Also, has the elevation changed substantially in recent memory? Might soil or high levels of debris or leaves been piled or washed around it, raising the soil level greatly, essentially burying the plant? If any plant is buried too deeply, it can suffocate it. You might need to gently reduce the soil level around the plant to permit sufficient air, water and sunlight into it to stimulate it to grow. Might you be able to find photographs or take photos of the insect you say eats it? If either insects, rabbits, squirrels, gophers or other vermin are eating the plant, essentially keeping it severely pruned, it may not grow and flower. Something is definitely wrong when a plant which has flowered for approximately a century, stops blooming for twenty years. Any and all photographs can help diagnose the issues, so take lots from various angles, showing the area, overhead canopies of any nearby trees, anything you think might affect the plant's performance. You may post them to Photobucket and link them here or any other photosharing site. Some even permit you to copy and paste the address to this form so they open right in your post. Seil is right. Knowing where you are, where the plant grows, can assist greatly in suggesting what you might be able to do to encourage it to grow and bloom. What's appropriate for Idaho right now, is probably very different from what I would suggest to someone living here outside of Los Angeles, where I am. It makes an enormous difference. Kim

I love her name. Do they live close to you? If so, it won't be long before little Bella has you wrapped around her teeny little finger. Enjoy her!

Why is everyone so afraid of a spanking. Yes, even if its someone else's kid. I'm not talking about a perfect stranger, but among family members - each relative has their own dynamic with the child, and that relationship should be respected by all parties. I was spanked by uncles/ aunts/ adult cousins when i deserved it.. Unless there's another mitigating factor such as a mental health problem or deficiency - then why so squeamish at the thought of corporal punishment? If you're afraid of the parents disapproving - perhaps they should be more concerned with controlling their child.. They obviously don't care what you think of them or how their child's behavior reflects on them, so why offer them the courtesy of worrying what their thoughts are, if the child's behavior is directly affecting you? Again - as a kid - i was punished by whomever witnessed the act, and there was never any flak because of it... half the time i got it double, once my parents found out what i did, even knowing i was already spanked. When did we, as a society start allowing kids to run the show? My nephew got into a hitting phase, starting around 5. Old enough where he knows better. He became a bully to his siblings, and to many extents, a bully to his parents as well. They offer zero correction. Their idea of parenting is to sit on a couch and yell. there is never any penalty - be it severe or otherwise.. there is simply no set of rules for this child. anyways - he was disciplined verbally by me for something he was doing, and his reaction was to hit me square in the face. I spanked him hard enough for him to feel it, and then placed him in a corner. Whatever dynamic he has with his own parents (he still hits them freely, because they believe in the "buddy system" of parenting - one of the main reasons the rest of my family avoids them like the plague.. their rotten children) anyways - regardless of that dynamic he has with them - he has never even thought to raise his hands to me again. He's still a horrible little devil spawn - and spanking shouldn't be the first response - but i disagree very strongly with the thought that it shouldn't be considered at all. Below the age of empathy - children are trained much like dogs... immediate causality, immediate effect. Sometimes, all it takes is an immediate penalty to end an otherwise troublesome behavior. That penalty sometimes has to be escalated to a spanking. We're not talking beating, straps, broken chairs over the back or cigarette burns... I've heard that analogy so many times, i have to laugh. Its a spanking.. its introducing some discomfort into the child's bottom, and setting a very clear boundary. Spanking works... I wish people weren't so overly fearful of it. Now as for spitting.. depending on the age and the type of "spit" - ie: was it hocking a lugie, or merely blowing a raspberry? If the latter - its disrespectful, but common enough in everything they see be it TV, mocking adult behavior, or cartoons... it should be met with a stern verbal correction. If it was a full on lugie however - sorry but that doesn't fly, ever. If the kid doesn't immediately see the error, and be made to apologize for it, spank away.

This weekend I was able to give the quilt to Lawson and his reaction was wonderful. He liked it and loved the animals. I think at this point the pillow is his favorite part. He says he's not giving up the pillow I gave him as part of the baby quilt but this one will go on his bed right next to it. After a couple days of listening to us all talking about quilts (I was up in Atlanta for the GA Quilt Show) he started to understand what it was all about. He asked "Did you really do each one of these stitches yourself? And did this start out like little pieces of blanket then you put them all together?" I'm not sure he believed me when I said yes! lol I had so much fun giving this to him!