I finally made it out to Cicconi's and it was only a half hour drive from my father's in Colts Neck. I spent 3 hours wandering greenhouses and kept forgetting where I'd left my cart. I had 3 things I needed from their availability list but ended up with more than 3 plants! In one of the back houses was where I found the Hakone Beni Kaze grass whose internet photo grabbed me but the mail order prices for a 3-5 inch pot didn't. It's still a visible plug inside the quart but I'm leaving it in the container sunk in the garden to grow on and baby for the next year. I'm hoping I have it good light condition to achieve the burgundy, red & pink coloration in Fall but with enough shade so it doesn't shrivel up. Cicconi's prices for gallon perennials were almost on par with some other places but they had a great selection and people were extremely patient and helpful. The prices for good size plants compared to mail order, tops-lopped-off little starters were great and you get to actually see a plant in its natural state when you buy and growing the first year. Got more Asclepias Incarnata (they were out of Tuberosa-the Monarchs will have to deal with it), NY Ironweed, Heuchera Amethyst Mist, Pink Jewel Fleabane (after I saw a Spring Azure testing the nectar right in front of me), a huge Sedum Vera Jameson (funky succulent, not like its photos but a facinating stunner) and some Sweet Basil since my little seedlings won't be "Pesto sufficient" for a LONG time. The 2 Lamium Purple Dragon I got from Gasko's are fading quickly without growth or flowers while another $3. Lamium 3 times their size I got at a roadside plant seller on northbound side of Rt. 35 (south of the light at Costco in Hazlet) is flourishing and blooming its head off. I always saw this roadside place too late in zipping traffic to stop in but was keeping an eye out for it last trip up that way to Lowe's & Dearborn. I also got a Eupatorium Rugosum Chocolate (terrific burgundy tinged foliage & can't wait for fall white blooms), Buddleia Red Knight (in huge shrub pot since nowhere really to put 5'x5' plant in full sun), Salvia May Night, unknown electric blue/purple Salvia, Curly Parsley for Swallowtails and a few six packs of annuals for mostly shaded garden. Total only $36. for all that and they're doing very well. I didn't have to make a stop at Dearborn for anything and they wouldn't have any plants I got at roadside plant seller anyway except for Salvia May Night most likely. Early Saturday morning before food shopping I stopped in at Colonial Nursery on West Front Street just east of Middletown-Lincroft Rd. in Middletown. I never knew they existed until finding them listed as retail vendor for some national supplier. They had 2 year old Dwarf Goatsbeard for $9.95 that was 3 times the size of mail order gallon I got last fall and more than a foot tall/wide Astilbe Fanal that was a nicer shade of burgundy/raspberry than I perceived from online photos. It's not a huge place buy neat and clean with a good selection of plants not everyone carries in such pristine shape. The Fanal looked washed out and rangy at Cicconi's and price was the same. Next year I'll have to make it out to Cicconi's earlier in the season to look around when things haven't gone through a withering heat wave. I probably don't "need" much more to fill in what I can at my father's but there's always a chance I'll see some perennial between now and next year for which I could find a place to plant. Used quite a few annuals to fill in where I was too confused or rushed to decide on perennials to fill out a few new beds. Particularly short on spring bloomers. Maybe next year after a full year in the ground I'll have more time to enjoy all these beauties when I don't have to baby them until they get established. I was never so happy to hear thunder and lightening as last night thinking "Yippee...I don't have to worry about watering at 5 AM" expecially before getting started on cooking/straightening house for Father's Day celebration. All in all, I've maxed out on plants for my first year's attempt at gardening. I dread having to transplant the last few containers of annual seedlings I started myself. What was I thinking listening to people who said "It's a snap!" compared to being stretched out on the ground trying to tease apart tiny roots and then getting them placed just right in ground soil...to say nothing of watering with droplets so they don't dissolve into the ground? What a riot but good learning experience. Boy, do I feel lucky to live in Jersey!

I was in Target yesterday and they were having a big clearance of home furnishings and décor. I had not even noticed when those items appeared in the store, so I think they move them out quickly. I took a quick look at some of the furniture but was wondering about quality and durability. FWIW, a lot of art fair artists are selling stretched canvas prints now, both photographers and painters. (You know how most painters have both originals and offset reproductions of those in their booths). The printing on canvas technology has come down in cost recently enabling individual artists, not just large manufacturers, to be able to print their works on canvas. Its called a "gallery wrap" when there is no separate frame and the canvas is stretched all the way to the back so staples are not visible. I have a friend who is a photographer who has gone completely to this way of printing as it is so popular; no more glass or matting, or worrying if the frame will match decor to deal with. Its also less expensive (after initial equipment outlay) allowing them to pass on the cost savings and make more sales. She also sells her work online at a 2D art dealer and they said the gallery wraps are the fastest selling category they have going, regardless of subject. You could visit an art fair and get something so wont see everywhere, and know it wont be in Target tomorrow.

I didn't see that any of you have ever weighed your purse to see how much extra weight you might be hanging on your shoulder. I know my purse is WAY too heavy, but I can't seem to pare down the "ingredients". I just weighed it and it is a tad over 5 and a half pounds. My job is not in the same town I live in, so I feel that I need to be prepared for all contingencies, LOL. I do have a wonderful organizer (actually, my purse is so large that for a while I had TWO organizers in it) and I can always lay my hands on exactly what I am looking for. I know my Kindle adds weight, but still less than the book I previously carried around pre-Kindle. Just this weekend, I decided I would clean out anything unnecessary, and you know what? I couldn't think of a thing to remove. Very few articles of my clothing have pockets and I'm "fluffy" enough so that I don't want any extra bulk in that area anyway.

I carry three items in my purse (well three items containing other items! LOL): A make-up bag size zippered pouch, a smaller size matching zipper pouch and my wallet. The larger pouch holds a lipstick, a mirror, small hand sanitizer, etc. The smaller pouch has a vial of tylenol, a pen, notepad and my phone can go in there if needed. The wallet has the usual things. I do not want my drivers license, credit card, money, etc. loose in my purse, even in a zippered area. I like to change out purses, and taking my license or credit card in and out, too easy to lose it or leave it in one purse when I'm switching to another. I don't carry large bags.