Hey Dave...thanks for looking! We just finally made the "leap" to DSL internet a couple months ago, and it was hard, but we found a way to do it for $25 a month, so not too bad I guess (we don't have/want cable or cell phones, so we had to work around all those "bundle" offer things to just get digital internet). It's still not the fastest connection (we're on the slowest DSL there is), but it's faster than the dial-up was. Thanks for the alyssum offer - I'll have to check with hubby first (I've found it's a bit more complicated gardening with someone else, since our tastes are a little different in plantings). But I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the directions...I can find it from there, just couldn't remember the exact street. Anywhere but Billings, I'm completely lost with compass points, but here with the Rims, I can generally get around pretty easily following them. The Rims are always North, Deb! :-) I'll bring you both something super-special for a division of the fernleaf's...my goodness...I "can't" wait but I will, for something so special! Thank you, thank you, thank you...what a generous offer! I'll get a special spot ready for it this summer, somewhere it will get "shown off" like it deserves...last time I checked, they were $84 each! Very steep, but I'll admit, I did consider it... Yep, that picture of Double Delight is the one I was looking at, and my Peace rose is the one that was damaged the worst this year. I probably noticed it more because my roses are currently out front, where they get about half a day of shade, so the foliage doesn't come in real thick. So I notice all the very neatly cut edges when I'm walking by to the front door. This year they'll be in the back with better sun, so hopefully the foliage will be thicker, and we'll get more blooms. I'll have to check out your handiwork on S. 27th it sounds like. Making a mess, are you? ;-) I don't normally shop Walmart (merely because I hate trying to shop with all those people in one place...I'm kind of "needy" as far as personal space goes), but on the rare occasions I do, it's very late at night, so if she's ever there between 11pm and 1am, I'll definately look for her! I adore Rio Samba - had one at the other house, and I've been kicking myself ever since for leaving that one in particular behind. Between the intoxicating spicy scent, and the "rainbow" of colors, it's probably my favorite as well. Deb, if you get one in at Walmart, let me know, and I'll make a special trip to buy it from you... :-) I can't remember if you two grow veggies or not, but I'll have extra from the greenhouse this spring if you're interested, so just let me know. I went a bit crazy starting stuff in March, and don't have nearly enough room to plant it all at our place...

Good day. I'm a greenhouse manager and I have a few thoughts that you might consider in building a greenhouse. 1. Plastic vs. Glass Double-poly is much better for heat retention (higher R value) but transmits less light than glass. Poly does not last as long, but is much less expensive to set up. Generally, unless you are building a GH (greenhouse) for commercial practices, the savings from building plastic are probably worth it, especially in a climate where you want to heat. 2. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Generally the bottle-neck of photosynthesis is CO2. In the general atmosphere there are about 340 ppm. In a greenhouse, the plants tend to use CO2 quickly as they grow and so the CO2 ppm (parts per million) drop. One way to solve this is to vent a lot of the time to keep the ppm closer to the ambient levels you would find in your garden. A commercial greenhouse would increase the ppm to 800 or 1000 ppm (maybe higher depending on the crop) and get about a 50% increase in photosynthesis. If they are venting a lot, however, they may only try to maintain 500 ppm, because it's a cost to add CO2. You might look into a CO2 generator that runs on natural gas. They are not terribly expensive (although I have no idea what budget you are working with) and could give you a 50% increase in photosynthesis (and, thus growth). 3. Moisture Regulating humidity levels is tricky, and if you're not around a lot can be a problem. This is especially true in a soil floor GH. In the GH, the relative humidity will climb, especially at night, leading to problems of botrytis and other diseases much more easily than would affect a garden plant. (This is one of many reasons that almost no professional greenhouses leave exposed soil in their GH, though there are some old school places and a few types of cut flower production still done in the soil where exposed soil is necessary.) Commercial greenhouses use computers to keep the RH (relative humidity) regulated, generally below 86% depending on crop, since many serious diseases require environmental conditions slightly above this to germinate. If you really have to grow in soil, you might consider using plastic mulch and planting the pumpkins in the holes in the plastic sheets. This would minimize the exposed soil, and help keep your RH more in control. You also really should get Horizontal Airflow Fans (HAF). Install them so that there is a continuous circulation of air above the crop. This keeps pockets of higher moisture from accumulating around the plants and significantly decreases diseases, aside from a number of other benefits. 4. Pests There are a number of pests that are more likely to infest a GH crop than a garden crop. The conditions are particularly perfect for certain insects. It means that it is well worth your while to learn to identify them, and watch your crop more carefully than you would a garden crop. You might want to put in yellow sticky cards and keep track of how many insects of various types are trapped on it. There are a lot of good biological insect controls available that are more useful inside an enclosed space than outdoors. If you know what insects are affecting your plants and in what quantity, you can use these biologicals and avoid spraying (in Canada, almost no commercial vegetable greenhouse sprays biologicals are almost exclusively used. This is a change in the industry in the last five years.) Having an open floor also means that some insects, such as thrips, are more able to breed. (Another reason to cover it, in my opinion). 5. Watering The greenhouse gets hotter easier and plants dry out more quickly. But timing of irrigation is important because the moisture from irrigating is more likely to affect your RH negatively. Be more careful of when you irrigate (try to avoid it at night even more so than in your garden). Anyway, I've rambled long enough. Good luck with it all.

Thank you again for all your insight! Susan, I appreciate your comments at a time like this (with the display garden craziness going on)! I understand what you mean by the sense of "open-ness," I can't describe it very well, but I think I comprehend! I will keep all of your points in mind when selecting (or doing artwork) for the portfolio. I think that they would serve as a great guideline in the selection. Shag, you're too kind! :P But there are social obligations that need to be met! I know that you shouldn't choose a university based on the social activities, but Guelph seems to have a good mixture of what I want to study, plus a fun year of events for students ^_^ They also teach how to run the business aspect of things, like preparing bids and proposals for contracts and such. I've heard that many graduates from the Guelph LA program work with the government for public areas/buildings. Mich, you're how many thousands of miles away from me? :P Unless I decided to move next door and set up shop ; ) which doesn't sound too bad, now that I think of it! (Plus you still owe me that burger from Elsies :P). Cady, I sure hope that! And I bet my parents would too! I've already got two other brothers (one in third year, the other in second) so university tuition is definitely a major strain on the household budget! Thank you all for your help! It has been extremely helpful, so helpful that it's hard to put into words! As things progress I'll keep all of you updated ^_^ -Audric

I calculated my BMI this morning and when I measured myself I was shocked. I used to be 5'7.25" I have degenerated discs and knew I was shorter but didn't realize how much. I measured 5'5.25 " My BMI worked out to30.9. That is disgusting. You asked about the calories. How many calories do you think I should be eating? I'm finding 1200 gives me lots of food so that I'm not hungry. It just means that I have cut back a great deal on sweets. I am eating more green veggies as I get my INR tested in a couple of days to see how the larger dose of thinners is working. I do want to be able to eat more lettuce, tomatoes, green beans, bananas etc. I'm very sensitive to some meds and don't react to them the way the Dr.s expect many times. We'll see what happens when I weigh myself to-morrow and also see what happens when my INR is tested. Won't know the results of that before next week. Thanks for your posting