Marguerite, I purchased all my Coleus from one mailorder nursery (in 2004 and 2005) but pretty sure they were pestfree when received...especially as I kept them all near sofa the first few days so I could admire them...LOL They spent all summer on my patio so probably picked up mealybugs (or eggs) there. I think I've found part of the answer...attached article says Coleus very susceptible but constant inspection and washing can prevent infestation and spread if caught early. Also, I just had 3-4 little mealybugs...not all over the stems as I've seen in photos (shudder!) Another thing the article recommended was growing potplants inside house a little dry and using less fertilizer. In winter I just "maintain" my plants, not try to grow them...and I never use fertilizer (although some may be in some of potting soil I buy). My house is kept between 66-68 degrees F days and cooler still at night so they sort of go into hibernation mode. So maybe I was doing the right thing inadvertently. I'd always felt fortunate not to have had pests on my tropicals indoors...I think possibly my method of brisk thorough shower and watering well and then letting pot dry out a good bit was, in addition to catering to my laziness, a good insect preventative...LOL Of course when outside they get thorough spray/watering every other day...temps in 90's all summer here. But they flourish and grow so well they don't mind the lower light, cooler temps and reduced water in winter inside. Oh, the one Coleus that got the mealybugs was 'Klondike', orange-red leaves with yellow edge. Iside house it fades to a soft copper-pink but still nice. josh Here is a link that might be useful: Mealybug Life Cycle & Prevention

Hi Barb Some of your questions are outside my range of knowledge, however I can maybe help on some of them. With regards to planting this plant outside I think you could but I am not sure about overwintering it (someone will know though). If you intend keeping the plant in a pot on a sunny porch I would suggest that you put the plant container inside another container and fill the gap with gravel, this will allow you to water the gravel and help keep the roots cool. You will need 2 fairly big pots to do this as your plant will put on a lot of growth. The plant will respond better if you can give it some form of shade during the hottest part of the day. Sorry that I can't be of much help but the link below might be worthwhile looking at. Tight.... Here is a link that might be useful: fuchsia x hybrida

Question 1. Dead heading a flowering plant all depends on the plant. As debndal stated removing spent flowers only if you don't want seeds from the plant or don't dead head annuals so they can reseed. Dead heading something like a geranium you would cut it all the way back to the stem that the flower is growing on. Something like sweet williams (Dianthus barbatus) you can sit there and dead head each spent flower or you can shear it back with scissors which is easier and faster. If it is a lily only cut off the flower head and leave the stem because this is what the plant gets energy from for next years growth. Then there are some plant I just let the flower fall off the plant, like rose of sharons. As you can see there are many ways to dead head so if you need know how to dead head a certain plant you'd have to ask how to dead head it. Question 2. Debndal answered this one Question 3. I'm with debndal I didn't know HD had online orders but think I'd prefer going to a nursery. Question 4. I agree beans are very easy and fast. My grand son had a project he was doing in kindergarten with beans I showed him that planting one of the beans it would grow. Everyday when he came home he'd look to see if the bean had sprouted and on the day that it came up he was delighted and though mamaw was magic LOL. BTW, No question is silly as was stated we all went through asking questions.

Here is an article from Wirecutter about over the counter hearing aids. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/signs-of-hearing-loss-otc-hearing-aids-could-help/ Mine look like the Lively 2 Pro. Mine are from ReSound and cost $6k a year ago. They were fitted by an audiologist with a Masters degree at my ENT’s office. She is able to make adjustments and send them to my hearing aids over the internet. Mine are controlled through my iPhone. There is a button on mine where I can control volume, but I’ve never learned to use it, because it is so easily done from my phone. Mine are pretty much invisible. The thing behind my ear was ordered to match my hair color. the wire that goes from it to the part in my ear is very fine. The audiologist taught me where to put it so that it blends in with my ear. I can wear my hair behind my ears without the hearing aid showing. I agree with AD, your mother needs to be seen by an ENT. I blame my hearing loss on jet engines from my days as a flight attendant and from playing music too loudly. The audiologist said my hearing loss is barely at the level for hearing aids. I bought them mainly to appease DD. I say she talks too fast and does not enunciate clearly. She said I needed hearing aids. HA! @daisychain Zn3b, If you have any questions, I’ll be happy to answer them, if I can.