I've given up on growing Astilbe and Lady's Mantle. Had a nice clump of Lady's Mantle once. I had a dickens of a time keeping it going the first year. The following year it grew much bigger & bloomed, but nothing remarkable like I have seen in other people's photos and magazines. Still, my heart soared and I had hopes for having a beautiful bed of it. Then it died back to the ground and that was that. It did not reseed. Similar story with various clumps of Astilbe I've planted over the years. Pitiful little blooms that the wind blew them to heck and then they died. Not worth the trouble or expense. Too dry and too hot here I suppose. ~Annie

Since I am in MN too I thought I would chime in. I had a similar experience. Finally I got impatient and decided it was going to be a small plant so I dug it up and divided it in half. I wanted more white in other parts of my garden. I was SHOCKED! The next year and from then on it grew like gang busters. I have several right now and they are all twice the size of the original before I began dividing. This all in three seasons where the original sat for at least fours seasons not dieing but not growing. It has been said before here, but never really supported by the experts, some hosta seem to be more vigorous growers AFTER a division. Before you give up I would try dividing it.

Susan, I'm sorry to hear you're tired of cables, for now, at least. Maybe you'll get the cable bug again sometime. I almost got discouraged when I had to frog a big section in the middle of my scarf because I purled where I should have knitted on the edge. Everyone said nobody would notice, so I kept on going. It kept bugging me, though, so I finally stopped and unraveled it back to the mistake. I showed the scarf to a woman who works at the yarn shop where I bought it. She admired it, then she told me to be careful while washing it, because the Plymouth Indecita Baby Alpaca Grande felts very easily, and it would be a shame to lose all that work. You betcha. At least it's for me, and I know I won't throw it in the washer. Thanks for caring about my husband. Thankfully he is healing well. It does take a long time to heal a broken bone. At least it was only one. Wendy

Oakley, sorry you're going thru this. As bad as it is, it could have been a lot worse :( Yes, I've been given the wrong medication but even worse, the wrong medication was given to my daughter when she was just a child. But, being the proactive type, I always check meds before taking them. Before the Internet and Google, I used a PDR to reference drugs. It was the same pharmacist both times. I tore into him when he gave my daughter the wrong medication and complained to the store management. This guy seemed to be on too many drugs himself! Found out later there were many complaints against him and soon after he was fired. Being in the hospital is so darn dangerous anymore (well has been for many many years). Superbugs, overworked staff, staff on drugs, under educated staff...you can't leave a loved one in the hospital by themselves. Someone needs to be their advocate. DH has been in the hospital exactly 2x. The first was for a crushed heel. The care (or lack of) and staff was so atrocious I spent most of my time in the administrator's office :o I later filed a complaint with the state board of health and after reviewing my complaints and finding them valid, they zeroed out his bill. The 2nd time was for a double bypass. EXCELLENT care this time around in a much better hospital (Louis and Peaches Heart Hospital in Tyler, TX). Everyone from the janitorial crew to the surgeon and his cutting edge bypass procedure and the sharp as a tack nurturing and caring nurses. You would have thought he was their only patient. I've been taking pro-biotics daily for a few years. There is no doubt in my mind they prevent all kinds of illnesses. A happy gut full of good bacteria is a good thing :) I have a friend that got C-diff in the hospital. Hers became so bad she needed the bowel transplant. My mother also contracted it in the hospital, I think during an oblation for A-fib. She didn't have the bowel transplant but it took her months to get over it.