Cameron: thank you for all the info on the plants. I will do as Nell suggested and make a plan with the info next to each. I only hope they will do as well as yours ! Pattioh: they will be all alone as the bed is brand new. I didn't realize the plants wuld be TINY...they will look lost for sure. I have no plan but am going to get one ...NOW ! patricia: thank you for the help. I have 1 yard...I can get as much as I want but I didn't know how much to get. Do you work it into the soil or just put it on the top as you said like mulch ? I was going to use it to condition the soil even though it is good topsoil. We have no clay. Thanks for any further inst. on that. lynne: pictures at 10:00...LOL vikki : thanks for the vote of confidence. I will make a note on the walker's low Carol...I hope they do well I sure am trying. MeMo you and Nell need to come ON !! Nell I have no plan but that was kinda what I had in mind so I guess I am on the right track. How little are these plants !!?? I bought the other clems to make sure I would have later blooms. I have looked up previously when to prune /not prune etc for them so that is OK. Pinks are still robust here. We are still having 60's at night which is weird. SMOKE again today. I sure hate it for you Ga/Fl folks down there in the fire regions. And no rain anytime in the near future for here. Very grim. THANK YOU ALL. Caroline

Tree, I sent you an e-mail. Let me know if you get. If not, I will call. Kelly, will separate the 2 plants you want from the flat. Let me know when you would like to pick them up. Everyone, thanks for the well wishes. I'm not that bad off, I just have to cope with my limits and still be able to garden, which I am. I will definitely continue to enjoy the butterflies. I just have to garden on a scale I can manage. Susan

I know I'm not speaking for all Ozarkers here when I say this, but I think the attitude that is pretty prevalent around here is that I decide how to manage my own property within reasonable limits of the law. IMO, it is not reasonable for someone in an office in Jeff City to tell me I have to tolerate poisonous snakes on my 10 acres. Same goes for mountain lions. I have a bunch of little kids, and I just can't have deadly animals on my property. I do my best to teach my kids about all kinds of local animals, and basic principles of conservation. But I have toddlers, too, and they need a higher degree of protection. It seems like maybe some people are offended that there is this assumption that anyone who wants to kill pit vipers is phobic of snakes or ignorant of the importance of a well-balanced ecology. So many people come here from the city or out-of-state with these notions that we ignorant hillbillies need to learn a lessson or two about the beauties of nature. Au contraire!!! Why do you think we still live here? It takes time and personal commitment to learn what you need to learn about how to manage land properly. And the state of Missouri doesn't always know either. It's pretty complicated on a large scale. I am adamant with my kids not to kill spiders or beneficial snakes like black snakes, king snakes, bull snakes, garter snakes, etc. However, I am equally adamant that a pit viper is not necessary to our farm's ecology, and if they see one they need to kill it. Same goes for mountain lions. My property is not a wildlife conservation park. It is a home for humans, and certain wild animals cannot live safely that close to humans. Now, if I had chickens, and black snakes were getting in my chicken house, then I would have to change my policy about black snakes. You'd have to rely more on cats or terriers to get rid of your undesirable rodents then, I guess. My family raises cattle (for several generations) and they have never felt it was necessary to shoot coyotes, despite the fact that they can predictably be expected to kill a few calves every year. That's not enough of an impact to seriously disrupt the environment by getting rid of a species with such a major presence here. A mountain lion is a different story. What would they contribute that we really need? We've been getting along great without them for around 100 years. I don't want them to become extinct. Just extinct around here. If every single mountain lion and black bear were kept within the confines of the state parks, that would be a good thing. Same with rattlers, copperheads, and water moccasins.

And if you're all still with me...What waffle maker do you like? We have 2 small ones we have to use at once, and then it's still a lot of waiting for us all to get waffles. I was excited to see that Cuisinart has a 6 slice one, but there are very mixed reviews of it. We like traditional waffles, as opposed to Belgian, and it seems that most bakers on the market right now are for Belgian. Other question: Coffee maker? We don't drink it often, but when we do we want it to be good...And we have a dear friend who loves a wonderful, rich, strong cup of coffee, and it's important for me to offer him that. (He installed all our carpet and vinyl for free, as well as being a great friend otherwise) I saw that someone on the Appliance forum highly recommended Technivorm, but not sure I'm ready to spend $250 for a coffee maker. On the other hand, considering our Black and Decker has lasted us 24 years, it's not a purchase we'll be expecting to make again soon, and I want it to be a good decision. Still waffling on mixers. I know the two of you above love your Electroluxes, but in the research I've done over the past few years getting ready for this moment, it just never seemed like the best choice for me. I am thinking the Bosch is probably the way I need to go, but am also tempted by the 7 qt Viking, which Acountryfarm uses and loves for her family of 13. I can see that replacing my KA on the place of honor on my baking counter...The Bosch would live in a drawer. Not only is the Viking more attractive (I know that shouldn't be a big deal), but it's the type of mixer we like to use for baking other than bread, so it'd be nice to have one mixer rather than 2. Hmm. Anyway, since we are like-minded on some things, I thought maybe you'd have some thoughts on these things that would help, too. Thanks.