I have read that florists raised forced, potted roses for the holidays. Often, they were ramblers which had been pruned heavily to make topiaries covered in flowers. Of course, it was much later than this (mid to late fifties), but when I was a small child, my great grandmother grew huge Boston Ferns and a number of potted palms in her living and dining rooms in Birmingham, Alabama. Winter months, there were forced potted azaleas in the huge stone planters in those rooms. Spring and summer, the ferns went out in the huge stone planters on her porches. Kim

Hi Kids, Yes, tonight is RHNYC night. I have watched the Housewife showes since RHOC started several years ago. RHNYC are now my favs. I was so turned off by the OC women this past season that I am sure I will never watch them again. The Poor, embaressing behavior they displayed this season was enough for me. No kindness or class to be had in that group. For me, the NYC Women are much more real. As a group, they are more diverse and have a greater range of interests. Jill is over the top with her spending, the Countess is way over the top with her title and RAMONA...still a nut job, with her husband Mario, not far behind. Bethenny is ok but is so involved with what I will call her inner Bethenny, that she really does not have room for much else. I like and enjoy her wit but also find her to be a real piece of work. Kelly is smart, I guess she is beautiful, has money but at times she seems to miss the forrest for the trees. And what's up with her being late for EVERYTHING! She went to Columbia so she has game, but so often she can't find all the pieces to the puzzel. I am surprised as the rest of you to see that Alex & Simon are the normal ones. Who ever would have guessed? So yes, I will be watching tonight. It looks like we will see more of the Bethenny/Kelly issue. I thought their last confrontation made for some great Bravo T.V.. It seemed real and was interesting to watch. sooey

Wow...the Countess was dumped? Why am I not surprised? I have felt a little sorry for her this season. She seems very empty and void of anything real and meaningful. How long can you be happy with a life like she has. You need more than money and a title to make you happy. I did not think that Kelly was wrong to request that her name not be on the list as a co-chair at the charity meeting. But, she did not handle it well. At the same time, I thought Bethenny was way over the top in her reaction to Kelly voicing her concern. It was Bethenny who made a big deal out of it. And, what does it mean to 'come from a place of yes or no'? Give me a break. Just say what you want to say Bethenny, no need to talk in psycho code. So, Kelly asks Bethenny to meet her for a drink so she can set her straight on all manner of important things, but was 30 minutes late? That was just rude, crazy and more than a little self possessed. For the first time, the Bravo 'tease' that we have been seeing all week, was real. It was a real argument between two women who said real things, who meant what they said...no need for Bravo to edite a single word. It was great! Kelly might have thought that it was a good idea...she could just meet Bethenny for a drink, let her know exactly how she felt, get it all off of her chest, set her straight. But man...was she wrong! After being kept waiting for 30 minutes Bethenny was ready and pissed. It was Bethenny who came out looking way better, way smarter, way calmer and way more the victor. Kelly came off looking like she had just been run over by a truck. Kelly was in way over her head and, she knew it. Ramona...what a nut job. She is a walking advertisment for why adults with ADD need to stay on their meds. She was crazy last year and embaressed herself to the point that I was surprised that she came back for season two. I could never understand how a women that crazy could ever married a guy as great as Mario. But last night we saw that yes, Ramona is still crazy and SO IS MARIO. What a PIA he was. Jill should have walked away from him at that party. I was surprised to see Mario ack like such an a$$ but I was also surprised to see that Jill took it for as long as she did. What a party...a great time was had by all! I don't mind Alex & Simon. They may be way over the top when it comes to 'things' and 'status' but they are very up front about that, no surprise. They are perfect for each other. I also like that Simmon is both respectful and affectionate with his children. He may be a metrosexual but, that's OK. I like Jill. To me, she is the most normal of the group. She might be a trophy wife who likes to spend her husbands money but, they seem to care about each other and that's nice to see. She seems to be a good person who is enjoying her life. OK, now you can all see how I spent my Tuesday night...in front of the TV watching a dumb reality show. But, I also got some good exercise last night...I helped the UCONN Womens Basketball team defeat AZ State. Oh, yayagal...I think Bethenny was in the Apprentice, but it was the one season spin-off. It was the Martha Stewart Apprentice show and yes, she came in 2nd. I thought she should have won. sooey sho is starting to think that she watches too much dumb TV.

Interesting -- I didn't recognize "Mrs. McCluskey" cuz I never watched DH... but "Mrs. Landingham"? Absolutely!