I just had to post this after reading this thread. I hope you like it as much as I did. Peace WORK - AS VIEWED FROM HEAVEN (overheard in a conversation between God and St. Francis): GOD : Francis, you know all about gardens and nature; what in the world is going on down there in the U.S. ? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistles and the stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought, and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honeybees, and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of color by now. All I see are patches of green. St. Francis: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. They are called the Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers "weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass. GOD : Grass? But it is so boring, it's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, bees or birds, only grubs and sod worms. It's temperamental with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want grass growing there? St. Francis: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it has grown a little, they cut it....sometimes two times a week. GOD : They cut it? Do they bale it like hay? St. Francis: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags. GOD : They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it? St. Francis: No sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away. GOD : Now let me get this straight...they fertilize it to make it grow and when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away? St. Francis: Yes, sir. GOD : These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work. St. Francis: You aren't going to believe this Lord, but when the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it. GOD : What nonsense! At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep the moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves become compost to enhance the soil. It's a natural circle of life. St. Francis: You'd better sit down, Lord. As soon as the leaves fall, the Suburbanites rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away. GOD : No way! What do they do to protect the shrubs and tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and loose? St Francis: After throwing the leaves away, they go out and buy something called mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves. GOD : And where do they get this mulch? St. Francis: They cut down the trees and grind them up to make mulch. GOD : Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. Saint Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight? St. Catherine: "Dumb and Dumber," Lord. It's a really stupid movie about.... GOD: Never mind--I think I just heard the whole story from Saint Francis! .

Northspruce...ROFL..I thought the same thing about the "domestic help"...Very interesting...I'll remember to use DW...beacuse she is dear and like all of the spouses, thinks' I've lost my mind about gardning...oh, she loves the finished product...but thinks I'm nuts..(a debatable topic) Why I like this forum....there is a spirit about those of you in the far north I don't see elsewhere...I can't explain, sorta frontierish but more like resourceful..self reliant and innovative......I'd take the summers if I could do without the winters...then again, today I got bitten by fire ants, a real problem in the south...and every time it happens I SWEAR I'm moving to say...ORegon? Certainly not far north...but a 2 day trip away perhaps to Souther Canada... Anyway, I hope some of you continue to put up pics...I really enjly them. I spent all day planting things I got on sale for $1 at Lowe's, Salvia Greggii, some other salvia's, Tennessee coneflowers, and even some sad looking zinnia's...a good snip, some fertilizer, and they'll be blooming in 2 weeks...sure was hot today....90's...I';ll make you a deal,,I'll send up some warm if you'll send a bit of cool...of course, when the cool weather gets here, it means you guys are under snow...so I'll be patient! Sierra...batting eyelashes is no fair and against the rules!!!! ( even my daugher's now figured that one out...."Daddy"...flash flash....oh, the camera thing....shame on me, I have an nice (now old and not enough pixels) video with a still feature, I lost the download cord, so there it sits...so now I use an Easyshare 3.1 MP, bought it for my daughter...works for the most part.....and very handy...I'd like something that is simple to use, easy to download, and no fooling around with photo editing programs....and some good closeups.....and I just can't imagine what it looks like when cars go by....

Thanks folks, As an apmt dweller, I have no outdoors to give my plants so I can't do that. I have it hanging in the kitchen ('cause it's too big to go anywhere else) which come summer won't be too cool (I'm on the top floor, w/ no AC & all west windows, it gets HOT). It's well away from the windows, so it'll be somewhat shady. I can't decide whether I should swap out the EA mix for my own; it would be an enormous job (I like that paper funnel technique Denise, smart)! Am thinking of just take cuttings, or unpot a few stems from the middle & pot them up separately as insurance just in case. Am I understanding it likes be on the moister side or not? Even the watering will be difficult, it's so big I think I'll have to soak it in the sink for a while, since I've removed the saucer & don't wish for water all over the floor. Am hoping when I get my E's VF-11, that watering w/ that will help & therefore ease my anxiety abt the EA mix. Have run into multiple problems getting the E's VF-11, Ace Hardware says it's restricted & not permitted to ship into NY state, that wasted 2 wks. Have just re-ordered it from Charley's Greenhouse (they advised AFTER I ordered a gallon that it's backordered, but I've convinced them to send me comparable amounts of quarts for the same price). Am hoping MAYBE I'll actually get it this wknd ... sigh.

Thanks for posting this. My cousin was diagnosed with this at the age of 49. She had successful surgery, which prevented any further nerve damage. But the surgery and the untreated CM have left her in a considerable amount of constant pain in her neck, and limited range of movement in one arm. Apparently, once she learned what the symptoms are, she'd been having very specific symptoms for over 10 years, and she'd been having "migraines" most of her life. And her father is a neurologist.