Almost a year ago, I got a fantastic deal on cooked Maine lobsters. I bought a bunch, we ate some, and I took the meat out of others and froze it, thinking to make a bisque or something later. Well, I made the bisque, but somehow missed an entire zip lock bag of the meat and found it just before Christmas. I was making a duck and seafood gumbo for an after-Christmas party, so I said, "what the heck", figuring that even if it wasn't at it's peak, the rich, thick sauce would make up for it. You wouldn't believe the raves I got on that gumbo, and the lobster chunks were just wonderful. So freeze, freeze, freeze!

I've tried for two days to think of something that really bothers me to add to this post...and can't honestly think of anything that i just can't tolerate...yeah some smells are awful...but I just remove myself from the smell...i don't think anything has ever made me physically sick...cleaning up dog vomit will make me gag...but i just turn away and finish the job...the alternative I couldn't live with..(not having doggies) and it's been awhile since I've had to do it...since we put the dog door in...they feel it coming on and run outside...(smart doggies)

Hi Cindy, 4 years ago I packed my bags and left Holland to go to Australia. I met my DH the day I arrived and to cut a long story short I'm now a permanent Australian resident, living happily with my DH and Skids. My parents are visiting right now, they have been here for 6 weeks and they are going back to Holland tomorrow. This is the second time they have visited us in 4 years, I try to go back to Holland once a year if I can. It is very hard to live so far away from my mum and dad (and I'm 33) but you do get better at dealing with it. Of course I miss them and at first I felt pretty guilty for 'putting them through this'. We have always had a great bond and we still do, that hasn't changed. My mum and I write letters to each other, real long ones, and we include recipes, articles from the local paper, pictures, whatever comes up. These letters are a real treat and not just receiving them. There is also a lot of fun in writing them, making little notes on things I want to write about so I don't forget etc. etc. Of course we also talk on the phone and there are good phonecards that you can use for longdistance calls. I pay like 2cents a minute when I use my card, it's great. Nothing beats just popping over for a coffee but my parents are very happy that I'm so happy and they'd rather have that than seeing me a bit lost for direction in Holland (as I was before I left). Tomorrow I will feel really sad again when they leave but we are always looking forward to next time, you have to focus on the positive. I hope you will feel better about it over time, all the best, Liesbeth

We kept all the river rock from the excavation when we built - so I have a lot to work with. I also have a pile of granite boulders and other large interesting rocks to be used yet :-P I have no grass whatsoever in the front yard. It's all gravel and perennial/native plants. I have a few sedums and semps, but mostly shrubs like contoneaster and juniper; and perennials like oxalis, lilies and flax. And heaven help me - wolf willow. I even have a happy little valentine cherry tree These pics below are from a few years ago, and everything is much fuller now (the arbour is covered in Virginia creeper now) but the gravel/rock pit is still pretty much the same and is where the bulk of development into C&S heaven is going to take place (ps black mulch sucks and I'll never use it again. It looked good for like, a week) Oxalis gone wild! Left a planter here and it went to seed. Here's photos from last year showing where I'm going to add the bulk of my C&S rock garden/dry stream bed and a patio. Maybe pergola. And this side will be another C&S bed, it gets hot hot hot sun all day, and the spruce is a major water hog so it doesn't stay soggy ever. I think I'm going to try opuntia too. I have sedums here already and will probably move that volunteer Nanking cherry. I have a loooong way to go to even approximate the glory that is Harry's yard :-P kd