Hi Everyone! I am sorry I haven't been on GW for so long. I will try to do better. Skip has been gone for almost 4 weeks, and I have had a lot going on around here, with the business, the house, the garden, looking for a job, etc. He will be gone another 6 weeks. I went down to Georgia last weekend to see him, (14 hour drive) and to pick up Devin. I have been working in the garden a lot, and my garden looks pretty good this year. I have been helping the kids a lot. Mary Kate is pregnant and she has been really sick. Throwing up 5 and 6 times a day. She had to go to the hospital once to have an IV because she was dehydrated. There were a few days that I had to go over there to help out because she could barely hold her head up. But the past three days, she hasn't thrown up, so that is good. She is due the day after Christmas. Bug, your clematis are amazingly gorgeous! Thanks for putting the pictures up. I have 4 of them, and my favorite is Betty Corning. She blooms nonstop all season. I hope all is well with Leo. I see you mentioned he had to go to the doctor, but I can't seem to find an earlier posting. Julie, glad TCS enjoyed his school year, and sorry to hear about your knife accident. Kathy, the pictures of your trip are beautiful. What a treat! Cindy, how exciting that your brother hosted a tour! It's fun to have family who has a common interest. Woody, looks like you are becoming quite the clematis collector too! I love the picture of the neighbors house on the garden tour :).. Glad you enjoyed it! Your gardens look really nice, and I wanted to tell you that I have been looking for a Bressingham Blue all season with no luck to far :). After seeing yours, it is on my must have list! Michelle, that penstemon is gorgeous!! I saw a pina colada red at the garden center yesterday, but it looked more like a foxglove. Couldn't find yours. Mary, sorry if you have been feeling out of the loop. I plan to go to Idyllunion this year, and can't wait to see you! It seems like it will be a smaller group this year, but we will have a lot of fun, of that I am sure!! I have to go now, and take the dogs out, feed the herd that I now have hanging out in my backyard, and do some laundry. Hope you all have a nice evening!! Drema

Sounds like too much of a good thing. What will you be taking home with you from each of these places...besides great memories? I'm jealous, fur sure!!!! Queenie

Probably a Mountain Bluebird, Jennifer. Nevada state bird, huh? Well, it's Idaho's state bird, too! Problem is, I don't see them most years . . . We also have the Western Bluebird here. (And, I think that's more than Nevada can say. ;o) He's the little guy with some red on his breast. I think there has been a decline in the bluebird population because they like to sit in trees and swoop down and grab butterflies on the ground. One of our prettiest birds eats butterflies . . . I guess that figures? The problem is that trees with open ground around them usually have a house nextdoor. The house has a cat . . . Honestly, I doubt if the bluebird gets caught often by cats. I'm going to say that he's too smart for that but I'm sure that he is deterred from hunting in someone's suburban backyard because of the feline population. Did you know that there are an estimated 100 million cats in the US? I think that a Townsend's Solitaire is a real cool bird. They are gray but some of us are, too. . . You can find Solitaires in evergreen forests. Despite their name, I've only seen them in pairs. digitS' Here is a link that might be useful: cats . . .

Wade I was in Knoxville from Wed-Sat and couldn't come. How did it go? Details!!!!!