Begonia, Repeat after me_I AM NOT SCARED!!! I swear plants know when you are afraid of them and will take every advantage to die on you. Confidence!!! Now on to your questions: Your soil mix is appropriate for wicking. Some people use a thinner wick for smaller plants and vice-versa. I do not. I like my reservoir go dry for a day or so before I re-fill it to let my plants dry a bit. If the plants become too dry, watering from the top will get the wick going again. You will have to experiment but as you are a confident plant person this will not scare you. Just stick your finger in the soil-if it's soaking, it's too wet but I don't think you'll have this problem. (Spraying the stem is unnecessary but not harmful). And you will have to pat your soil in somewhat. Just don't go at it like you're punching down bread dough. You do not need fancy grow lights. Go to HD and get a warm white and a cool white. Your fixture should have a reflector. (I have been using this combination since 1972.) I think the warm is labeled daylight or sunshine. If you want the reason for this, let me know. It's rather lengthy and it's very late so...you'll just have to trust me. (I can also rhapsody for quite a while on soil mixes in case you are interested). But...I digress...) I replace when my tubes get a dark ring around the ends, (very noticeable) or when growth and blooming start to slow. Be careful with new tubes. They are very strong in the beginning. As you have learned, plants of a genera are not all the same . Each cultivar and even each individual is different and will respond differently to your growing conditions. Just follow good AV growing practices and don't be afraid to experiment. And don't be discouraged when you lose some. We all lose some. Some plants are just naturally weak, some won't like you or your conditions and some are just suicidal. Just chalk it up to experience and move on. A plant that dies gives you room for something new! I have been at this plant business my entire life and there are still violets that refuse to bloom for me. Ex: Gillian. Grows like a weed. Will not bloom. I don't obsess over these non-bloomers. I give them to my neighbor and let her obsess. Instead of individual containers-why don't you get a tray-the kind annuals come in-with no holes. Add egg-crate and place your plants on this with the wicks extending through the egg-crate. This takes care of humidity (Question 4) and you won't have to figure out what containers to use (Question 5). It also makes it much easier to care for your plants when they are all together and all you have to do is water the tray. Let me know if you have more questions! Linda

When I paint I hold almost everything in my hands. If you sponge on the paint, dry it and then put it in the palm of your hand you should be able to dot his eyes. If you are right handed, dot the left eye first, it makes it easier to see where you are going. You can also make a dot of orange for his nose if you like, or I have been painting mine red and white candy stripe - different and cute. You have the sock then down right. Just remember to glue under the cuff so it won't come off when you put the string on to hang it on the tree. Let me know how it turns out. B

I do this all the time. The secret is to use a software program that has a "stitch" feature. One of my scanners came with a NewSoft Presto! software package that works great. You just scan the two sides of the page (in preview scan, pick a point on the page where the two sides will meet, just slightly overlapped)and open both at the same time in the Stitch window. You indicate which is the right and which is the left side. The software then positions a little box at the edge of the left side and you drag the image in that box over to the right side and line it up and click - the two sides will be joined at that alignment. Another software package that came with my Epson Digital Camera just has you drag and drop files side by side into a grid and it will do all of the pattern matching automatically. It is really designed to merge photographs into panoramic views, but works on any .JPG file. It's calle ImageExpert. My "stitched" files are all I used on my scrapbook website HTH Here is a link that might be useful: Sue's Place - My Virtual Scrapbook

The bad part of the old magnetic albums could very easliy be both the plastic and the glue, as depending on the kind of plastic it is, it also contains acid, which most of the old style albums did. As far as tips for removing your photos, dental floss is supposed to be great, by running it underneath your photo back and forth, it helps to remove the photo. There is also a product called undo which is available at walmart amoung other places that is safe to use on the backs of your photos. As for the acid free spray it is called "Archival Mist" and is available at most craft stores (Michael's, Hobby Lobby, etc., it is kinda pricey so use a store coupon when possible purchasing it. It is well worth the $$ and lasts for a long time. If you want to use the orginial newspaper clipping try mounting it on the oppisite page as your photos, that way the acid will not affect your photos. Love Penny