I don't think I would mind the lambs ear if I could make some type of barrier to keep it small and tidy. I have a bunch of Lowes paint buckets I bought a couple years ago to make self-watering containers out of (failed experiment).....I have wondered if I cut the bottom of the bucket out, and then put the bucket over the lambs ear and pounded it down into the ground so many inches, if it would keep the plant contained. Maybe I should move the Salvia into a group of 3 plants like in a triangle shape in between and in front of the barberry shrubs? Is it too late to move the Salvia now if this would look good? I am not sure if this kind flowers/seeds or not...I just planted it last summer (came from a coworker's plant)...so far just seems to be a clump of soft leaves.

back in suburbia.. on limited lot size... i too fixated on size ... etc .. moved to 5 acres... i dont have to worry about all that nonsense ... given i have no space constraints ... you know what..??? .. the garden can take care of itself and i dont have to force my predisposition on it all ... and 99% of the time... i like the result ... its what i would call the 'cottage garden' look ... as compared to 'formal garden' look ... the other 1% die.. for not cooperating with my outlook .. lol ... my point.. if i have one... you spent a lot of time and effort.. trying to force your will on the plants ... and you were constantly frustrated ... thats not quite what the garden should do for you.. raise your blood pressure ... let the peeps with the garden staff.. do the whole 'formal' thing .... so you let them do their own thing.. and now they are happy.. and you are happy ... one might call that .. a more zen approach to the garden ... ken

I had a similar problem with my MIL after the birth of our DS. But in retrospect I think a lot of it was my DH fault. MIL would call DH to let him know what her wishes were for our family during her visit and not wanting to rock the boat or maybe not knowing better he would agree. Then he'd tell me and I'd say no because.... Then he'd feel caught in the middle. I blamed her, she blamed me and DH was miserable. DH and I discussed it and he agreed not to agree to anything until we discussed it. It has made all the difference. That said she's still a strong force with her own ideas of how things should be. When she came to visit when he was 2 weeks old she told DH she would sleep on his bedroom floor to take care of him all night. DH thought that was a great idea so we could both get some sleep. NOT!!! Not sure what he was thinking anyway since I was breastfeeding. Huge fight! Also when I would let her hold DS she wouldn't give him back when he cried. So I had to go take him from her. Then the next time she held him and he started to cry she would literally run away from me so I couldn't take him. She'd even go outside of the house (IMO) so I couldn't hear him cry. She also camped outside of his room so when he woke from his nap she would be the one to get him up. At 4 months he'd scream everytime he saw her because like it or not she's not the one he wanted when he woke up from a nap. UGGGG I was very protective of him too (which I think is natural when they're young) and her behavior drove me crazy! Not to mention that she kept accidentally calling herself mom when she talked to him. Now he's two and he can spend as much time as he wants with her because now when he wants me he tells her "No, I want mama." And she tells him "Grandma is as good as mama" but he still runs to find me. :) Just a suggestion but as long as your DH is on your side can't you just be aloof and say "our lives are hectic and it's not a good time to visit the cabin" and leave it at that. I would never have thought you could get away with that but my husband does it all the time! And if they push he just gets a stern tone to his voice and say "It's just not a good time." You don't owe them any more of an explanation. Then let your dear husband take it from there if necessary. They really are his problem to deal with.

Hey Luvs....My painting plans went askew yesterday. I got a call from the school saying DD had gotten stung by a bee and was breaking out and I needed to come get her. I grabbed Benadryl and raced up there. OH MY GOSH!! She got stung on her ankle, but her whole face and shoulders were swollen, red and looked like she had rocks under her skin! I freaked out! I gave her 2 Benadryls to take even though one lady told me to only give her one cause I didn't want her sleeping all day. I said Oh my gosh I'm gonna have to take her to the hospital. They said no, they won't do anything unless she's having trouble breathing. Glad I didn't listen! They were wondering if I was gonna leave her there or take her home! Of course I'm taking her home.....have you seen her??? So I took her straight home and called my pediatrician and they said take her IMMEDIATELY to the childrens hospital. Ahhhhh! I crammed her and 4 yr old in the car and started racing toward the hospital which is clear on the other side of the valley. Called DH to meet me close to it cause I didn't know exactly where it was and we met and sped up there. They took her straight in at the ER and started pumping her full of steroids and antihistimines. They told me that giving her the Benedryl probably saved her life!!! They said it kept it from affecting her lungs and sending her into anaphylactic shock since she does already have asthma. The hives spread all over her entire body! They said they had never seen anything that bad from a bee sting. We were there until around 8pm last night when they finally got the rash to start going away. They almost kept her overnight for observation. So she has to stay on the steroids and histimine meds for another 4 days plus the Benedryl 3 times a day for a couple more days. And she has to keep a Epinephrine shot with her at all times from now on. Soooooo I kept her home today cause her whole foot is still really swollen up and she couldn't put it in a shoe and I went up to the school this morning and explained to them how serious this is and they are really going to work with us to try to keep her safe. 3 other kids got stung yesterday so I asked them to check the PE field to see if there is a nest out there. We think it was a hornet that stung her. She has been stung a few times before this and nothing happened. In fact she got stung 2 weeks ago by a paper wasp and it made a mark like a mosquito bite. So we have to get her to an allergists to try to pinpoint which bees she is allergic to, although she may now be allergic to all of them. So freaking scary! I have to brag on the 4 yr old though cause she was so good having to sit there for all those hours with nothing to keep her occupied but some cartoons that she doesn't really watch and a notepad to draw on. Just always watch people when they get stung even if they've never been allergic before. One of my online friends told me that a 51 yr old man got stung over the weekend, complained to his wife, she told him to buck up and get back to work in the yard.....she found him 1/2 hour later dead! He'd been stung before too and it never bothered him. So that's been my excitement. I had to run to the grocery store this afternoon. DS is really excited to be playing the same instrument that his mom and g-pa played. I also play the piano very badly, but took lessons for about 5 years when I was young. Wish I had one to practice on at home. I'd also like to learn to play the flute so DH said he might get me one for Christmas. That would be a fun gift! You are cracking me up with your non-rythym stories. ha I'm just learning how to do the dehydrator things too by reading on the internet. My family liked cucumbers sliced thin and dried without salt. The ones with only a tiny bit of salt were too salty for them. I didn't put anything on the tomatoes, but I've heard you can smoke them before you dry them and they are excellent. I liked them plain, but I generally like tomatoes any way I can get them. I like it cause I have so much excess in the garden and I have been using it to make bread crumbs from stale bread. ha Using up those last bananas in the bunch before they go bad...sprinkle with a little cinnamon. I'm sure I'll find more uses for it. Did I tell you I tried your parmesan tomatoes the other night? I left them in a little too long and the cheese got a little hard, but I ate them anyway and it was still good. ha I made them again with mozzerella cheese and I liked them that way too. Thanks for the recipe! Glad things are so convenient where you are getting your Rv fixed up. It'll be so nice for ya'll. My parents are working on their new/old camper to try to get it spiffed up for the upcoming hunt at the end of Sep. Well, I'd better get supper fixed. I'm just fixing a big pot of cheese grits and crescent rolls for supper. ha It'll be warm and filling. It's rainy and cold tonight. Talk to you tomorrow. It will be raining all day so I HOPE nothing bad happens so I can get some painting done. I never know. ~Anj