4th, 5th, and 7th gets my vote, flower wise. They are all beautiful though. I also have a Charisma X Ludwig's Dazzler seedling that is putting out a scape...finally! Took me almost 4 years here in my growing conditions. Ughhhh! It is one of my 2006 seedlings that I decided to keep as I gave away most of my older "newbie cross" seedlings. With all that loving and caring and patience I poured in these seedlings, I bet it will be the "most beautiful flower" in my eyes once it's flower opens. LOL!!! As Carl has stated in his post, "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder". I kinda like full formed flowers,overlapping petals with good "wings" and colors (if more than one) that blends in a nice way. Of course the #1 category that I look into a Hippie is it's vigor as a whole plant. The flowers comes next. CHARISMA is a very good mother!!! My oldest Charisma, mother of the above mentioned seedling, waaaayyyy back in 2006.

I don't know what makes some adult children follow their parents negative ways and what makes others take the opposite path. I think it has to be a decision, like Popi, to take another path. Also, the other path has to be learned from somewhere. I think there are some people who, sadly, grow up never knowing there really is another path to choose. I have an aunt who was (I'm sorry to be so blunt, but it's true) a terrible mother. She just could not take care of herself, much less others. She had two daughters who have chosen different paths quite deliberately. One married a man with children, had a couple of their own, and have custody of all. She studied child development and stays home w/all of them. She devotes herself to learning and being a good mother/teacher to her children. Emotionally, I think she not only wanted that for her own children, but she wanted to "fix" it for her husband's children (who don't see their bio-mom) like no one fixed it for her/her sister. Her sister is 30 and still solidly devoted to not marrying/having children to screw up. LOL. But she is very supportive of her sister, helping w/neices and nephews. I worry about both of my cousins and the lasting effects of their childhood. They seem to be "over it" but sometimes I see how it defines them and their choices. They had to have other influences to counteract their own home life. They have told me it is MY mother, not their own, they look to as an example. They would spend weeks w/us in the summer and they have recently told me what a relief that was to them.

I want to bring up something that no one probably wants to consider, but should be considered, considering it is a reality with the elderly and the handicapped. Note: I am not implying anything...but if she is so resentful of you, and she is cold and indifferent to your sister, how do you think she treats your sister when no one is around? Is you sister able to communicate with you? The small gifts may be given to make your step mother look good in your fathers eyes. They may be to cover guilt. Or they may be perfectly innocent and come with good and kind intentions. I don't know, but consider all possibilities. My guess is that she adores your father, but resents the burden of your sister. And perhaps she is deeply bitter and resents your happy carefree life, while she struggles with the hard reality of caring for a totally dependant person, who is not her own offspring. (It is hard enough when it is your own child/sibling whom you love dearly, let alone when it is the enormous burden of being the caretaker for someone you do not love, but resent. Possibly even despise. She must wish that she was free as you are to enjoy her life and husband as you do with yours, without all of the responsibilities. A marriage with just your dad, able to go out to dinner alone together on a whim, enjoying a social life on a whim with friends, travel, hobbies/interests, and having her home all to herself whenever she wants. That is probably where the resentment and bitterness comes from. Perhaps she feels that you should be the full time caretaker of your beloved sister, (even though that may not be possible right now) and that she wishes that she and your dad had the carefree life of a normal marriage. Even when you are able to care for your sister one day, I would not expect her feelings towards you and your sister to change. As you read the step parent forum, you will find so many who describe their husband as wonderful. They adore their new spouse "BUT" hate his children. This seems to particularly true when the new wife gets pregnant with "their" child. The new wife then wants to push his children out of her "nest", and resents everything about them. (Read the forum). It sounds as if she wishes she had your dad all to herself...only you and your sister do exist, and she resents it. Like so many women on this forum, they are marrying a man that "first belonged" to another family with children. They want to pluck him out of his role as a father, move him to her nest and make him a father to her own children, and push his children further and further away, until she finially has him all to herself...hurting his chilren in the process. This she actually does to the man she professes to love. Anyway, you sound like an incredibly kind and loving person. And forgiving. Understand that her feelings towards you are probably not personal...but instead it sounds as though she is not the kind of woman who is able to embrace another womans children as her own, even if they did not come with the caretaking your sister needs. All you can do is help her and your dad in any way you can. I wish the best for you.

That is beautiful. My mom and I trade books and talk about them. I look forward to that every visit with her. My DD is only 8 now, but so far she loves to read. I am so happy to pass down a book to her that my mother gave me when I was that age. The same book, inscription from my mom and everything. I hope I share that with her for a long time to come.