I have made a few batches of the pickles and they were good. I have also changed up the ingredients a touch with some interesting results. Less salt, add some sugar, celery seed, add jalapeno or serrano, less vinegar,pinch of tumeric, etc. Many possibilities and I just keep notes to what I like and dont like. Very fresh dill is a must here as anything less gives you undesirable results. I personally didnt care for the batch that I made with allspice so I have left it out of future batches. If you do use a hot pepper, be careful how much you use or you wont find anyone willing to help you eat them. I like hot and spicy but most dont care for it. I am currently collecting quart jars so I can make smaller batches with different variations until I find one that everyone likes. Duane

My gardens here at the Cottage aren't quite up to that type of admiration yet. I did get some compliments on the photos I took of the main bed last year though, which did make me feel very good! My grandparents used to get people stopping to take photos of their house in spring, it was surrounded by rhododendrun and azalea they had planted in the 60's, so they had grown as tall as the roof on the porch and garage. It was quite striking. I wonder now and then if the new owners kept them or not-I do know they were divorced a few years after buying the house and he lives there now (gotta love facebook, lol). There is one house I have always admired the garden at near our old house. It's not a big garden, just a nice bed around the front of the house/walkway, but it blooms from spring to fall and always looks so perfect. I've seen an older woman tending it sometimes, usually dead heading or cleaning out weeds, but never had a chance to stop (it's on a very busy road with no shoulder) to tell her how lovely it is. I even google streetviewed the house when doing the original gardens here hoping for inspiration-too bad the streetview image was from WINTER. I know she has daffodils, tulips and daisies, but I can't recall what else I've id'd while passing at the moment....

Thanks for the responses. There's a large body of thought (and evidence, actually) that "juvenile spaying" is the way to go. I did a LOT of reading on the topic before taking THE BABY in for the procedure, and all of it was very in favor. It's only considered a juvenile spay if they're 16 weeks or younger and she was right at 16 weeks. In shelters, they're spaying them at six weeks old. The new anesthetics (I'm told) are a world apart from the older anesthetics - which was the main reason for delaying surgery until a dog had some age on her. The pros are, the puppies heal much faster and there are fewer complications. The cons are (this is my own opinion), it's not pretty to lock a puppy in a crate with an e-collar for most of her 24-hour day. This is precious socialization time, and she *has* to be quiet so she has to either be on drugs, or spend a bit of time in the crate - for the first few days, anyway. And now with this complication, she's in there until the infection heals (which I hope is no more than a couple days away). She can not be running around and/or jumping - which is what she longs to do. Prior to this, we had a lot of fun, taking long walks and going to the dog park every day and playing catch in the back yard. She was a tired dog and a good dog. Now she's been cooped up for six days and is all fired up. I dunno. The juvenile spay is supposed to be THE thing. I thought it was the best thing to do for my little dog and I spent a whole lot of time doing my research before I made these arrangements. We got into trouble when she licked her stitches and/or when she insisted on jumping up and down like she was a coiled spring. Rose

Two stories: First, a story of an old friend of mine. She lived with a guy for two years in college and they got along well. They got engaged. He was wrong for her, but she said she loved him. "Mom" immediately began planning the wedding for just after graduation. She took on a second job. The wedding got a life of it's own. "Mom" was going to create the wedding of her dreams for her daughter. She was in charge. The morning of the wedding, her daughter was sick in the bathroom. Came out and said "Mom, I'm sick. Should I cancel the wedding?" Mom jokingly laughed and said "I'll push you down the aisle in a wheelchair". Mom thought it was jitters. Her daughter was telling the truth. Mom had worked so hard for the wedding, daughter went through with it. Guilt wedding number one. Groom lost his wedding ring the week after the wedding. Couple was separated after a month and got a divorce. Second story, my cousin married a guy that was similar to the guy in this story. He was a jerk. She had low self-esteem. "Mom" made the grand push to create a big wedding for her daughter and didn't listen to the signals that something was wrong. Girl got married. Mom-guilt, again. Divorced after a year. To me, the moral of the story for me is, if a girl has a relationship with someone that it's doubtful that it will work out, I'd leave it alone. I wouldn't get excited in either direction. I'd WAIT until SHE starts generating wedding plans. I'd ignore the subject completely. Especially since there isn't an official date nor are specific plans being made. After all, it's HER wedding, right? Then she has to take the helm. I've never understood weddings that get thrown by parents like it's a kid's birthday party. If she's adult enough to marry, she's adult enough to manage the process. Not do all of the work, but be the conductor of her own symphony, so to speak. I feel that mothers are there to support the process, not run it. And if the girl is in charge of it, then she won't lose face if she backs out. All of it gets to be her decision. And if she brings concerns over time, listen. Tell your own truth about what you've learned about marriage, adulthood and life. One thing that I've told all of my grown nieces contemplating marriage is that "this is as good as it gets"...As in..The state of the relationship BEFORE marriage is what it's perfection looks like. Once children and life pressures ensue..Once the couple lets down their guard, they won't try as hard. It's the nature of the beast as marriage isn't one big long date. It's a LIFE. We all can't be "on" for decades. Ergo, if the situation is 'great', then there are things to look forward to and a mellowing. If things are not great, they won't get great with a ring. It's preferable to have this conversation in the abstract and not involving a current boyfriend. Less likely to be taken personally. However, if it's stated like a life law of physics and not like an accusation, it's easier to deal with. I prefer to make statements like that in a neutral fashion without an expectation of a response. Sort of like, take this for what it's worth, but this is what I believe. No big emotion. No fire. Sort of, this is your life and your decision. Like you would with another adult that is not your kid. That allows the person to walk away with it and think about it, as opposed to setting up a situation where someone has to fight to not be wrong. Be yourself. Tell the truth over time. Act like you trust her to make the right choice for herself. She's going to need that if this guy really is wrong for her. She needs to know that she can go to you and talk about it, whatever it looks like. And if at any time, she acts like she wants to balk, but is confused? I'd tell her to spend some time thinking about it, that it's her choice on her timeline. But that it's better to back out before the complications of shared homeownership and children...And that there is no law stating how and when she is to marry. It's her choice. Her life. She's the one that has to live it. More than once my own neutral mother dropped a oneliner piece of truth in my lap that I couldn't have said thank you for at the time, but that I thanked her for later. And when the emotional drama is removed, all that is left is the truth. Just my thoughts on the matter...