Good afternoon GB - glad to see your clems are blooming despite being left to fend for themselves. Did you loose any? Baby Reed made me smile - what perfect little features. Ei - I'll have to go smell my quercifolia as I've never noticed any fragrance. I cannot remember now which cultivar it is. Michelle - hope your case Shingles is not too severe. It can be a rotten experience - take care of yourself. Chelone - glad Rex is doing well and being such a good patient. Cynthia - any updates on Katie? Last night really lived up to Michelle's title for this Idyll - a hot summer's night. Never the less it turned out to be a great evening with the Chicklits (our book group). We had a wonderful selection of food, lots of wine and good book talk. David came and played his guitar to us while we ate - he played so beautifully it almost brought tears to my eyes. A friend of my sister's from New Orleans has just moved to our town and I was able to introduce her to the group. It turns out she moved in 3 doors down from another book club member and both have sons the same age. I love it when you are able to introduce people and feel they will enjoy getting to know each other. Only one of the group was up for a swim and we floated in the pool under the stars with fire-flies flashing till late in the evening. It felt sooooooooo good. Another friend chatted poolside, entertaining us with stories of her wild youth. We've known each other for over 10 years and I would never have guessed at some of those secrets. We're all rather conventional now, happily engrossed in raising children, PTSA, jobs etc. but sometimes it's fun to remember earlier carefree days. Today I had a work lunch - it was social more than work, and I had the chance to see a training video I was filmed for earlier in the year. I was mostly pleased with the sections I was in, but thought I looked decidedly "wrinkly" especially on my forehead. Perhaps it's time to splash out on some Oil of Olay Regenerist. Tonight there are leftovers from last night (an easy supper), then David has Karate class. I think I should probably shoot for any early night too. Hi to all Mary

My advice is to find another home for the dog. You have enough caregiving going on without adding a dog to the mix, which is time-consuming and expensive. You raise children to grow up into adult individuals who will go off on their own; dogs are like toddlers that never grow up and sort of regress at the end. I am giving you my perspective as one who also is not a dog person but was talked into getting one by my family. My dh firmly believes that kids need a dog (I don't believe this at all). I have always liked dogs but have never wanted to own one and was happy with a cat. I'm not going to tell you all the nice things about having a dog, as I'm sure you know those, but I want to give you an honest assessment from someone with a similar mindset as to the negatives of dog ownership. We got our puppy a year ago and she is darling. She is sweet and good-natured. She is also, IMO, a pain in the neck in a lot of ways. There is so much training, feeding, and attention required in having a dog. They can be messy and dirty and you have to add that to your cleaning regimen or accept dog hair and dirt, water slops, drool, etc as a given, not to mention some less pleasant deposits like barf and pee (or poo, though I've not had that since the dog hit about 3 months) from time to time. They need so much attention, which some people find a bonus but to me is an aggravation. I am a person who REALLY needs a lot of personal space and dogs don't really appreciate that. I hate being followed around all day. I hate dog licks and wanting in and wanting out and wanting in and wanting out...you can't go anywhere for a weekend without taking the dog to a kennel or having someone babysit full-time. It seems I get a card from the vet on a regular basis reminding me it's time to get this shot or worm pill or what-have-you. I've already spent almost $2000 on her in the year I've had her just in vet bills (two escapes from the yard led to being hit by a car and being mauled by pit bulls). I have to clip nails and check teeth and provide chewies and pick up the shreds of whatever chewed thing is left. I have to pick up poop out of the backyard and sometimes clean off my kids' shoes when I miss some (YUK!!!!!!). In short, the dog has added as much work as having another small child without the benefit of having that child grow out of it. If I had it to do again and had any say in the matter, I'd not get a dog, even though I do really like her. I realize that I'm the kind of person who best appreciates dogs when they're owned by others. Oh, and now that we've had the dog a year, the kids don't even like her around most of the time because she sits on their cards or licks their dolls or tries in some way to participate in their games, something they don't appreciate. When the kids have playdates, I have to put the dog wherever the kids aren't because she tries too enthusiastically to play with them and little kids don't like that. BTW, my dh wants to get another dog. He claims that she won't need as much attention if she has a friend. Huh. The thought of getting another one leaves me cold, to say the least. If you were a dog lover, I'd give different advice, but you will probably resent the extra work a dog entails and you will not see the benefits of it the way someone else might. I like my dog (Bassett/Beagle mix) but honestly? I would not be broken up if she found a new home. I've had 5 kids, the oldest now almost 27 and the youngest 3, and loved it all. I don't love dog care.

