Hi all. I've ordered some native pitcher plants (Sarracenia) and am looking at sources for native orchids that would do well along with some Droseras that are native to the area as the little tropical ones wouldn't survivie the winters here. My family has a tradition of putting "large" basically impossible items on our holiday gift lists every year and posting them in the kitchen. (two years ago my daughter had Johnny Depp on her list) This past year I had written a bog. What a surprise to actually get one. Judy

Ajsmama, yep I now live in Ohio in a more rural area but I am about 15-20 minutes from the city. Dee, yep I'm in Pataskala. The deer are around all the time, I see the most early morning and around dusk in the evening. We do have to be careful driving as they dart out of nowhere all the time. Goldgirl, the other saturday morning I turned onto my street just in time to see a fox running across the road holding a rabbit in its mouth. I slammed on the breaks and just about had a heart attack. Just before he got to the other side, he dropped the rabbit and I had to look away as I drove to my house. We have deer, coyotes, rabbits and various other animals because of the woods behind me. It pains me to see roadkill all the time. I'm not a big animal lover but I don't like to see any harmed. The deer did a number on our shrubs this past season and my hubby has been trying to find something to keep them away from the plants and shrubs. There does seem to be an overabundance of them where I live. I took these pictures last week and was bummed that they came out fuzzy. As bothersome as the deer are, they are beautiful. Like Dee I also have squirrels and chipmunks and rabbits, and woodpeckers, and cardinals and chickadees. The birds are wonderful to watch and I sometimes wake up to the sounds of the woodpeckers. Dee, if you have any suggestions on great places to go for accessories or antiques I would appreciate it. I'm getting tired of the Hobby Lobby's, HomeGoods, Kirkland's and am looking for something different.

what a nice present, Tracey. I'm another who really likes getting kitchen and food related things as gifts. Fatlester posted a recipe for espresso brownie chunk ice cream that was really decadently good. Espresso-Brownie Chunk Ice Cream ================================ Fatlester - Gardenweb 1/2 pound brownies cut in 1/4 inch chunks 1 cup whole Espresso, French or vienna roast coffee beans 2 1/4 cups half and half cream 3/4 cup sugar 3 egg yolks 1 cup whipping cream . Wrap and firmly freeze the brownie chunks Put the coffee beans on a jell-roll pan and over them with a dish towel. Using a veal pounder or the bottom of a heavy sauce pan, press to crush the beans thoroughly. (Do not substitute ground coffee) Transfe the crushed coffee beans to a medium saucepan. Add the half and half cream and heat it to simmering. Cover and simmer 10 minutes , then set the pan aside, off heat, for 15 minutes longer. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve into another saucepan, pressing to remove all liquid from the coffee beans; discard the solids. Stir the sugar into the strained coffee liquid and heat it to simmering. Put the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl and slowly whisk in the coffee liquid (or put the egg yolks in a food processor fitted with the metal blade and process, pouring in the coffee liquid). Cool the mixture slightly by stirring in the whipping cream. Set the bowl over ice or refrigerate until the custard is thoroughly chilled. (Can cover and refrigerate overnight). Transfer the custard to the canister of an ice-cream machine. Follow manufacturere's directions and churn until the ice cream is half frozen. Add frozen brownie pieces and continue churning until frozen. Serve immediately, or transfer ice cream to an airtight freezer container, seal and keep frozen until serving time. (Can freeze for several hours). I like this one too: Brown Sugar Pecan Ice Cream ============================ 1 cup milk 1 scant packed cup brown sugar 4 egg yolks 3 cups heavy cream 1 cup pecan pieces . Heat the cream. milk and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is hot. place the egg yolks in a bowl and whisk briefly. Still whisking, slowly pour in about 1 cup of the hot liquid. When the mixture is blended, slowly pour it into the liquid in the saucepan, whisking constantly. Cook over heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon, about 8 minutes. Be sure not let the mixture boil at any time or will curdle. strain into a clean bowl and cool thoroughly. Stir in the nuts. Pour the mixture into the bowl of the machine and freeze. Makes 5 cups. So, do you have a favorite? I have ice cream recipes and sorbet recipes and frozen yogurt recipes and I'll bet a lot of other people do too! Happy birthday, any kind would go well with that birthday cake. You did get a cake, didn't you? Annie

Sunny, One of the things that my husband agreed to early on in our marriage, is that if one of our kids wants/needs the step parent to do things for them (because the parent can't), then the child has to ask the step parent, not the parent. When my son wanted a co-signer on a car, I couldn't help him because I had just started my own business. I talked to my husband and he agreed to help but I felt that my son should ask him, not me. My son did ask him and got the car with my husband's help. My husband does the same with his daughter. If she wants something from me, she has to ask me. She still asks him all the time and he tells her, 'you have to ask SM'. My sons got angry a while back because they don't like when my husband has an opinion about anything. They think he should stay out of 'our life' but then I remind him that he's my husband and he is a part of 'our life' and I remind him of the things my husband contributes and that they don't mind when he does something where they benefit. They don't like it but they know it's true. What your husband should have told his daughter is that she would need to ask you to cook the food because he doesn't know how or can't do it all by himself. It really is up to the parent to expect their children (even adult ones) to respect their spouse enough to ask for themselves instead of going through the parent. It's much easier for kids to let themselves believe that their parent is doing everything for them and they don't need the step parent if all they have to do is ask the parent who then asks the step parent. Then they don't really appreciate the step parent because they can tell themself that their parent is the one doing everything for them. It's funny that my son will ask me for something and when I say, you need to ask stepdad yourself... he'll decide 'I don't really need it.' He has been giving my husband a hard time and would rather go without than ask my husband, well, that's HIS problem, not mine.