I have some love/hate groundcovers myself. I think the biggest criteria for my love/hate ratio is the combination of how it grows (fast/slow) and where it is located. i.e. not all fast growers are hated if they are in the right place I just pulled out about 100 sq ft of pachasandra because it just got everywhere. I will miss it in the winter. (pre-snowcover). I have a huge patch of bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) that spreads very quickly, but it is in a part-shade woody tree-shrub area and it really seems to fit the woodland less-manicured feel. I also suspect it would be hard to eradicate if I wanted to. It has those thin roots that go everwhere and break easily. But I love it where it is. I have creeping veronica Waterperry in a perennial bed and it stays put nicely. Love it. I also have Georgia Blue but it is much more aggressive. I have to pull it back severely twice a year. Dislike it (but not enough to remove it). I have a gold variegated one that barely grows. I moved it this year to a new place it may do better. Lamium 'Pink Nancy' wanders and blends in nicely. It pulls out easily if it wanders too far. Love it. Ajuga, love it in bloom (have Choc Chip and Crispa Metallica). Neutral otherwise. Need to have something interesting (and strong) nearby. I'm trying out Hosta Kabitan. Thymes... love the daintiness... hate that they don't suppress weeds so well. Geranium Biokova... I consider that more as a specimen perennial than a groundcover, but I can see it is somewhat of both. Love it. Sedge, Treasure Island...grows slowly, love it because it can go anywhere safely, but unless it is cut back with other perennials, it looks messy far into spring until the new growth covers the old stuff. Cutting back a groundcover is not a fun thing. I used to when I had a little, but now its out of the question. I enjoyed and saved this old thread about groundcovers in link below. I haven't read it in a while, but it might be interesting after reading this thread.

Come on Dave - fixing it as I opened it would have been the logical thing to do. And I am openly admitting that I am an idiot. The ingredients on the can of tomato sauce are... tomato puree (water, tomato paste) salt, corn syrup, dried peppers, citric acid. So, I may or may not be safe. But this brings me to another point... why is there corn syrup in tomato sauce??? Why does everything have corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup etc. in it these days?? The biggest reason that I started canning and preserving is that I want to know where my food is coming from. I want to know how it was made. And what is in it. Not necessarily for myself, but for my kids. I always, always look at the ingredients before I buy anything and if there is something I don't recognize or can't pronounce, it gets put back. Point and case... look at the ingredient list for a box of frozen Aunt Jemima pancakes. Then look at the list of ingredients for the Aunt Jemima pancake mix. The difference is comparable to translating ancient greek hieroglyphics and English.

Beautiful cats. My sister's 16 year old cat who lives with me just started going in the "wrong" place. 3 times now I have woken up to a surprise on the living room floor and basement floor and a few times she has peed on the basement floor, once in the kitchen and 2 times in the hallway. Not just spray but a flood. My sister is taking her to the vet this weekend. I think besides being a little senile she might be diabetic because she seems to be drinking a lot of water, eats a lot but seems frail now. Her urine doesn't have that cat pee smell either. the litter box is down the basement and where she goes in the hallway is in the same location the litter box is just on a different floor. I am at my wits end because I don't want my house to smell like cat urine. Litter boxes are clean and she still does go down to use the litter box. I am thinking of getting a new litter box and putting it on the landing. Maybe her bones are old and sore and she may be finding it difficult to go down the basement stairs now. Chloe is a sweet,loving cat so it will be hard if she has to be put down. Lucy my other cat Lucy will do everything in her power to get at a certain plant to eat if she is not feeling well. Makes her get sick right away. Good luck Susan

Sadly, I think kathline is right, and that women in general are held to much higher standards. yes, definitely by other women but I think by men too. For laughs, let's do a little compare/contrast here. To be seen as basically "a good guy" or "a cool dude", men are generally expected to do/be the following: -good providers -non-physically abusive -non-verbally/emotionally abusive -knowledgeable about sports -knowledgeable about tools -married to or sleeping with an attractive, compliant woman -not TOO bald or TOO fat (but a little of both is passable and even endearing) -funny On the other hand, in order to be considered "a good woman" or "a catch" as a woman, she needs to be: -hot... -...but without obvious effort in maintaining "hotness" -nice... -...but also "bad" when that turns him on (at highly circumscribed moments) -intelligent... -...but not so much so that it's "intimidating" -not an airhead, thus... -...capable of profound thought... -...but not so much that it makes you "a drag" -financially secure... -...but not so much so that it takes a way the man's pride in being the provider, thus... -....somewhat dependent... -...but not a gold-digger -well-groomed and stylish... -....but not materialistic -a great housekeeper... -....but not SO GREAT at it that he's reminded of his mother (b/c that's a turnoff) -a great mother... -...but not so busy with the kids that you don't have time to do/be all the other stuff or you "let yourself go" -a great friend who's well-liked by many... -...but not by so many that you're "always yakking on the phone" -emotionally attuned, empathetic and engaged... -...but not "clingy" -funny... -....but not so funny that it de-sexes you -knowledgeable about sports enough to be cute -unwrinkled -un-bald -un-fat -free of extraneous body hair at all times -unblemished nails -non-physically abusive -non-verbally/emotionally abusive -always available to schlep kids around, be woken by them in the middle of the night, etc. -always available to deal with DH's MIL, FIL, BIL, SIL, CIL, neighbors, unexpected dinner guests and/or boss -AND.... -...still up for sex after all of this... -which you also better be good at... -...but not TOO good.