Coll, thank you for the encouragement. I love this family too and have received an email from Hosta Fever to say that I can pick up the rest of my order, which she was able to fill...still waiting on a couple. You ready? Heading the list is . . . .none other than . . . CATHEDRAL WINDOWS - (she was sold out of last year) COLD HEART (also sold out last year) MARY MARIE ANN (remember a thread about name Mary associated with breast cancer? My sister's name was Mary and she passed away in 2002 from a 10-yr battle with breast cancer. This hosta is a memorial hosta for me. :-) RASCAL (also sold out last year) RHINO HIDE (just have to have a Don Rawson hosta!) Still awaiting notification on Squash Casserole (for Mocc of course, who else? Lol) and Dark Shadows. Neptune also crept in after seeing Myrle post her absolutely sublime Neptune today (yesterday now). That woman sure knows how to grow them and present them in fine form in pictures. I have to see if Hosta Fever has that one. If so, it's coming home too! :-) Funnthsun, you make me smile, chuckle and laugh right out loud, sometimes all those at the same time! 300 or more hostas you say? Oh my, and they sure look like they like it where they are! Kudos. P.S. I snuck in some retail hosta therapy while out earlier. Another Diana Remembered because the first one got sunburned (she is temporary in hiding till she flushes new leaves); and a REAL Abiqua Drinking Gourd because the one I got weeks ago is quite lovely, but looks more like another Blue Angel. I could be wrong, but there is no cupping going on at all and leaves are convex. :-)

Drum roll please, Ladies and Gentlemen, I now reveal to you the contents of the fabulous box that wendy sent to me: * 3 (three) boas - one pink, one plue and one purple - my husband has been out of town for 3 days . I think I'll dress up in feathers for his return ;) lol * A wooden caddy with roosters - thanks! * A metal bird that is also a bird house - this is really cute. I'll but it in the woods with my new plants. * A crow scarecrow pic (for the fall wreath I just made for my front door) * A flower pick * A magnet notepad - for my refrigerator... I'm always looking for a scap of paper to write a note * 2 sets of work gloves - I really needed these * A bag of jiffy pellets (always useful) * A white pillar candle with purple flowers * A beautiful green petal candle dish with tea light - now on my coffee table * 3 tiny flower pot candles - too cute * lemon verbena home fragrance ( love that smell!) * A big bag of small narcissus bulbs ( almost bought these for myself last week) * 4 plants variegated hosta "minuteman" variegated creeping fig lingularia the rocket Cimicifuga racemosa (Black Cohosh) Wow Wendy wow. As I said " I gots the bestest box"!. My daughter and I had so much fun pulling all the gifts out of the box. The natives look a little sad. But I've already planted them and they will get lots of TLC. I do love everything in my box so much. You certainly puts lots of thought into that box and saved the best for last. Thank you. (((((((((BIG HUG))))))))) kim

Crazy, busy weekend here again due to many things. Thanks for all the cool and supportive responses. All of the troops need those no matter the country. Justin knows about all y'all and as always asked what's up with your foodie/cooking friends....way before his military thing. We were talking today at the lake and he thinks he was...yikes.. 13 or 14 when he first tried Sharon's pickles from a swap years ago. Man time flies! Thanks again everyone but this guy has to get to hit the hay so to speak. Justin and his group got the best of me at the lake today. OY! I'm starting to feel my age.....LOL! David

Yes MamaGoose that is a wonderful thought provoking image. You and LL have been rung through the mill. I also had a few issues with medications for Joe. This is when I started to keep a detailed journal. Some thing that could not just be heard from me but written so the doctors and nurses would see I was keeping details and when he was told to take this or that med is showed up in his food journal as barfing his guts out. Stop the meds he was better. And even though these meds were supposed to keep him from getting sick they did not work that way. I was also very frustrated on the way they were taking care of him in the hospital. His skin was horrible and his toe nails were awful. No one even bothered to look at his feet but me. Interesting the first thing the home health nurse looked at was his feet and she was pleased I had cared for them She said it is common in hospital to neglect the feet. And when they brought him food they did not open the container even after notes taped to the tray and written on his board in the room. I would get there and everything closed up. He could not open the containers so he would go hungry. He was too out of it to ask. I had to spoon feed him for a couple weeks after we got home. Sometimes he fell back to sleep eating half a cup of custard. LBD sounds like a horrible disease. Spiders coming from the ceiling is more than enough to make a person go over the edge. Feeling so bad for your and and Hubby. MG and LL. We did get some sun. We canceled the dentist appointment yesterday AM. too much snow and emergency weather alerts saying stay off the roads. I think we got 5 or 6 inches of snow but at some point in the night there was a bit of rain so it laid down an ice slick under the snow. This morning we woke to sun and about 13 degrees. We did breakfast then out to put the snow plow on the ranger. Joe had about half of it done then I went out to help him do the rest. I know he wanted to do it all by himself but it is good for me to refresh my brain on how it goes on and comes off. Then I went off to the post office and Joe plowed the driveway. LOL He even plowed a swath across the back yard for the kitties to travel on their adventures.