I have to chuckle at Wellspring's aversion to my word choice of "display". Her lament is a mirror image of my aversion to the word choices used in the "Its about the journey more than the destination" thread. As long as I can stimulate the thought process, I consider my word choices a success even if an individual chooses to discard them for more favored prose. I will acknowledge that I also am a bit challenged how to best display the house featured in the currently running thread from Tennessee, "Landscaping Ideas". Admittedly, the word "display" certainly is not the first word that comes to mind. If more thoughtful consideration had been devoted before the purchase, the poster probably would have looked elsewhere. This situation certainly lends credence to Colebugs statement, "I get the feeling from reading many of the posts that many of us want to hide our homes, or at least hide portions of them with plants." On the other hand, I understand that personal circumstances often necessitate purchase of these ill-conceived house planning and siting blunders. I am sure that the owner enjoys their home it is just too bad that enjoyment does not include the landscape as well. As Laag so astutely noted, much of this morass could have been avoided by simply putting the garage on the other side of the house. My concern is not that persons aspiring to gain competency with their own landscapes use my term, "displaying". I would rather they use their own minds and develop their own terms. Too often we see folks wanting ideas to copy rather than effective concepts. I especially encourage people to take note of the sage advice from David (Bahia), an accomplished designer with a substantial body of work behind him. "If there was but one bit of advice that I would impart to anyone contemplating the design of a new garden/landscape, it would be to celebrate the local character of the region, to work with it, perhaps enhance it, but not to try and deny it altogether." I could not agree with him more. However, I wish he had told me that years ago! Instead, I had to blunder my way along and learn that lesson the hard way. I, too, started out parroting things I had seen. I was always left less than satisfied mainly because the advice I was hearing came from the east coast; but more accurately, originated in Great Britain. Horticulturally (and literally) the British growing environment is miles removed from my regional conditions. As I have been telling Midwesterners for years now: Gardening is like picante sauce Neither one should come from New York City. In a parallel way, Tony reinforces Davids advice in another thread where he said, "You must excuse British authors for not considering how a garden looks when covered in snow as this is rare in the UK. But if you live in a part of the world that has regular snow cover for a significant period in a year then it seems important to design around this rather than deny it." Clearly, this is essentially the same central thought; just expressed using different words. We always talk about thinking "outside of the box". Perhaps we need to also start thinking outside of the cardboard container or wooden crate maybe even start thinking outside of the packaging vessel. IronBelly

No-o-o-o-o!!!! You have my sympathy. Good luck with the killings. I only see a tiny number of them each year, and nothing that remotely approaches what y'all see in your part of the state. I've seen more than usual this year, but so far have managed to kill them all. All five of them. Make that six if I can claim credit for the JB one of my kittens killed and was carrying around in her mouth this morning. Do you put out Japanese Beetle traps for yours? Dawn

The parents showed up here and Diane could not stand it and started feeding them. You can tell they were someone's pets, as they will let us pet them, but not pick them up. We plan to trap the parents for a neuter and release program. I would love to keep the female, but my toy fox terrier has snapped at the kittens. She sure wants to be mine. She is the first "out of the shute" when I open the door.

I will stay with the my glass is half full. First, please do not compare a rottie with a golden retriever, there is no comparison. The golden may be excitable, but no where near the weight of the rottie, and golden gets excited with new people which is totally NORMAL. If the decision is that you get new kitties, the must be confined to one area that cannot be breached by either the dog or your existing cat unless you are supervising. Limited introductions over a period of time, I think it will be okay. I have had several labs over the years. The labs are like the goldens. They get excited because they want to love you to death. And that can happen, new kities need to be protected always from both golden and present kitty. I don't think the old kitty is going to harm them, probably if it happens, it would be the other way around. To OP, has your golden been trained with a gentle leader? If not, schedule an appointment with your trainer and get a lesson with the gentle leader. It is amazing what the mere presence of a gentle leader in the room with an excitable retriever will do. Talk about calm, it is the new valium. Also, since there has been training, go back to the beginning and work with your dog to remind her that she has previously learned manners, but really has been allowed to get away without using them. Not golden's fault IMHO. I really can't comment about adding new kittens to an older cat since I always have a group of different ages. What is the problem with your cat that everyone but me seems to know about? Why is the older cat dictating what your pet situation is going to be. I know you have a responsibility to her, but this seems to be a little more than that from what I am getting from the posts, or I am just more laid back than everyone else. I think she will be unhappy at the very least in the beginning. All cats are when a new kitty is added, despite their age. They get over it. Again, what about your older cat makes you or the other people posting think she would suffer irreparable harm if you bring kitties into the house. You aren't making an impulse decision as described above because your kids are saying mom, mom we want a kitty. I think volunteering at a shelter is a great idea. But in our State, they won't take anyone under 18. My DD volunteers at our vet on Saturday mornings to do kennel work for pets who are there for observation or surgery and the like. She also belongs to an community service organization in our county who will be washing blankets previously collected at the laundromat this weekend. The blankets will then be delivered to all the different shelters in our county. We have a group of parents who will take 2 kids per car, each to different shelter. Please remember, my DD is 16. I really don't think your younger three are going to be well received at the shelter, and I am not so sure about the 13 year old. My vet let my daughter start volunteering at 13 or 14, but that was at a private practice. At shelters, they have to operate under county/state laws since that's where the money comes from and there are liability issues. Be sure your kids want to do it firstly, and that their service will be accepted secondly. Lastly, for service at shelters, you may want to consult your pediatrician regarding any vaccines you may want your children to have before going to work in a shelter because the shelters see it all. There are at times rabid animals that come through. It's just the way it is and you want to be prepared for all situations. You have to sit down with the kids and educate everyone in your home about the "game plan" you will put into place BEFORE you pick out kitties. You will prepare the house BEFORE you bring new kitties in. If you control all of the variables, but for existing kitty, and barring something unbelievably crazy that I'm not in on about existing kitty, I would go ahead if you want the kitties. You are the boss of your house, do what you want. Most animals assimilate very well to changes. I know I am still operating without some pertinent piece of info on your existing cat???? Do share. I guess you can tell that I usually make things work out in my home, or will die trying in the process:)))). Best of luck and please let me know what all the ta do is with your existing cat.