THANK YOU, ALL!!!! No, I didn't go to NY cuz my capped tooth broke off just when I was about to book. Had to find a new denist cuz my crappy one decided not to see me!! ARGH!! There are like no dentists in Oz. Was fortunate to find a new one but had to wait a couple of months before that dentist could make room for me. And he's GREAT! Thank goodness. Anyway, now I'm gonna get an implant... blah blah You don't really want to hear my dental woes, do you?? HAHAHAHAHA In the meantime I've been finishing off the hallway reno - put up the crown (there's that word again) molding, patched the drywall where the new wall I built met the existing wall, painted the ceiling and walls, took off all the trim to sand and paint, put down a laminate floor, and now I'm putting all the molding and baseboards back where they belong. Once I'm done I'll post pics. I've also spent a huge amount of time going after my council. They've decided to do their own version of a 'stimulous' bill and will be putting our shire into $40 million debt!! This is a shire of 145,000 people of which about 50,000 pay property taxes, so the burden is on 'us' ratepayers and they're jacking up our rates beyond what is reasonable. They want to spend $20 million giving themselves a shiny new office building. The nerve of these councillors. It's disgusting. And, believe it or not, I was a bit down about this birthday. I turned... 50. OH MY GOSH!!!! How did that happen? Where did all those years go? I remember the day I turned 10 like it was a month ago. I was fascinated with the fact that I was a 'decade' old. Back then I thought that was cool. But now that I'm 5 decades old, I don't seem to like decades too much. HAHAHAHA Of course, I'm over that now. AS far as gardening goes, we've had a lot of rain and the area I recently cleared for my Gnome Garden is very muddy. The area was chuck filled with arum lilies - they are a terrible weed here, and when I go out, it's mostly to that area so I can dig out all the arum lily babies that keep popping through the ground. Some of my jonquils are blooming, the hyacinths are starting to make their way out of the ground, and I have daffs that should be in bloom very soon now, too. We had thick frost this morning, but the sun was out in the afternoon so I decided to brak from the reno to weed one of the many beds that is in desperate need of some TLC. I also will be re-doing the pond - have big ideas for that but while winter is here I'm tking advantage of the colder weather and working mostly inside. My next big reno will be the kitchen. I'm procrastinating because of all the people I will need to get in - plumbers, electricians, and I want to put in a double glazed window. I have made something but want to take a pic of some stuff I picked up, too. I'll post on the other side my tomorrow before I work on the hallway. Thank you again for remembering me. You are all in my heart!

Dear Pam and all. I think this is the first year it actually brought tears to my eyes. Just having met so many loveable people in one place--the place they all warn you about(the wwweb) and have them turn out to be my dearest ones even to this day. It has been a pleasure and a joy to have all of you for company here, in the garden and the various other places, subways with Joseph,the hills of South Carolina and pizza with Paul,so many gardens with Paula and Pam, warm Miller light in Rozanna's back porch at 9 in the morning, late night dinner with Joe and Kate and mucho poetry with Jon. We've had so much fun all this time, haven't we with the roses, so much love passed around. Amazing and glorious, Kate you had the best sense of smell being pug trained so that you didn't have to bury that elegant nose of yours. Christina, thank you for remembering me. Blend guy I've loved every moment of it. Thanks Paul, it all came out as you wished. Jon, I can't think of any inspiring I've done unless we're counting a small amount of addiction advocation I may have inadvertantly participated in. Everything else, Fang made me do. How kind of you, Melissa, who brought us gardening in Italy. Randy I find myself more eager to see your lilies bloom than my own. You mustn't tease me with Nur Mahal, what a little beauty. Sherry that is a beautiful Madame Caroline and Thank you. Joe you are welcome any time. Florence, gorgeous and heartwarming as always. Lori she is one of my very favorites as well, one bloom her whole first year, fingers crossed. Thank you. Paula and Pamela, you two are the jewells of the forum for me. how lucky was the day I met up with you two, such superb gardeners and the best of company...thanking my lucky stars for the first time I looked up own root roses on line....who knew where that would lead to. My blessed. la

I think a Happy Birthday fits right in with your Happy Live. Congratulations on both and have a great belated honeymoon. Cathy

Beach Lily: I'm Italian and would have cooked all them goodies for you. Hope you had a nice Day and many more. Lou But you didn't have Kermit & his little brothers sing, Happy Birthday to you. While I have them rounded up, let's do it OK LOU , Here we go ! Happy BIRRRRTHDAYYY!!! to YOUUU!!! Happy BIRTHDAYYY to YOUUUUUUUUUUuu~~~~~~~~~~~~ HAPPY BIRRRTHDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaa Deaaarrrrrrrr Llllliiiillll yyyyy !!!!!!!!! Happy BIRTHDAYYYYYYYYYYYY !!! to youuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!! DOO WOPA DOOO OOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RAY ! WHOOOOO !!CHEAR! CHEAR ! CLAP! CLAP! HOOT! HOOT!!! BOOM ! BOOM !!!WOOOHIEEEEEEEEEE !!!!! YAE DOOO WOPA DOO ! Haaaappyyyyy Birrrrrthdaaaaaaaaaay tooooooo youuuuuu Tweeeeeeeeetttt!!!!! YAHOOOOOO!!!!!!!! Wuuuuuooooeeeeeee!!! Ba da Ba Da Bing !!! BOOM !!!!!! I have a Flower left; for you, it's a Tiger Lily !!!