shrublover, thanks for reviving this topic! I didn't knew there was such topic, so after almost a year it's time to introduce myself too. :) My name is Alexander, I'm currently 19 years old and I'm from Belgium, somewhere near Antwerp. My nickname (a giant sea reptile which is extincted for 155 million yrs or so) may seem weird for use on a gardening forum, but it's a relict of me watching "Walking with Dinosaurs" more than ten years ago; and now I got quite used to it. And best of all: that nickname seems to be always available! ;) I started liking conifers as a small boy when walking through spruce forests in Wallonia and Germany. Since a few years, that "liking" developed itself into a fascination; beginning with mostly spruces and firs, and now for all conifers, especially the Pinaceae. Living in one of the most densely populated regions in one of the most densely populated countries in one of the most densely populated parts of the world, I sadly lack space to plant all trees I would like to plant. Driven by the eagerness to still have as many as possible I'm currently exploring the world of the dwarf conifers. I'm also occupying myself (in a very amateuristic manner I must confess) with growing conifers from seeds extracted from cones I found in the wild. Disadvantage is that all those species are regular forest species, and thus will get too big too soon, so I'll have to find a way to get rid of most (give them away, plant them somewhere where I'm allowed to), but that's one of the things you don't think about when having fun! :)

Wow! Thanks. This is fascinating. Lou, I didn't see any aphids on the fiddlewood, although I do have aphids in my garden because I don't spray. Usually the ladybugs, green lacewings and hoverfly larva take care of the aphids for me. I'm glad to know about putting honey down for bees on the ground. Thanks! Carol, I'll bet the fiddlewood does secrete nectar. The bees were absolutely entranced. I have mostly average wild bees all over my garden. I have lately seen some sweat bees. They are really beautiful. I recently sprayed some beneficial nematodes in my lawn and I hope they don't bother the sweat bees who I think nest in the ground? Trini, that is really weird behavior. I never knew this. Do you think they are looking for particular nutrients? Thanks for all your answers. Very cool! Julie

Chances are the humidifier thing is just a coincidence but just in case, if its hooked in to the control board in the furnace find those terminals and disconnect them from the board. It sounds more like you furnace is locking out and when you remove power it resets the lockout condition. Next time don't shut the power off but remove the panel where the control board is located and look for a flashing LED. That is a diagnostic feature and the number of flashes and the sequence will tell you what the problem is. There should be a diagram inside the unit explaining the flashes. Start there and get back to the forum and let us know if that helps. I could be way off but it sounds like you're resetting a safety lockout.

I didn't see your last comments before I posted. It sounds like maybe she is just getting older and maybe her health isn't so great which her daughter may not even be aware of. Does she know you're coming over when she doesn't answer the door? Because I wouldn't read too much into her not answering the door. Many people don't answer the door unless they have invited people to come over, especially if they are women living alone ---I'm sure you can find a post on just this topic on the entertaining forum ;-). And, yes, maybe she used to open the door; but possibly her health has kept her from keeping up with the vaccuming, the house is always a mess now, or she hasn't applied her face yet and just doesn't want to answer the door to anyone with everything in that condition. I have a feeling her garden probably isn't kept up with either and/or that she can't handle the summer sun that much to even be able to enjoy it. Going through a major health problem can really change a person... not just physically but mentally too. I would bet her health is just drained down and that she may even be depressed which would just add fuel to the fire. I have to say aside from the bigoted remarks (which I would guess have always been there)... it really doesn't sound like she's doing anything wrong. It sounds like she's just not able to keep up with her old lifestyle. Which is sad for her. Could you have an honest talk with her about things? Maybe your friendship and the activites you guys can do together will have to change because her activity level and health condition require it, but I doubt you need to cut her out totally. If she really is suffering from health problems (or depression), she may be embarrassed or ashamed to admit it -- even trying ot hide it-- but this may be the time she really needs a true friend the most. ps. I think it's fine to post to this forum especially since the problem is probably related to some physical or mental health issue.