personally.. i try to avoid eating insect poops ... intentionally anyway but on the other hand.. contemplating how they turn pine tar/resin/sap [since i have had them on pines] into sugar is bewildering ... maybe they can swap some dna with scale and solve the human waste issues .. double yuck ... where am i going with this??? even if i had been tempted to 'taste it' ... i might not be willing to admit such ... besides the ants... when everything underneath starts turning black ... is also a way to 'find' the scale... i think the sugars mildew .... rotflmbo ... ken

It is doing what it is supposed to do. Also, they do curve, it is normal don't try and straighten it too dramatically. It is basically a tree and has to curve for the leaves. When the plant develops flowers, the tree will branch off the flowering area (inflorescence). Staking the plant it a good idea mainly for protection rather than to keep it "straight". I would not use Bloom Booster. I know it is labeled for tropical plants. Check this website and research fertilizers used. The middle number is supposed to promote blossoms, but there is a lot of controversy about using a high phosphorus (middle number). Spray n Grow is very popular with plumeria growers. Bill, this is more your area.

Thank you all for your support it means the world to me. I've always been the type to beat myself up for not knowing how to do the things just right. It would not be so bad if dad's mind wasn't clear as a bell right now. His abuse of his medicine is a real concern for me. I got a call from him today saying he needs his antibiotic for his sinus, well he'll only take one or two and he says it cures his sinus. You and I know this isn't so and even if it does help it's short term, taking the antibiotics like that can cause harm but no one can get this through to my dad. I have had so many problems with doctors in my past that I don't trust them easily. It was me that saved my husband from a possible stroke, his blood pressure was high and I could tell when it was up but with the sleep apne he had to take showed how bad it was. They could not get it down all night so I marched into our dr.'s and told them about this and they looked back at his chart and seen that it was high everytime he went in for a check up. Now why don't they pay more attention to this? This is why I fear looking for yet another doctor. I have no luck with them. Only once did I have a wonderful doctor and within a year my insurance changed and he didn't take it :( He was the one that listen to me about my weight and took test finding that my thyroid was bad. I went through years with a sore throat and my throat closing up at night in my sleep, waking up unable to breath for 10 or so seconds but felt longer and didn't know if I'd get my breath. If it's wasn't for y'all I don't know if I'd be able to be strong for my dad. I never knew it could be so hard. I look at pictures of my grandparents, dads parents and talk to them and wishing they were here. They had a hard life and I can just image that they went through just what I am now. They took care of my great grandmother for 17 years then told my grandmothers brother it was time for him to care for his mother and give them a break. Great grandmother was called little granny and I never seen pictures of her but heard great stories about her, I found a picture of her the other day and I'm so happy to finally seen her, she past away a few years before I was born. Sorry for being long winded. Barbara

The chair cushions are really nice. I love the drapes from Ballard but I think the pattern will clash with the pattern in the rug. Have you thought about doing a solid color or something that's tone on tone with a contrasting banding to bring in some more color? The shape of the furniture and the pattern on the rug are contemporary. The wainscoting with the picture frame trim is traditional. The wall color feels traditional to me. The chandelier looks like a transitional piece with some deco inspiration. With all these different aesthetics the room is very eclectic. My suggestion would be to pick one of the themes that already is present in the room and make that the inspiration for the window treatment instead of introducing another disparate element.