Hi all, Yes, I'm surprised there are a few people in this swap who haven't chimed in on the unclaimed seeds. I think I'm going to send them an email Saturday if they don't post, just so they don't miss the opportunity. For some people this has been a seed building swap instead of a seed clean out. LOL! I was very impressed with the selection of seeds everyone turned in. We had some private donations that were very generous. Lots of good loot for a seed clean out. There's still lots for Need 4 Seed. Nancy & Angela, I pulled the seeds. There all yours.

To me, watching a hornet lay down a fresh stripe of chewed wood pulp rates right up there with spiders doing their web chores every evening and cicadas emerging: it's something that takes an incredibly long time to observe but so totally engrossing that time almost seems suspended. I have always found the nests fascinating, despite the fact that they are seldom at an elevation for easy viewing. I have found four very large and complete ones in my life; the others were simply the tattered remains of those that had weathered a hard winter or caught the eye of someone less appreciative of their engineering. Two years ago I noticed a large number of hornets visiting our old wooden pumphouse, a relic of the days before we had city water and a bonanza of good building material. I tried and tried to follow each successive hornet deeper into the woods to find out where they were all headed ( I hear this is an old settler's trick for locating a bee tree)but I eventually lost them. It was not until late that winter when all the leaves were long gone that I found it, high in the top of a spindly tree---elm, I think it was. The wind had whipped the tree tops all around and the nest was slowly being peeled of its layers. Every so often a hike in that direction would turn up another section of nest. I wonder if the insects do a good job of repair when it happens ear;y in the year? I will have to check out your link, jillhudock. I suspect there might be some good reading there. I do know, however, that I did rob some creatures of a possible resource by bringing it inside: I have noticed wrens roosting in the holes of winter nests so they do provide shelter (wouldn't be surprised to find lady bugs and other overwintering creatures tucked in the crevices as well) and I will bet you my best hiking boots that those wrens, as well as woodpeckers and nuthatches and so on would do their best to get at these tasty sleepers when the snows blow and calories are scarce.

I've been through what you're going through now. It was an agonizing decision. DH was pressuring me to get rid of my mother's bedroom suite. It was not our style, 1950's blond mahogany. As much as I disliked it's looks I schlepped that furniture across the country on all of my moves, from one apartment to another. On one of it's cross country trips I received a call from the moving company, someone had stolen the van and they might not be able to recover it. During that time I couldn't believe how UN-upset I was over this possible loss. Finally someone else would be getting rid of it for me so I wouldn't have to feel guilty about doing it myself! But then the moving van was recovered and the furniture arrived safe and sound. DH pleaded with me to get rid of it, he even dangled a carrot in front of me...I can buy all new furniture in place of Mom's bedroom suite. I really wanted to but I was haunted by what she would think if she were alive. This was all I had left of her aside from a pearl necklace and letters. I asked myself, if she were alive would she tell me to sell it? What would she do if she lived another 25 years and it was still her furniture...would she have gotten rid of it herself after all this time! I asked my sister if she would take it and she said NO WAY. Would her son want to take part of it, I could get rid of some pieces if at least one was saved. He had no interest either. That's when it hit me...am I holding on to this furniture because I expect it to be as treasured by the next generation. Is it going to be handed down so that others will have a link with the grandmother or great-mother they never knew? Already I had that answer, they wanted no part of it. So what was I hanging onto it for? Even if they did I know they would have destroyed it given how they treat furniture. If I left it to them in my will they'd send it to the thrift store without a moment's hesitation! With no one to leave it to I realized it had no future past me anyway. I was looking for excuses to get rid of it but that's what you have to do, give yourself enough reasons to justify the action. If my Mom were alive I think she would want me to experience the joy of picking out my furniture as much as she did hers. I noticed she wasn't carting around furniture from her parents or grandparents day either! An important thing to remember is that inanimate objects do not have souls, they aren't the people who owned them. I have smaller objects of hers and of course photos and my memories. What I ended up doing before sending my mother's furniture to charity was write in her name and the date she bought the piece in the back of the dresser where it would remain hidden until someone took out a drawer and looked way back in there. I also wrote my name. So I've made our mark on the furniture, it will always be ours no matter where it goes. And I also kept one little nightstand, not able to part with every piece I kept the smallest one. It's hiding in my closet, heehee, waiting for me to get to the age where I may have to go into a nursing home. Then, when I have to edit all of my furniture down to a small room I can decide if her nightstand comes with me. And then we will have been together from beginning to end! :D p.s. To those of you with kids...don't wait, tell them NOW that when you're gone feel free to get rid of anything they want. Don't burden them with that guilt. If your legacy is tied to piece of furniture and nothing else then you've failed somewhere along the line! My grandmother used to say her biggest fear was that she would be forgotten. Not having her furniture around anymore has done nothing to diminish my memories of her.

I make jewelry and have lots and lots of stones and glass beads and findings. I bought a bunch of the plastic drawer sets on casters at Joanne Fabrics or at other hobby-type shops. I then bought some plywood at Lowes and had them cut it to the right size to make tops for the drawer sets. I took the wood home and sanded the ends smooth and then put on a nice dark stain and several layers of polyurethane. Then I went to Joanne's and chose a beautiful fabric that matched the family room. I really hate sewing hems, so I used Tacky Glue and folded back the heavy fabric and glued the hems and side seams. I made skirts for the drawer sets, stapling them to the plywood tops. You can then glue ric-rack or rope trim to hide the staples. I made the fabric into a flap in front of the drawers, but mostly just made straight, heavy skirts that were stapled to the tops. Then the top just sits on top of the drawer set. I sat plants on one, family pictures on another. Using this idea, you can hide all kinds of small things. They make the drawer sets in tall, narrow sizes, as well, so you might be able to find a space in the corner of a guest room or den to put one.