Very interesting. It's great that you have those fences. I'm assuming roses in your zone generally don't become monsters, so that's a point in your favor. And you can grow some smaller ones in big pots on the deck. You're doing a lot of vertical growing. But do at least allow the recommended spacing. It will save having to dig them up and move them next year. Here's what happens when plants grow. 4/14/07: 9 rose bushes planted 5' on center (too close in Florida) and probably as many perennials in a 30' long triangular bed 6/26/07: Growing nicely. 4/4/08: Some roses shifted, one needs to come out, no perennials left except a couple of new daisies, and I think I'm in for some heavy trimming in the future to keep these from encroaching on each other. They're touching now after only a year. At least, being a guy, your back is better built for digging the same hole 2 or 3 times. Mine isn't. It's getting tired. Try to do it right the first time. Sherry

Thanks everyone. I feel exactly as you do ibensg, that inside I'm just a little girl that still needs my mom's reassurance. I feel badly too though because so many of my mom's last birthdays we spent apart because I moved far away with my family. Besides losing her and Dad, that was the hardest thing I ever had to do. We were always close though, we talked on the phone every day and I was able to move just a few hours away 2 years ago. I can honestly say she is the best friend I ever had. I miss her terribly. I always will I just know it. On her birthday, my husband and I went out to dinner without kids. He's leaving on another business trip soon and we needed some time together. We toasted my mom and I cried in the restaurant, but it was good to speak of her outloud. Later that night we went through her old high school year book. She was the prettiest one in her whole class. Joanie

Crafty, thanks for taking time out from all of your delicious canning endeavors to wish me happy birthday! Woodie, who knew you were such a party gal - any excuse! Annie, I can't be that evil, it just doesn't come naturally:-) Hey Kathleen, you coming up for air after partying with the Monsignor? How's the humidity in Lawng Island? May, it was such a lovely birthday, I was so sorry when the day was over. The boys were on their best behavior, and everyone pretended I was a Queen for the day. Sol, I do love fudge, but I think my day may have actually been better than the best fudge! Thanks for that great wish:-) Lee and Katie, if I combine your wishes, I'll end up partying perfectly all week long. I can deal with that! DONNA

Juellie, yes my son knits, crochets and quilts. I taught him how to knit and crochet while he was in law school and visiting here at home during breaks, and he picked it up fast. He lives on the east coast and we live on the west coast, so he likes to while away the long flights with knitting, etc. He would meet with friends in a New York City coffee shop on Friday afternoons during his law school years to sip, chat and do needlework. He took classes in woodworking and quilting once he graduated, but he really does not have the time for such crafts with his long work hours and weeks these days. The young man who owns the table cloth, which I remodeled to fit his table, was a fellow classmate in law school and a friend of one of my son's good friends. The kid was looking for a resource, and since he knew my son could crochet, asked if he could finish and repair the cloth. I felt sorry for him. He was the only one in his family not tied down with children and career, so he was designated to go through his mother's things, save or dispose of them accordingly, and close up the house, all this while in law school. I lost my mother when I was 12, and so I felt a certain sympathy for him in his simple request to get her crocheted tablecloth repaired and remodeled so that he could use it. While I have crocheted a few tablecloths, I have never done anything like this, and I took longer than I should have because I was so afraid of ruining her work. Her stitches were tiny; the knots she used to tie off each motif impossible to locate and undo; the old, delicate cotton thread broke easily when I unraveled it; and I was overwhelmed with what I found myself volunteering to do. But it all worked out after years of worry and struggle, and so I am content.