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. :-)

Hi everyone! Don't know what happened to my last version of this posting. I had it all written turned around and it was gone :(. Well my brugs are here at home. The very sweet woman who gave this to me and her equally nice husband who dug up and put into my truck each one of these trees made me feel warm and welcomed. Kristi, the woman who gave this to me even brought out toys for my kids so they wouldn't get bored. Not hand me downs - which are prefectly good in my book too - but new, in the box toys she keeps around for just this kind of event. When greeting with this kind of generosity, a simple thanks does not seem enough but she didn't want anything in return. What I brought home were trees taller than me, taller than the inside of my greenhouse. Well they've been well trimmed now and I have cuttings ready to go. Here's what I have to share: Rosamond Versi Peach - limited amount Mayan Magic Maya Arlene's pink Beauty Golden Lady - nice double - but be warned it has a virus. The virus does not spread easily but you have to clean your pruners before you go near another brug. It's lived side by side with the other brugs with no ill effects and grows nicely anyways. I just want you to be warned. Unnamed seedlings of her own crosses. I didn't get butterfly or the big Creamsickle :(. Someone else beat me to it. I can't really complain too loud because the person who got it was a friend who has given me sooooo many plants. Jaye - what kind of truck did you get? DH loves trucks. We've had quite a few. For anyone who wants one post it here or email me with which ones you want. Canna - sorry to hear about your kitty! I had that happen to one once. She survived fine but what a fright! I shudder to think of the pain. MaryS - Can I move in with you??????? That lake looks so peaceful. MaryB - Thanks! Dawn - Did you get my email? Please tell me that you've forgiven my rash comment :( Will more brug cuttings help?????? Hmmm just what I needed - Another plant to collect! Anyone ever had bursitis - just got it in the shoulder. I feel like an invalid. What did you do to help it. My mom said she heard something about Vitamin B. Does this sound familiar? Ellen

It was fun reading all these titles, so many of which are favorites of mine. And one un-favorite: I hated Memoirs of a Geisha so much, I wanted to write to the publisher and demand my time back. I can forgive a lot of things, but not bad writing! It prompted me to send out an email to my friends and relatives asking them what book they hated to the point of outrage. (Clear winner: The Celestine Prophesy -- boy, do people hate that book!) I adore Bryson. I am just finishing A Brief History of Nearly Everything, and I love love love it. I won't repeat the ones others have mentioned. Here are a few you may not have heard of that are absolutely wonderful: A Lesson Before Dying New York Trilogy (read them as one book) The Metaphysical Club (don't let the name fool you) Defining the Wind (beautiful writing and hilarious) The first two are novels, the other two are sort of history of ideas. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay Don't give up on War and Peace! It's just long, not hard, and it's terrific. He LOVES people -- if you like Ann Tyler, you'll like Tolstoy. The only tricky part is the names. One edition of W&P even comes with a bookmark that keeps them straight, or you can keep your own chart. But new translations of Tolstoy simplify the names as a matter of translation, which made Anna Karenina very easy to read. Reread Charlotte's Web now that you are an adult and can appreciate what an incredible piece of writing and philosophy it is. Some book!

There's always TTHD. TATER TOT HOTDISH -Ground meat (I like to mix Jimmy Dean hot pork sausage with hamburger) -Onion & celery (optional) -Vegetables (Whatever you like. Green beans are sort of "traditional" but I like corn or mixed veg) -Cream soup mixed with milk (Cream of mushroom is "traditional" but I like cream of chicken, broccoli or potato.) -Tater Tots -Cheese (optional) This is so flexible. Use amounts to make the size of dish you want. Use any kind of meat. Roast beef, turkey, chicken... I like to mix them occasionally. It's best to brown the meat and I usually cook the onion and sometimes the celery with it. Depends if I want the onion and celery with a bit of a crunch. Season as you like. I use Louisiana Hot Sauce, garlic, lemon pepper and Italian seasoning usually. Put the meat, onion & celery in the bottom of a baking dish, either in layers or mixed up, top with the veggies, top that with the cream soup and on top go the tater tots. Some like to bake the tots first for extra crunch or they'll be crunchy on top and soft on the bottom. Whatever you prefer. Cheese is optional in it or on it in the last 15 min or so. Bake it until the tots are as brown as you like. The good part is everything is cooked so you don't have that as a problem. Substitute mashed potatoes for tots and you'll have a Shepherd's Pie. You can even use fresh potatoes if you like. Like I said, it's so flexible you really don't need a recipe. Hot rolls, biscuits, toast, etc., all go well with this. Even garlic bread. Another easy option is Scalloped potatoes & ham (or other meat, or go meatless). When I make a macaroni hotdish I don't use a real recipe either. Again, you can add any kind(s) of meat or go without. Similar to baked ziti. Macaroni Hotdish -Meat of your choice -Macaroni or other pasta of your choice. I like the jumbo elbows -Sauce. Can be spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, with or without some diced or stewed tomatoes, or you can use cream soup(s) or you can use a can of gravy, again, it's flexible. -I like to add some kidney beans and sometimes mixed veg or corn Amounts depend on servings desired and the ratio of meat to pasta you like. A starting point would be 1#-2# of meat, 1-2 cups of macaroni, small to large jar/can of sauce and add the amount of other things you like. I also like to add some pepperoni for a bit of spice. Again, season as you like. Garlic bread goes great with it. Veggies can be served on the side or mixed into these. A crisp green salad is a good accompaniment to thse too.