It takes another gardener to know how one feels, not just about the joys, but about the tragedies, too! And you know what they say... what doesn't kill us only serves to make us stronger! Your former plant-sitter obviously isn't a gardener... if she were, she'd understand how important all the work you've done to your yard is to you! She doesn't care about flora and fauna... she cares only about the money she can make pretending to look after it all while her clients are vacationing. Those kinds of people have empty souls... they're miserable people deep down inside, and we should really pity them... they never really see the beauty of nature around them, they'll never experience the emotion that a special flower in bloom can bring, and they'll never feel one with nature or experience the deep sense of accomplishment that working with nature brings. I've seen so many people like that, being in the dog breeding business as we are... people who look at plants and animals and only see the monetary value... it's sad, really. When spring rolls around again, you're welcome to divisions, cuttings, young stock... whatever I have... of any of the multitude of perennials and shrubs in my gardens! I have Daylilies (both named and unnamed), iris (named and unnamed), columbine, rudbeckia, echinacea, hostas (named and unnamed), ferns (most named), heuchera (all named), monarda in 3 colors, roses (named and unnamed, large and miniature), and a plethora of other perennials and shrubs, the list too long to pull out of my memory at this moment in time! I'm not even through my first cup of coffee yet! You have all winter to think about it, though... and you pretty much know what my gardens contain due to all the photos I've posted! There are some things that didn't make the photos, but I'll have a more detailed listing by then. I've always felt that the most beautiful and precious of plants come from the gardens of our friends. Gardening is for sharing! If not, then why grow all this beauty? Surely not to hoard for ones self! It can only be enjoyed fully if we share the beauty with others! I sure wish your yard could have shared in all the rain we've gotten lately! Last year, this area of the country was low on precipitation, but we're surely making up for it this year! Not a week has gone by since spring that we haven't had at least one storm with an inch of rain! I've only had to run the soaker hoses once so far this season... last year, they ran constantly, it seems! In fact, we had more thunder storms last night! Larry and I stood out in the garage and watched the lightening flash across the sky... the light show was incredible! The flashes were both orange and white-hot! Some were in the distance, but some were pretty close! Some flashes were like long bony fingers of orange reaching across the heavens and branching out, and others were thick blue-white spikes that tore from the clouds and shot straight to the ground! The thunder constantly rumbled, and it boomed loudly when a bolt hit close by! The accompanying rain was at times soft and light, and then it would downpour for a bit before tapering off to sprinkle again... it was an awesome storm! I'm always awed by nature! Remember when you were a kid... and you were kind of scared of thunder storms? My Dad would kneel with us, backwards on the couch, facing the huge picture windows in our living room, and every time a lightening bolt would flash, we'd count... one-one thousand, two-one thousand, three-one thousand, like that... until the thunder sounded... and then my Dad would say, "See? That one was only 3 miles away!" And he would explain to us how heat lightening was generated, how rain formed in the clouds, the cycle of rain to ground water, and all those things you want to know about when you're a little kid... and before we knew it, the storm would pass... and we wouldn't be afraid anymore. But I digress... Sometimes, there are opportunities hidden in the guise of disaster... I agree with Lizalily... this is actually a good opportunity to think about getting those few plants that you've wanted, but just haven't had room for, or just haven't ordered yet. It's also a good time to think in terms of water conservation... planting things that can tolerate a bit of dry. If you plan on taking several trips during the summers, laying out a plan of irrigation, and drought tolerant plantings for the areas that won't be irrigated, might be something to think about. Things like ornamental grasses and sedums can really be eye catching, and once established, they don't require much in the way of watering! I was all set to do some digging yesterday... to get some divisions ready to ship out... and the rains began! I suppose that's actually good, though... the divisions will be good and hydrated now, and should ship well with a lot less stress. The rain only set me back in seed collecting, saturating the pods. That will have to wait a few days, while the sun dries everything out. But, by this afternoon, the garden soil should be just about right for digging, and I can get some much needed dividing done! I did get lucky in that I got several perennials planted before the rains arrived yesterday! The rains gave the new plantings a good, deep drink! Well... I think that between Lizalily, Kitty, myself, and others... you'll be swimming in pass-along plants and divisions and cuttings for your gardens next spring! Put together a list of the colors and heights you're looking for, perennials and shrubs, seeds, and anything else you think you might want to add to your beautiful beds, and we'll all keep our shovels and pruning clippers clean, sharpened and at the ready! And by next summer, you're gardens will be so gorgeous, you won't have to go anywhere else for a vacation... your back yard will be a paradise!

