Frank, she's already a beauty, and she's not fully open! Just wait until all the buds open! As I said, it was one of my favorites! Very prolific bloomer... although, all my attempts at pollinating failed. I'll catch it next bloom cycle. Sweet Lilian also proved to be very photogenic! I took the most photos of this particular variety. Viagrow... hahaha! So, what happens if the stem is erect for more than 4 hours? Should you consult a horticulturist? LOL! Larissa, in today's world, you sort of have to help your kids develop a thick skin so they're ready for whatever life throws at them. We're the type of parents that never shielded our kids from the uglier side of life... we were always very open, encouraging them to question the world around them, and to discuss things they weren't sure about. Life is tough... kids need to develop good coping skills! One of our favorite lines was, and still is: Life is full of choices... for every choice there is a consequence... think hard before making your choices! When our kids were teens, our house was the favorite hangout... there were always other kids at our house. They would all come over after school and hang out, play video games, listen to music... my fridge got a ton of mileage! I think we fed the neighborhood! You should hear some of the stories from parties at our house! Our motto was: Don't fall asleep before we do! Oh, the jokes we played on people! Ahh... great memories! Hilarious memories! We never had a lot of money, but we did have a lot of fun! Our kids have some awesome memories to take with them through life... that much is certain!

Seedmama, Twelve? Wow. You're in big trouble. If I was you, I'd drive around town and anonymously leave them on people's doorsteps. You'll only be mad at your DH if he's conveniently out of town visiting his sister AT THE BEACH while you're home processing 1800 peppers in one week. You'll be even madder if he accidentally tells you he's having a great time at his sister's condo on the beach while you, you poor thing, are at home processing those 1800 peppers. Saying he is having a great time is a mistake he'll make only once, and then never again. He'll also wait until very late to call each night the rest of the week because he wants to give you time to get out of the kitchen, take a shower, cool down and resume normal breathing unimpeded by pepper fumes. Nah, you won't be mad at your DH because he'll probably be right there in the kitchen beside you chopping up peppers and thinking how lucky he is to have a spouse who can grow such an abundance of peppers. Trust me, my DH will never again schedule a visit with his sister during the peak pepper harvest. lol When the harvest rolls in, remember you can roast them, freeze them, dehydrate them, dehydrate some and grind them into pepper powder for cooking, etc. You can make salsa, hot sauce, pepper-flavored vinegars and liquers......etc. You also can give them to all your friends, neighbors and relatives....and with the number of plants you have, you'll be able to leave some ripe habanero peppers on the front porch of every house in town. Quick! Rush over to Paula's and give Paula and Ken half of those plants. I'm only planting two habanero pepper plants because I have enough frozen habs for 300 jars of jelly and enough habanero powder to last us for the rest of our lives. Isn't gardening a grand adventure? I'm thinking now that you're not going to have the Year of the Bean. You're going to have the Year of the Habanero Pepper. I'm laughing with you...... Dawn

That reminds me of a nasty trick that my brother pulled.. He and his wife had been fussing for months and were on the verge of a divorce. She was a nurse and he was a truck driver so one day while she had to go to work, he was sitting home waiting for his dispatcher to call about a load. Being a bit hateful, when she left for work he set up wifes sewing machine and ran a seam across the top of all her underwear, then carefully folded them and put them back in the drawer. The next morning DW got out of the shower and started dressing for work, tried to put on some underwear and discovered they were all stitched shut..... What the he## is this, she demanded? Brother says.."I'f i can't get in them, nobody does!" She thought a moment then burst out in laughter,,,She laughed so hard she called work and told them she couldn't come in for the day, she stayed home with hubby and they settled their differences and have been happily married for 20 yrs, and to this day they still laugh about that incident.

Ah, Lavender, you have truly hit upon a not-such-a-coincidence. How lovely that story is. I wish you would, at some time this winter when it is too cold to go out, put that into a story for your nieces, and illustrate it just like the Jo Koch books....the tea, coffee, etc picture books. You just outlined the basic theme of the book/story, and to have it short and to the point, but with the traditional uses of herbs, what a great wintertime project!! And while you're at it, think about putting some lavender around your mailbox too. Or perhaps put some poison ivy around it to punish those who would whack it with a baseball bat. Please remember to put in some nasturtiums somewhere. They like cooler weather, and I cannot grow them in south Alabama. They go to seed almost immediately, unlike the 100 foot rows of blooms I could plant up here in MA. You are a creative little lady, so go for the book!!