Thank you all so very much! And thank you for sharing your story, Andrew... I can certainly relate! There are several ways to grow and bloom Hippeastrums, and I have chosen to treat mine as houseplants, allowing them to revert to their natural bloom schedule once the initial forced bloom is complete. Most bloom naturally from early spring to sometime during summer, usually within the early part. Some folks force a dormancy period and opt to schedule blooms during the holidays, and some of us let nature take over. Some growers are lucky and can plant them directly in their gardens without any danger of cold weather. There are as many ways to grow and bloom Hippeastrum bulbs as there are medium types to plant them in, feeding schedules to maintain, etc. We each choose what works best for our own growing environments and needs. After many years of trial and error, I've chosen to use a more inorganic, bonsai-like, larger particulate as a medium, feed with a continual buffet-like nutritional regimen, and allow the bulbs to rest and grow as they see fit. I've had very good results... up until the bug incident. Andrew, of the many, many persons my husband and I know with back, neck, or general spinal issues and accompanying chronic pain and/or mobility issues, there's only one person we know who has gone through surgery and come out the better for it. Both myself and my husband have varying issues with varying levels of chronic pain and mobility... his beginning with an industrial accident that left him unable to walk for a year, and mine from the more recent auto accident. He was also a passenger in the auto accident, and was injured further. We just have all the luck. If I made a list of the many things that have befallen us as a family, you wouldn't believe me. You'd think I was kidding. Instead of allowing it all to keep us down, we opt to joke about it, as if we had our very own personal black cloud of bad luck that rains on us every chance it gets! It's not really funny, but laughing about it all keeps us sane! :-) I wish you the very best with regard to your upcoming procedure, and hope you truly come out much better for it. Living in constant pain with back issues is no kind of life... you're so very lucky to have the ability to get the proper procedure done! You're lucky to have gotten your knee repaired, as well. Without the insurance or the means to seek out the finest in specialists, we're stuck doing the best we can... masking chronic pain and living life one day at a time. Plants have helped me immensely... nurturing them, I think, keeps me moving, and keeps my mind on something I enjoy very much. My husband, on the other hand, has been forced to abandon his career as a college educated industrial engineer, and we get by because he's very skilled in electronics, technology, and the world of computers and that sort of thing. We also help caretake a large farm/estate, so setting our own schedules where we can rest as needed is a big help. It seems we have rather similar stories, and it seems that plants have played a positive role in helping us recover. I haven't tried growing citrus yet, though I have limited indoor space to devote to plants. If everything tender I have in pots can't fit into one window alcove, I can't keep it. My collection consists of mainly bulbs, though I do keep a couple of small orchids, a Chalice Vine, an Epi Cactus, a Pregnant Onion, 2 young Plumerias, and a few assorted houseplants of small size. One is a Ponytail Palm, and another is a small pot of Ledebouria. I keep saying I want to take my bulbs outside for summer... I know it would do them a world of good... but that includes an awful lot of trips up and down stairs, which I'm simply not up to. I bring one Red Lion out, plus the two Plumies. The Red Lion has grown by leaps and bounds, so I know that summering them outside would be the best idea. Perhaps next spring I'll make it a point to carry one pot down with me every trip I make outside... if I can remember! Did I mention a head injury and memory loss were other gifts of our accident? :-) We grow several acres of old garden roses and mixed perennial borders, here... so I do have the outside space to keep bulbs. The only question is whether they'd survive the dogs, the goats, the barn cats, and other critters... some human... that might want to "help" me care for them! Please keep us informed as to the results of your surgery... it's something we have an interest in, not to mention I'm hoping it turns out well, allowing you a better life, less any pain! Time for my daily chores... thank you, everyone... you've been most kind! :-)

We are traveling to China in the near future & DH & I got our passports last year no prob because we had expired passports that we could give instead of birth certificates. Our DD only had an original BC that I didn't want to give up. (Never know!!!) So, we said we'd wait on hers until we had a cert. copy of her BC. Well, we rec'd that back in Oct/Nov. & still have yet to get her passport! Have an appt to do so on Monday & get this taken care of! I've heard that the passport turnaround time is taking a lot longer than it did last year due to the new rules & more people applying. So, if we think we will be traveling in the next 3 months, we will ask to have it expedited. Even with all this trouble...I think it is a good idea to req. passports. And Mary...you did all you could & even followed up with those people. Wonder what would have happened had you not called at all? Glad you got to do something. On a positive note, you will now be ready to go if something fun like that comes up again. :)

Like Alisande, I only see one about once a year...just passing through. I put out a lot of bird seed. I put black oil sunflower seeds in the feeders in the yard and I get a free mix that is a lot of milo and some sunflower seeds donated to me by Walmart, and I put it out along the driveway for the doves. It is so dry here. Right now I have 5 bird baths in the lower part of my yard, which is only about 1/2 acre big, but ran the horse water troughs over yesterday, and couldn't believe all the doves down there bathing. I guess I'm fortunate. I see sparrows in town, but out here in the country, we don't have them. Bluebirds can be seen in this area...supposedly, but the only time I ever saw them, was a pair in the yard of the old man that I look after a couple of towns over, and he couldn't have cared less. That was a few years ago. Now he has a pair of hawks nesting in a tree right out his door, and I can't even get him to walk to the door to look out at them.

Well, today is going much better. (Of course I am probably jinxing myself.) I went to the library and spoke to a few acquaintances who all remembered me and none of whom told me I had ratty hair or pimples. The Kindle Fire session went more smoothly, thanks to Frances I think I have figured out a thing or two or three. I think the problem is just plain old slowness. What I took for nonresponse is just plain slowness. I need to wait...wait...wait...wait a little more...voila! Being used to lightning fast responses on my work and home computers, I have become spoiled. It's not that bad, but it is definitely slow. And my two Kindles work differently - my old Kindle can receive books just about anywhere but my new Kindle Fire can only receive books if it has a wireless connection. Except for library books, which are a whole different animal. Yes, it is a learning experience. Anyway, I am tired of Christmas, not the spiritual beautiful part, but the I-don't-have-time-to-be-nice-to-you-because-I-have-better-things-to-do part. I will be glad when the holidays are over and my friends don't hang up on me because they are busy and stressed. I don't have the busy stressed part, because I pretty deliberately eliminated it quite some time ago. For instance, we don't exchange gifts in my family as a general rule. We all agreed quite some time ago that we all have too much stuff. But today is beautiful. It is snowing lightly and looks gorgeous. I'm so happy to have some snow that does not come part and parcel with a huge and ferocious storm. This is lightly falling, moderate temp, no wind, only half-an-inch expected snow. And yes, this is all tongue-in-cheek, I'm hope I have generated a bit of laughter!