amy, There are many low budget items (even temporary shelters) that can be used to extend their gardening (or at least their harvesting, which in my opinion is the best part!). Have you considered a PVC or EMT hoop house (very low investment, and it can extend the gardening season 6 weeks or more, depending on how it is used (3 weeks in the early spring and 3 weeks into the fall)? This type of structure could be built in a weekend (with a few hands), and used to warm the soil and protect the plants from wind damage. Also, it can be used to keep the soil from getting drenched in the winter and help to keep the planting areas usable for more time. Also, if your parents are interested in winter greens, the harvest could continue throughout the winter until the spring plants are ready to go. This type of structure can also add in propagating cuttings as well. By protecting them in an unheated but sheltered environment, they will go through far less of the stress that traditional cuttings go through. It can also be used to overwinter perennials. Furthermore, given the area of the veggie bed you are describing, you could actually design it to go over the entire veggie garden, which would open up a world of possibilities. Just a thought. A couple of references to consider for this suggestion: Four Season Harvest by Eliot Coleman and 12 Month Gardener by Jeff Ashton. (Just something to consider.)

I found the tax shelter in this posting when searching for a gift for my brother. He is a tax preparer and has everything. So I just had to share what I did for him. I took one of those woodcraft houses from Walmart- removed the two screws from the base. I cut a 1" block of wood that fit into the bottom of the house. I glued this block onto the base thus allowing the top of the house to be easily lifted off the base. I cut a 1/2" groove in the center of the block with the table saw so I could set a card of thumb tacks into it. This was hidden in the house until the top was lifted off. I wrote a poem for this & read it to him while my daughter did a Vanna White presentation of the house. Everyone got a good laugh out of this and I finally did a complete craft project! It's been a while. Hope you have as much fun with this as we did. Here's the poem: I drew your name for Christmas It's an honor, don't you know To get my brothers name for Christmas Ah! ashopping I will go. But then I started frettin After searching high and low Whatever will I get 'im (Twas wrong to worry so!) I went into an office shop Maybe something for your desk? I talked to the clerk a lot She tried to aid me in my quest. He could use a tax shelter Is what the lady said It seemed a bit off-kelter But there was nothing left instead. So here's your little shelter All painted so very nice The foundation has been mended The roofs' been polished thrice. The flowers are all blooming In the big pot by the door The bumblebees are buzzing And there's no sawdust on the floor. It seems to be the perfect place I do agree she's right It sure beats a plain old case And your tacks! They're finally safe at night!

"I always thought you were not supposed to put where a person is registered on an invitation. And especially not ask for gifts. But oh well." The entire point of a baby or wedding shower is to "shower" the guest of honor with presents, so putting the registry information in with the invitation is typically considered appropriate. It's events that are NOT specifically oriented toward the gifts, such as the wedding itself or a graduation party, where open reference to gifts is inappropriate. Did anyone else think a shower invitation from the cousin's daughter-in-law, whom the OP has met maybe three times, is casting the "gimme" net just a tad far out? Maybe if OP and cousin were very close friends, sure, but good grief! My standard shower gift is onesies. Lots and lots of plain white onesies, because my baby brother (now changing his own kids' diapers, how time flies!) could easily go through a dozen in a day. Budget is pretty much always around $25 unless it's a really close friend, because that's what MY budget can afford. If you shop right you can get a lot of onesies for $25! (I think my record is 10 6-packs that had been put on clearance for $2.50 a bag, down from $10, because the packages were ripped up. So I took them out of the packages, folded them nicely into a pretty box, and went merrily off to the shower - where I got in a viciously polite whispered argument with the host because I refused to play the "baby food tasting" game *retch*). Kiddo often outgrows them well before they wear out anyway. No one I know has done the "clothesline" although I do think it would be pretty cool to do a clothesline specifically to donate to the local women's shelter, and put that right on the invitation; I do find it very ironic that my lower-middle-class family ("you might be a redneck if...") thinks wishing wells are tacky. Diapers can be tricky, unless a specific type is noted on the registry, because of that whole cloth-vs-disposable thing. There are some verrrrry strong feelings on that subject! I do appreciate registries, both for weddings and baby showers, if I'm not very close to the recipient because it tells me what the recipients are interested in - I don't necessarily need to purchase something off the list, but if I see 20 Winnie the Pooh items on a baby shower list, that tells me that Mum is diggin' Pooh and might appreciate some mint-condition vintage Pooh books to read to her child or decorate a shelf in the nursery. It also does indicate to me what's NOT really welcome. For instance, if I see on the registry that everything the parents chose is either khaki, sage, and/or cream (such as at the last shower I attended), it's a pretty good bet that the parents are unlikely to be overly enthusiastic over primary colors or the old pink/blue routine.

Here are two good recipes for any of you looking for tasty ways to prepare wild rice. I would suggest using a little less cayenne than the recipe calls for. Wild Rice Corn Pudding Source: Emeril Lagasse 2 eggs 1 egg yolk 1 cup heavy or whipping cream 2/3 cup milk 4 ears sweet corn, blanched and kernels removed from cobs, about 3 cups corn 1 cup cooked wild rice 3 scallions, finely chopped or 1/3 cup finely chopped scallions 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/8 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg 1/2 tablespoon butter Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine egg, egg yolk, heavy cream and milk and whisk well to combine. Add all remaining ingredients except butter and mix well. Grease a 7 by 11 or 8 by 12-inch casserole with the butter. Pour custard ingredients into prepared casserole and bake uncovered for 45 minutes, or until custard is set and golden brown on the top. Serve warm. Wild Rice Potato Rosti 1/2c wild rice, cooked 2lb potatoes, cooked and peeled 3T walnut oil 1tsp yellow mustard seeds 1 onion coarsely grated and drained 2T fresh thyme Salt & pepper Coarsely grate cooked potatoes into large bowl. Add cooked rice. Heat 2T oil in large non-stick frying pan. Add mustard seeds, when seeds begin to "pop" add onion, cook gently for 5 minutes or until soft. Add onions to potatoes & rice, add thyme and mix thoroughly. Season with salt & pepper. Heat remaining oil in pan. Add potato mixture, press down well and cook for about 10 minutes or until golden on bottom. Cove pan with plate and flip over, slide rosti back into frying pan and cook other side 10 minutes more, or until golden. Cut in wedges and serve Linda