I was wondering about the TP rolls, too! Oh yes, there's thousands shells all over the house. For years we went to Holden Beach, NC for Christmas. When you're the only people on a barrier island, the shells are ABUNDANT! There are still shells from NC that are packed in boxes in my shed. Tons of big cockles, olive, clams, scallops, venus clams, baby ears, kittens' paw, jingle shells, turrets and augers, so pretty! Also have shells from vacations in Norfolk VA, and Hilton Head SC. At HH, I found a lot of sand dollars caught in the tide pools. Then there are the FL shells, oh my. Every piece of clear glass I can find is filled with them, and we've found a TON of great ones on Cape San Blas, just SE of Panama City. We like to camp at the state park there and took a golf cart once and made it 7 miles down a sand path to the end of the island. Wow there were shells in the bay! You're right about throwing the live ones back in, most of the really pretty shells in FL have marine hermit crabs in them (which are not the kind kept as pets, marine crabs need an established salt aquarium.) We found a ton of purple urchins, horseshoe crab shells, big scallops with pink and purple stripes, and others whose names escape me at the moment, pounds of them. My favorite are the tiny coquina shells though. After many years of picking them up, I still have only a small jar full but we add more often, it's only 90 minutes to the beach from here. An especially good haul from a camping trip last spring:

Silver Maples are one of the worst possible choices to plant in any situation. They are extremely fast growers and are structurally weak because of the fast growth. They frequently split in two or have one of their massive branches fall with little warning and the branch will frequently rip open the trunk exposing the tree to various diseases and insects. They are particularly dirty trees meaning the drop of those little spinning seed propellers are extremely numerous and sprout over a very wide stretch of time. I have found them sprouting years after they fell from the tree. The spinners collect in foot deep windrows and will burrow into the mulch but given moisture they can sprout with little or no soil. They can tear apart the gutters on a house and lift shingles. They can destroy driveways and walks not to mention the house foundations. Your pond wouldn't stand a chance if the tree sent its roots in that direction. There are worse trees but they are rarely used for landscaping. When we put in a small pond at the Co-operative Extension Gardens, it was at least 20 feet away from a mature Silver Maple. We had to cut roots that were 4 and 5 inches thick and the feeder roots formed a mat so dense we wound up replacing more than a cubic yard of soil. Some of the roots ran another 7 feet. It took 6 years to convince the University to let us get rid of it. Many of us who had battled the tree cheered when it was gone. That was two years ago and we are still finding seedlings sprouting. If it is at all possible, get rid of the Silver Maple and replace it with a better variety such as a Red Maple. Silver Maples are very popular with contractors who plant them to satisfy home buyers who like the idea of large trees quickly. It is a really bad choice that can come back to haunt you. Sandy

TeeeeeeHeeeeeeeeee!

Oh Prill, I just NOW saw this message! The info on where I got my mouse stencil is in my finished kitchen thread! Link below! Hope this helps! Here is a link that might be useful: Finished Kitchen Thread