If you detected arrogance in posts that say pretty much the same as you are saying aggie perhaps you should read them again. It is problematic from both sides and if you read laag's post above I don't think it is arrogant. His post pretty much covers notsohappycthulhu complaint too. Imagine a room full of astronauts and the guys who make the rockets they fly in "That one didn't work too well Bert" says Fred the rocket scientist, "Luckily there were only monkeys up there, eh Fred?" said Bert, another rocket scientist. "So, what are you going to do before you send us up there?" asks Arnold the astronaut. "Use up all the monkeys, eh Bert." Fred said. Some people in the design business want to improve the quality of the service the same as a rocket scientist so that there is less hit and miss, this is not arrogant it is conscientious. And when nicethyme says "It has to do with people not recognizing the profession as anything more than "he/she planted the columnar thing at the corner (cause that's what you're supposed to do)" LOL screw'em! raise your rates and make sure those type of people will avoid you." she is joking. Constructive criticism from ones peers is a viable way to improve but if all you are looking for is "wow what a nice dog" fuggedaboudit.

There's lots of good food for thought here. I like Asha's comment that "Boundaries do not make space, space makes boundaries," because that's how I feel about my garden and it's "rooms". Right now, my garden has eight (perhaps nine) areas that could be described as "rooms." None of these were part of my original design (I did not know enough about gardening design when I started to plan them in) but just "happened" as shrubs and trees matured and set off different garden spaces. They do not include landscaped areas outside the fence line, which could also be given descriptive names (cherry-viewing drive; magnolia-viewing parking strip; rhododendron glen). None take their names from rooms inside the house, but derive them from plantings or sculptures which set them off from other sections of the garden. The first of these, my "workout" room created itself when the weeping katsura tree encloses a flat space that just called for setting up an exercise machine, so I could work out while smelling the flowers and listening to the birds. Augmented by ferns, climbing roses, and hop vines, it has become totally private. Next to it is the "nursery", which is part seasonal swamp and part brush pile, and has several bird houses. It is here that most of the fledgling birds gather in spring, hence its name. In summer, it is shaded by evergreens and by a ten-foot-tall Gunnera manicata. (In winter it becomes the "snow viewing room", because it has a sheltered seat from which I can contemplate a large "snow-viewing" lantern.) The other side of the front walkway also has two "rooms": the hummingbird viewing room (which borders the pond), and the orchard. I love sitting here on a stone bench on warm summer afternoons and watch the hummers feed on the flowers. South of this, on the east side of the house, is my "tropical garden" room. This is the warmest part of the garden and all sorts of semi-hardy exotics thrive and bloom here: banana, canna, eucryphia, hedychium, et al. (In season, I could also call it the "peony room" or "camellia room"). Next to it, is a low wooden deck, where my potted tropicals (orange, lemon, grapefruit, tree fern, prince's flower, et al. live in summer). It is enclosed by camellias on two sides and partially shaded by a tall oyama magnolia. It serves as our outdoor dining room (and as an occasional work space) because it has a table and chairs and can be shaded by a market umbrella on hot days. At night (and on quiet days) it becomes a raccoon playpen. The southeast corner of the garden, shaded by my neighbor's tall redcedar and by my bamboos, dove tree, plum and almond tree, purple plum, and 'Elizabeth' magnolia, is called the "hydrangea room" for the different varieties of this shrub which form its "walls". I keep a steamer chair in this quiet place for relaxing with a glass of wine after a hard day's work. Unlike the walls of my house, the boundaries of these garden rooms are flexible. Even as I am typing this, I am noticing changes that will slowly alter the configuration of these rooms and transform them into different spaces.

Sad story about my pigeons . . . or pigeon. You may remember the story: Theresa had "run off" with Wild Tony after Old Tony disappeared, probably as a victim to a hawk. It was obvious that Tony & Theresa were in a "continuous" laying mode last Summer. It was also obvious that wherever their nest was (probably at the bar), it was not being populated by baby pigeons. But, they kept trying. After a couple weeks of showing up together, they'd go back into the 1st-one-and-then-the-other schedule as one or the other was occupied by setting on a nest. A few weeks would pass, and then they'd be back, as a couple, for meals. Then the process would start again. As Autumn came to a close, they just "suddenly" failed to come again. Theresa was really beyond her abilities pretending to be a wild pigeon. As a Birmingham Roller, she was only about 75% of a wild pigeon's size. If you decide to get pigeons, Michelle, this breed is a good choice. They are likely to be available in your area, come in a variety of colors, and you and DH can sit out on the patio and enjoy the aerial acrobatics!! I guess wild pigeons can become tame. Wild Tony was sorta tame but it was Theresa's attachment to home that kept him around. He was willing to show up for a handout under the stress of brooding babies but I suspect, if Theresa was lost last Fall, Tony may still be hanging out on derelict buildings and feeding off the grain cars down on the tracks - living "on the wild side." d'S'

Oh Bob - I'm so glad it made you feel good! I had 24 people at my house for dinner and as they were nibbling on the appetizers I was thinking how grateful I was for that recipe! They were completely gone. Good job inventing that and for sharing it with us! We are lucky! Foodonastump, Here's the recipe. They were sooo good! One of my oldest T&T recipes is for stuffed-mushroom caps. The are relatively easy to make a day or so ahead, and then you merely pop them in the oven for 10 minutes or so and serve them. Bob's Magical Mushrooms 1 lb white mushrooms 12 oz cream cheese 3 Tbsp butter 1 tsp minced garlic 4 slices of provolone cheese 3 green onions (chopped fine) Remove stem and cut away the lower half of the mushroom exposing the gills Soften cream cheese in microwave, mix garlic and green onions into cream cheese. Melt butter in small dish. For each mushroom, spoon the cream cheese mixture into the mushroom, then dip the top into the butter, and place in a glass baking pan. Then cover the top of the cream cheese with provolone cheese. The above amount should fill a 13x9 baking pan. At this point you can refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 400 deg F Bake for 10-12 minutes until the provolone is melted and the mushrooms are cooked. Serve immediately.