Nope...the terracotta still breathes. For example, if you were to convert a terracotta pot to a fountain or bird bath, you would need to paint the interior with oil-based poly-urethane and the exterior in order to water-proof it. That's the only thing that prevents the terracotta from 'breathing'. I've done this on fountain projects and bird baths in my yard. Also, if it's a plastic plant container, plastic does not 'breathe'. Spray paint is just such a nice way to coordinate your yard and to keep your planters from looking faded and ratty. Plus, it's a cheaper alternative to replacing a plastic planter. I also spray paint some of my plastic chairs to keep them looking nice. They fade in the sun so quickly. The new plastic spray paint works great - no scraping required either! Tom: I'm going to be spray painting the white buckets that you gave me to blend with my other containers. It should work out fine.

I have some experience dealing with phobias as a former child therapist. This new phobia of worms was triggered because of some other longer standing phobia...snakes perhaps, or a fear of bodily harm? It will help to separate one from the other in your head (as they likely once were since you said you didn't used to be squeamish about worms.) Visual imagery can be very helpful here. Try to picture the worms as cheerful little fellows helping to make your soil healthy. Think of children's book illustrations of worms with happy little faces. Imagine them saying "We're here to help!" Also, do keep in mind that they can regenerate so tell yourself that it's okay if you accidentally hurt one. Again, imagine the worm saying "That's okay, no harm done" in a silly, cheerful voice. You can also do some self-talk such as "The worms are here to help me in my gardening." "Those worms can't hurt me" These may sound like childish steps but they work with adults as well as children when dealing with simple phobias. A few moments of imagery and self-talk can really help, honest. Good luck. Patty

I am west of Seattle on the Olympic Peninsula. My daughter lives in Spokane and continues to carry on her gardening there. She grows some really good grapes,raspberries, strawberries and lots of other fruit in her little yard. I always bring her starts for her garden in early May. I looked up the curriculum that I use ( 4HCCS BU-7166 printed in 2004). I could not find it, but check out www.4hmall.org (go to curriculum and garden). A similar set of materials are available at a reasonable price. Most likely they just "new and improved" them. I have my 4-H club at an afterschool daycare and that works out very well because the children are there all summer to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Most of the kids come from families who are not financially able to get fresh, high quality, organic food. It is apparent that many of the kids feel that they are providing food for their families and work hard. We already have onions, peas, spinach, lettuce and broccoli growing. We have a worm bin that they feed garbage to once a week. If you are in Spokane county, they have a very active 4-H program and you could check out becoming a 4-H leader. I also have another group of older kids with their own home gardens that meets once a month. Becoming a 4-H leader is highly recommended and the county 4-H coordinator can explain why.

I can't imagine that anyone who is raising funds would not accept a donation. Another advantage to a donation is that, depending on the organization, you may be able to write it off on your taxes if you itemize your charitable deductions (I'm not up on the current tax laws but I think that's still true, if it's the proper type of organization). "It's gotten so that parents don't think that they need to bear the costs of their child's entertainment. They've got money to go out to the local movie theater, concert, or other expensive entertainment on a regular basis, but claim poverty when it is time to fund extracurricular activities." Not all parents have the money to fund extracurricular activities. Fundraising helps make sports and other activities available to all children. Maybe you are being asked to buy something by someone who could afford the straight fee but that money is probably being pooled with other money so children who otherwise could not afford to play can play or to keep the fees down for everyone since everything is expensive these days (think liability insurance, safety equipment, field maintenance, etc). If they had to get all of their money from the participants, the cost might be prohibitive for most. Usually there is an opt-out fee so no one has to fundraise but some people are of the mind that it doesn't hurt to ask(but I guess that is not true from what I'm reading here - it might be raise the blood pressure of the person you ask!) Maybe you still don't think that's a valid reason to fundraise but please realize that people aren't usually fundraising to benefit themselves and only themselves and don't make your decision based solely on their financial situation.