I can't remember the cartoon lady's name, Chloe, but we have a Christmas ornament of her with lights wrapped around her body. The first one is my favorite. "Bite me size", lol. And the two peas in their respective pods made me giggle again. I'll work on keeping my hairy chinny, chin, chin a little higher. It was a tough weekend and the week ahead will be long, full, and all I'm really looking forward to is bedtime on Friday night. How pathetic is that? (maybe my much needed haircut on Friday afternoon will prove a boost, too). Michelle, your arrangement is just lovely. I have a particular fondness for cattails, and always want to pick them early on... but don't really know how to collect them to prevent the seasonal, fuzzy explosion... what's your secret? The annual take-downs are arriving in the shop for cleaning and mending. I'm fine with the mending part of it, but I so loathe the cleaning. It's hard on my hands/wrists and it's so terribly boring. I have a solid month of it ahead of me, I reckon. More rote, and while it's not what I need on an emotional plane, it's does rather pay the bills handily! More sucking up is order, I fear. :/ The book sounds fine... assign it and I'll go for it. I'm thinking a diversion of any sort might just be a very good thing for me about now! Now it's time for me to tend to the dishes in the kitchen. And clean up the broken wine stem that belonged to my grandmother. Now only two are left... out of 10. My irritation at "frat. house carelessness" will subside, but today I didn't need to see one more pretty, "fun" thing broken. Maybe I should simpy accept it and use DixieCups? What is it Taryn says, "calm, blue ocean... "? I need more tassels, methinks. ;)

google images for pinus strobus pendula .... and ask yourself if is really all that different ....' when i googled angel falls.. no images.. which leads me to believe it is a new name ... if it is close enough.. try gee tree farm, girards .... or any of the slew of other sellers .... its common and easily trainable .... i am thinking in the 25 to 35 dollar range for a one gal .... and strobus grow like weeds once established... so go small ... good luck ken Here is a link that might be useful: CS database has pix of both ...

I totally hear you on the subcalva. Last year I too had "every intention" of moving all of my temperate species to safe locations but I didn't move fast enough. I think it's because it is impossible for my body to perceive cold in the same way they do, so in my head it wasn't that bad and there were more pressing matters to attend to. Needless to say, I almost lost a couple that were strongly affected by drafts near the door. And the time and attention I spent nursing them back to health allowed a few other things to go haywire. MY biggest piece of autumn Hoya advice, for those going through it w/Hoyas for the first time, is to cut back on watering immediately. Just start being a bit stingy when you go to water them and check on them more regularly for the first month, to see how the pace has changed. A little concentration now makes for a lot fewer problems over the next couple months. What always happens to me is this: 1. The weather shifts and I am preoccupied with moving plants indoors. I keep doing everything else the same because I vaguely believe summer is going to reassert itself. 2. The plants don't dry out from that last ordinary watering for like... 2 months. (Okay maybe not that long but it seems like forever.) 3. Since the apartment is so much colder and they have stayed sodden for a month a number of them get pissy and if there is any other problem it is hugely magnified. Chances are one will have its roots compromised, need to be rerooted, but I won't act until it's too late. My only other piece of advice for right now is do NOT try to root a bunch of cuttings right now. It can be done, but what takes a week in spring takes the whole winter for them to be truly established. Oh and isolate those plants you are bringing in from outside, obviously. They will definitely have spider mites on them. They always have spider mites on them. -_- Oh and about your windows, Quinn, I totally believe it. My west facing balcony doors are toxic to my plants during spring and early summer but I have been using it as my prime rooting zone since midsummer passed and Hoyas LOVE it there. What used to burn now feels like a happy little once-a-day sauna to them, I guess. I DO think that artificial lighting makes life easier in winter. I tried to get away without it last winter because Denise does and she's in the same city, but I think her grow space lets in a lot more light than even my generous nearly floor to ceiling apartment windows. I courted a lot of problems with the plants in the windows that I didn't have with the plants under lights. I wouldn't mind if they just didn't grow very much, but it's difficult that they are all just more vulnerable/delicate without strong light. If you only have a few plants, then I think it is fine, but with a big group of plants there are enough unhappy customers that it is too stressful/annoying.

Christie, let me think for a minute about easy hikes. The Buffalo Trail has some nice spots along it. The one from Ponca to Steel Creek is quite nice. Depending on how much time you have, you can tailor the distance to suit your needs. During low water you can take the Horse Trail which is an old road trace and stays in the valley. No hills, but you have to cross the river several times. If steep hills get to you, then avoid the Hemmed in Hollow trail. Also, the trail up Indian Creek is amazing, but not recommended to any but the most hale and hardy and sure of foot. Anytime you see "chocolate milk" colored algae on a wet rock PROCEDE WITH THE UTMOST OF CAUTION. I've seen that chocolate milk put people on their faces before they even knew they were going down. Alum Cove near Jasper is a really nice short hike. It goes by a great natural bridge, and into a valley with cool rock formations. Be sure to enjoy the beech and umbrella magnolia trees. A bit further south is Pedastle Rocks near Pelsor. Some more excellent rock formations and a wet weather waterfall. Also near Pelsor is Haw Creek Falls campground which I intend to explore soon. Hideout Hollow near Compton is another nice day hike. Further east in the Buffalo Point area is Indian Rockhouse Cave. A nice hike leads past a waterfall, some sinkholes, and dandy waterslide creeks to a large shelter cave with some formations and a real cave area on one end. You'll need a flashlight to explore very far back. I don't know just how far back you can go. Several caves are closed due to endangered bats. This includes Bat Cave near Boxley, and Arkansas Cave along Indian Creek. There are signs telling of the closing, and I think they've got motion detectors and cameras just in case anybody thinks the law doesn't apply to them. Also, Fitton (Beauty) Cave near Compton has gates over the entrances. It is sposta be magical inside there with a huge room and several passageways. People can enter this cave with a permit along with some people who are familiar with this cave. I'm not much of a caver, so I'm not much help here. Caving is one of those things that seem like more fun when you've finished than when you actually are in it. Of course developed caves can be really nice and only require walking and holding on to the handrail. Blanchard Springs near Mt. View is world class. There are several other developed caves with walkways and lights that are privately owned throughout the Ozarks. If you go to Blanchard, there's a nice trail along the Sylamore Creek, and a neat spot where a waterfall emerges from the cave. Up your way, I really enjoyed Greer Springs near Thayer. A nice little hike leads down a hill to the impressive spring and also another spring coming out of a cave.