Edna ~ That is interesting about Gold Bond powder. I can easily get that at just about any store. Did "hot spot boy" ever lick the area that you used the GB powder on? Is there something in the ingredients that I should be wary of? My Wesley has a small hot spot in between his front legs on his chest. It isn't an area that he can reach because of the size of his chest and the angle the head would have to turn to reach it. I put hydrocortosone cream on it last night and it seems to be cooling down. Robyn

Kristine - I sure wish my Oklahoma were like yours!! Darn. Deborah - Sundowner means that the winds come from the west? Anyway, those winds sound horrible and dangerous too! I hope they blow away. Hang in there. Diane - oh wow...I can't imagine. Horrible deer. :( Could you grow roses in a greenhouse? Could you have a fence (really high) in the middle of your yard where you could have roses? There must be some way to safeguard some of your roses. If you can't build a tall fence...you could use wire that is relatively low - 3 feet. The wire would be staggered with a foot in between. If you want to get someone to help you with this...here's some info Height, or width, is probably the most important factor with deer fences, especially if high deer pressure. White-tailed deer can jump almost eight feet high, so effective upright fences against them should be this high. Deer may be able to jump high, but not both high and over a distance. So a fence may not be as high, perhaps six feet, but slanted outward. The deer will try walking under the fence and meet resistance. Such a slanted fence should be at a 45-degree angle, and may consist of fencing with a few strands of additional wire on top for extra height. A variation can be used to convert a shorter upright fence. Merely add additional height to posts, and string more fencing or additional strands of wire between them. If the fence is about five feet high, you also may add additions to the posts parallel to the ground and on the outside of the fence. Add strands of wire between these to achieve the same effect as a slanted fence. If you have a standard fence about four or five feet high, you can add a similar and additional one about four feet away. While not high, with this width deer usually won’t like to try and clear both and perhaps get caught between or on them. Out of sight, out of mind, applies to deer with solid wooden fences, or ones with overlapping slats they can't see through. Such privacy fences are quite effective, as deer can't tell what is on the other side. Even if they can smell what is on the other side, and it's attractive to them, they can't be sure that danger isn't lurking there as well. One less expensive variation on the high fence is to use a commercial heavy-weight deer netting if the deer pressure is low to moderate. These products are quite popular for home gardens as they are easier to work with than wire mesh, are less expensive, and blend into the landscape. Another inexpensive solution is stringing single strands of monofilament twine (such as deep sea fishing twine) between posts, about six inches apart. If deer pressure is really low, you might even get by with a single strand about two feet off the ground. Deer bump into this, are surprised at something they didn't or can't see, so may flee. Keep in mind deer can't see well (poor depth perception), so many advocate hanging streamers on the lower strands or netting so deer can see them and don't just try running through. Some recommend not putting such ribbon streamers on the top as this tells the deer the fence height. Some have even suggested adding streamers on extensions above the fence, to make deer think it is even taller and so even harder to jump. Some advocate using white streamers to mimic the white tail signal that deer use to warn of danger. There are many variations of electric fences. You may begin with a single strand, about 30 inches off the ground. Some make this more visible to deer by using bright flagging tape, or conductive polytape. This also helps people avoid these fences by mistake. Make this single strand even more effective and attractive to deer by smearing peanut butter on aluminum foil. One taste won’t kill deer, but it will surely discourage them from returning. Studies have shown, though, that using odor repellents in combination with an electric wire may be more effective than using the peanut butter bait. Single strands of electric wire may work if low populations, but if more deer pressure you may need to add multiple strands. You may add these in various configurations as for mesh and strand fences, with the electric wires about a foot apart along the post supports. With any electric fence, use them only if children won’t have a chance of getting injured. Some residential areas may even prohibit them, so check local ordinances first. If you have just an isolated tree or few plants to protect, consider building a cage around them. You may drive stakes into the ground, stretching wire mesh or deer netting between them. Or you can make a portable frame of scrap lumber or PVC pipe, attaching netting to these. If portable, make sure such frames are anchored so deer wont push them over. Make sure such mesh has small openings, or is far enough from the plants, to keep deer from reaching the plants through the mesh. Rhonda Massingham Hart, in her revised book on Deerproofing Your Yard and Garden, gives many more details on deer fences and installing them, plus some additional tips: -- As with other controls, it is best to use them before you have a problem. Train deer first, before they find your plants, or even before you plant. -- Fences must be tight, can't have gaps, and should be checked often. Deer almost always will find the openings. -- With this last point in mind, installing fences over uneven terrain can be difficult, leaving openings large enough for deer. -------------------------- I'm sure you've tried so many things...I just want you to have roses and hope again. And you don't have to have the fence go to the end of the property...just at the flat part or just around a rose section. My black dog is 100% standard poodle...we just didn't cut his tail. He looks different when his coat is grown out. :) Jubilee Celebration and Chartreuse de Parme ... thank you for liking them!! Jubilee Celebration has the most fabulous scent!!!! I have 2 large wheelbarrows, 1 small wheelbarrow and the other planter is a small bathtub - about 8 inches long. :) I love my wheelbarrows!! :) Thank you!! Oh bummer about the chair! You just can't catch a break! :( -----------------