know your product than refrain from false descriptions and inform your potential customers in advance that you aren't really certain about your product and that you have not VERIFIED your product. Simply accepting the description you were handed by anyone else who doesn't know how to accurately identify their product is NO EXCUSE !!! I would add that if sellers really do not KNOW WHAT they are selling , they shouldn't be selling it and the excuse 'that is the label they received it with' is NOT an excuse , because it confirms that they didn't take the time to verify their product ( by growing it out first) and therefore do not know their product. The various names attached to describe the products are false advertising whether intentional or unintentional and technically a bona fide legal crime. Would any seller think it fair if you didn't pay most of the product price (?) , or if you gave them phony money = No, they wouldn't and buyers shouldn't accept any lower standards of treatment from any sellers. So, before you believe any labeling , ask the seller (who is accepting your $$ and making $$ on whatever they are selling) , why the product is accurately described in every aspect and if their answer is less than convincing , then reserve your $$ for something you can be more sure of.... I hope my answers are helpful and that my position statements make people think... regards, Ron

Very interesting about syndication. Thanks. My friend is a syndicated political cartoonist; his work appears immediately...for obvious reasons. Hub and I didn't realize the syndicated NYT puzzle was a week behind. No, I didn't see Wordplay. Maybe I'll look for it. I love crossword puzzles and am pretty good. But my mother, and her father, well, they had a standing challenge to beat each other every Thursday on the diagramless puzzle that appeared in the old Chicago Daily News. First one to call the other won! After a couple hours, mom worried every time the phone rang - "Please, don't let it be Pop!" she say. My mom is now 86 and has severe short-term memory disorder so she can no longer live alone, or remember any thing that occurred in the past six years, but she can still do a diagramless puzzle. She confounds her doctors. Anyway, I digress. This was fun and helpful. Thanks, everyone. Oh, and I've completed today's puzzle. Ta Da! Sherry

I can't recall what the stuff I had to take was called, but I was given what I think was a gallon container and some powder to mix with water. I drank half of it, then waited a couple of hours and drank the rest. After all the horrible stories I'd heard, the prep wasn't as bad as I was expecting. Propofol is the anesthetic I was given and the only thing I remember about that is the anesthesiologist asking me if I felt it when he gave it to me. I replied that I didn't feel it but that I could taste it and that it had a strong chemical taste. Then it was lights out. The next thing I recall is the sound of people moving furniture waking me up. I was very annoyed that they would be so rude and make all the noise when peole were trying to sleep. A few seconds later, I realized that what I thought was furniture being moved, was my gurney/bed thingy being rolled into the recovery area. I think it was the wheels rolling on the floor that I had heard. It wasn't furniture that was being moved; it was me! Love Dave Barry. I used to read his column every week in the local paper, but when we moved, the paper was no longer available to me and I kind of forgot about him.