jeanner: Yes, that's my top pond in the fourth pic down. Here are some pics of my water lillies in the top pond. These were taken over the weekend. The most blooms I have ever had open at one time: 9: These were taken at around 9 a.m. before all the lillies opened. These were taken around noon after they all opened. Here is one of the many pond spiders that live at the edge of my pond. I absolutely hate, hate, HATE spiders. I was shaking so bad when I took these pics some of them are blurry. Was trying to get my floating duck and ducklings unstuck with a stick when I hit the web and noticed it. Wonder how they get that web spun from one floating planter to the next without going into the water. This spider is so colorful I couldn't resist. After I took the pics I was shaking so bad I had to go ay down after I hurled. I still get the creeps looking at it. My son can't believe I did this either. What we won't do for our ponds!!!! Lol Enjoy. Jenny

Glenda...The debates about his "manhood" is hot and heavy in this house. You can see his two main problems in the second photo. He will be neutered. I know it. Sam knows it. Harry (the smartest, most perfect, and beautifulest neutered dog in the whole wide world) knows it. dH just has to learn it. Yes, for this topic; that's a lower case "d". LOL Cynic...He does get attention, and belly rubs, and back scratches. I'm sometimes late feeding him, though. If I'm five minutes late with Harry's food (he eats first) he starts howling and climbing the walls and jumping on the counter. Poor little Sam doesn't ever "ask" to be fed. After Harry eats, I let him outside and usually get busy doing something. Then, maybe 20 minutes later, when Harry comes back in, I'll notice Sam, laying by the bowl. Waiting. That makes me feel bad. Seriously, he's all about me, and follows me around, and adores me...and I call him the red-headed step-child. I'll have to try to get better photos. It's really hard to photograph a black, shiney dog. His beard has red highlights; even more so in the sunshine. I have only one issue with Sam. He bullies Harry. He terrifies Harry. He knocks him around, steals his toys, (but not his food) rams him into the fence or walls...and Harry allows it. I can't ever let them both outside at the same time. I'm hoping he calms down as time goes by.

When we took our oldest to school the first time she was only 17; we had five younger kids, the baby only a year and a half old, and of course we all went! The baby was the belle of the dorm, all the scared freshmen and their parents doting and cooing with baby and her 4 1/2 YO big sister, many hiding their own tears, I think. All I could see through my tears was the empty house we were going home to without our wonderful eldest child. When that baby girl grew up and left for college herself many years later, it felt even worse than it did every time we took all her big brothers and sisters to school. By that time, baby was an old hand at college life, having been to so many colleges and grad schools over her 18 years that she wasn't stressed at all. College was the first school she ever attended where I didn't work in the library! (I started at her grade school when she was in 1st grade; when we moved to another district, I started in her HS library with her. She loved having me in her schools, and I loved being there.) Yes, susanjf, a huge compound! We have six kids and six gkids so far, so we'd need at least seven houses for now! In the mean time we are seriously considering building a big house and living with one of our sons and his family. I'm so very glad the years of taking kids to school are over, but at the same time, oh to go back to them. It's still a long time till the gkids start leaving; maybe I'll be too old to cry when they do.

When I hit 70 I hope I am ready to quit pretending..but I am not there yet. I think it also depends on the way you "gray". Mine is not attractive and I really find it bothers me that people do not know I am/was a natural red head. I used to have to deal with a lot of ribbing about it. It is part of my identity. My dearly departed MIL had the most beautiful WHITE hair. I never knew her any other way but her sons sure have fun stories of the few years she fought the battle. If mine were white--not ick gray I might let it go some day but it isn't. I hoped it would go brown but that didn't happen either. I just got back from Sally and have my Gray Magic..the box says 10 drops per oz. Yayagirl said only 4. I will start slow with the four.