Hi Bonnie, Long Ago is working on their site, so the page being down isn't surprising. I know she's like Burling in that she's a one person operation. You can imagine trying to take care of hundreds to thousands of plants; propagate them all; handle all the "chief cook and bottle washer" duties for the business and household, etc., AND mess around with a web site. It will get there. I don't know who will have stock ready first. Remember Long Ago is on the east coast and doesn't ship west of the Rockies. Burling is less than three hours from you. Actually, I prefer receiving young plants during weather as we're "suffering" right now. Replanted in a larger pot, in good soil, placed in filtered sun and kept well fed and watered, most will grow like mad with this heat. It sets the stage for the perfect opportunity to push them by keeping them disbudded. I'm impatient when it comes to pushing plants. It drives me crazier for them to just SIT there, appearing to do nothing. Kim

I love those electric scissors! But, they won't help you make drainage holes. On 2L bottles, I find that a drill bit slides off and is dangerous. Knives, too. I do use a large drill bit, though--1/4". Starting with a small bit and then using the large one might work ok. I use a sharp pair of scissors, snip the bulges on the bottom, then poke the scissors in and twist a nice big hole. I think it's much easier to do this with milk jugs, you could start the slit in the side and let the kids cut around, and maybe put slits on the bottom that the kids will turn into holes. Or, maybe cottage-cheese containers or orange-juice cartons would be easier for the students to deal with. The cottage ch. containers can be stacked and drilled several at a time. For the juice cartons, I would use a utility knife to start a slit and let the kids finish the cutting. (I use the utility knife to start 2L bottles, too, then use the electric scissors to make the hemispherical cut) My junior high had a woodshop. When I was in 7th grade, every student alternated between gym and either sewing, cooking, or woodshop--and we had to take all of them. Then the state mandated daily gym, and those classes became elective. Too bad, but I'm sure the gym thing was important--although we only had 1 obese kid in the school back then. What does it look like now, Ashley? And, do jr highs still teach hands-on stuff?

I don't carry wipes with me anymore, but we both get the antibiotic lotion when we get back to the car. I do that even after shopping at Walmart. The box is a big round papier mache one and it does have a lid. The original price tag had 29.99 on it so undoubtedly it had something inside. There was a graphic pasted on the outside that I removed since it was pretty beat up. I may try to replicate it in paint using it as a pattern or just try to find a Renee Mullins pattern to use on it most likely. There is a wire handle with metal stars and moons wired onto that so one of her bear patterns with the moon behind would probably look good. I think that would be a neat idea with the box. I usually find the little trees at the $1 store around Christmas. I hate it when I put something back and then think of the perfect use for it when I get home. ha But we can't buy everything....well not at once anyway. ha My DD's birthday is coming up on the 28th. They are really close in age. What did she have on her cake? Neleh switches between a princess cake to Tinkerbell to Scooby-Doo. She's gonna have to make up her mind soon. :) I have been so miserable today since lunch. I overate....like Thanksgiving overate... and I feel sick. I finished up my last 2 Mothers Day ribs, but I ate some good french bread with it and it just expanded to the point of misery. I took a nap even, but still not feeling well. Hope I'm not about to have another appendicitis attack. I have chronic appendicitis that sort of feels like this when it starts. I'm gonna go lay back down. DH will have to fend for the kids for supper. Oh, I was gonna tell you that I went to the nursery before lunch and I bought 2 fushia plants. I think they may be dwarf ones though. They are the purple and pink ones and they are called Tiny Tim. ~Anj

Hi Rob, Not much to add ... and hope that you're back at least part way out of your blue funk. Brother, retired farmer who lives 1600 miles way, has one son, only child, in a city 100 miles from here, a couple of small grand-daughters from son's second marriage, and comes to visit them a couple of times a year. He'd called to say he was to be in the neighbourhood, and we got together on Friday, I called son and he and his partner were there for lunch, as was brother and wife ... and a couple of favourite cousins were, as well. Brother spent a few years when he was very young with the family of our Mom's brother and their two children when she was ill, so he considers one as almost a sister: the son, a local farmer, died several years ago. The other cousin lives locally and I see her at church fairly often - she, who had voice training, has sung in the choir for 75 years. The brother and I went to deal with some complications over inheritance of cemetery plots that Dad owned ... and it looks as though resolution is to be easier than we figured. Then we sat and had a chat ... and he's rather worried about future viability of his son's marriage. We don't see one another often, but we've been close, over the years. Our brother died over forty years ago, when his kids were in their teens, and our ready-made sister that came with our stepmom lives near brother in Saskatchewan. It's a red letter day when we get together. ole joyful