Celeste, sorry to be so late posting to your threads, was going to try to catch up on that today. After this happened, I went back and deleted the one picture of my husband and me that I mistakenly had with the flower pictures. The big joke is this pic was taken 40 years ago when my hubby and I were young and cute--LOL. Obviously, we don't look anything like that now, but I took it off anyway. I don't want any personal type photos on Photobucket if these sleazy people can messsage us this way. This sounds like some sort of scan where if you were to answer them, it would cost a lot of money. This may only be a guess, but it has to be some sort of fraud. I am going to delete the messages from the e-mails and put a password on my account. It is a sorry world we live in now when I can't even have my pictures out in case any gardening person can view them and comment. That has happened before, but no problem, a person who liked a picture of one of our daylilies. Looks like those days are gone now. Since you have family pictures on Photobucket, you might want to rethink it, too. Now I need to get a password put on my account, and list it as private. I am also going to contact Photobucket and let them know about this, see what they say. Avedon

Well, I feel like the neighbors have our house bugged! DH came home from work last night and we were talking about the dog and suddenly the barking stopped. Then, around 9:00 PM the neighbor had a light on and was building something in the yard and the dog was out there yipping some, but at least he was, apparently, nearby. Now it is almost 9:00 AM here and NO DOG IN SIGHT. Hmmmm. How ironic that on a WORK DAY the poor thing seems to be indoors? WELL -- if that poor thing is out there endlessly again I will call animal control. Faye, you may be right -- just because they want to know who we are doesn't mean they'll tell the neighbors. We have two small dogs of our own and that's where we were afraid of retaliation. When we are gone the pups have access to the back yard -- DH said "All they'd have to do is open the gate..." Not that we have any reason to think they are THAT weird! Glass -- that is UN believable -- I just don't understand why people like that get animals. And then when they realize they don't give a care -- why they keep them. It's sick.

Hi Roxyl, I'm just wondering what else could be done with that equity in our situation (like investments or acquiring a rental property, etc.)? Where would I find out info about this kind of thing? EVERY market has opportunities, and generally the uglier & downer a market gets (especially BEFORE the actual recognition of reversal back upwards,) the sweeter the opportunities. Successfully investing in ANYTHING is never obvious nor easy... or the opportunity wouldn't exist because the hordes would have already applied their buying pressure, bringing market equilibrium back to level again. WHERE TO LEARN... truly, there are books, and seminars, and CD/DVDs, and workshops and bootcamps and compendiums and summits ad nauseum. A) Check with your local county free-loan library... I guarantee they have TONS of top-notch books & materials by some/many of the most powerful and popular course teachers & authors. Look up Robert Kiyosaki as an engaging start. Look up Robert Allen also. B) Check out your local real estate investor's club. They'll likely have evening meetings once or twice a month, for free, or entry fee in the teens. Don't be shy, don't be afraid to admit being a novice... r/e investors are notoriously extremely friendly (and regular, sown-to-earth folk,) GO! C) Commit to meeting, interviewing, and finding several currently-active real estate investors (everyone has a different style, so you need to meet many to "discover" which style actually fits YOUR temperament as well!) Make good friends of them... go to coffee with them often... "pick their brains" (again, surprisingly, most private r/e investors keep very little secret, and are often willing to share what really works for them.) I currently own 9 profitable income properties... and I have to tell you, the current home markets are so incredibly exciting for me as an investor!!!!! I expect to see more profit in my pocket from my own chosen investing style* this year (2008, I'm already weeks ahead in my mind,) than in all the previous 5 years combined!!! And I expect 2009 to be as much as double 2008!!! * My style is to acquire properties with an eye toward seller-provided terms (paying them over time, and keeping their old financing in place when able,) rather than haggling/scrappling to lowball & pish everyone off. With generous terms, I can be generous in my buying price (often offering full retail... of today's prices (which will only be paid out in 3-5 years, of course.) I structure my acquisitions preferrably so I have 3-5 years to complete the terms with the seller. THEN I get tenant/buyers in place who will gladly pay a significant rent-to-purchase premium (because there are so few mortgage programs available for them anymore.) The above may sound a bit complicated... and it takes understanding, to be sure (virtually no real estate agents I encounter fully understand what I am doing,) but it is EXPONENTIALLY EASIER than getting bloody in the fight to lowball people out of their percieved equity. "Selling price" is one of those hallucionatory numbers that people emotionally grasp onto... and it you let them KEEP it, they'll hand you almost everything else you want (which can significantly MORE than make up for it!!!) Good luck, and repeat after me; "Learning Is Fun!!!" Cheers, Dave The Dealmaker