I don't have the answer for you but I am so jealous of your coral bells!!! I will have some in a trade this spring sometime but I have wanted them for about 3 years now. As for planting I might give it a try. But keep in mind that Thurs. and Fri. are gonna be pretty darn cold at nighttime. March is just so unpredictable it's hard to know for sure what is coming up. Wouldn't want you to lose your plants due to a freeze. I think your hosta's would be OK but that's just a guess. I don't know for sure.

Oh goodness, I can see I was not clear... my friend treated me to lunch at a local eatery--that's why (in my initial post) I was surprised when I was approached and told "no photos!" Sorry for my miscommunication. It was all delicious, and really, a lot more from which we could choose, but this is what we enjoyed. I love the green tea ice cream, and only get it once or twice a year, so that was especially enjoyed! This week is my second week of "early Spring break" from teaching, and that's always special to me--it was even more wonderful to be surprised and treated to lunch! Watch out for spam!! Smiles, Sooz

Thanks so much for all your kind words. I was both very happy and very sad all day long yesterday. Happy because my son is doing what he wants to be doing and enjoying it very much, and that he was alive and healthy; sad because I worry so incredibly much about him over there and was wishing selfishly that he was safe back home again . . . that they all were. But, his unexpected call (just as I was typing the last words of my post here) was fantastic! We actually had a nice long chat. It was so good to hear his voice and to know that he was OK. Afterwards, I headed down to Albuquerque so that I could meet up with his birthmom near to her office. We had a great lunch at a place called Brava Bistro and while we ate (gazpacho and bruschetta . . .yumm!), I filled her in on family , DS's call and passed along the message that he'd be calling her later that evening so that he could talk to his (half)sisters, too. It was a good seeing her again. I love that she and DS look so much alike. Same coloring, same beautiful pale blond hair, same features, same smile. She and her two young daughters (she's divorced) have become like family to us over the years and have even spent some holidays here with us. I both love and admire her very much . . . plus, she's a lot of fun to be with! As usual, we had someone take a couple of pics of us to send to our (hers and mine . . . we share him now) son. But, please don't think I'm some kind of saint about all of this, I'm not. If she had turned out to be some nutcase, I wouldn't have this kind of arrangement with her. But, she's a wonderful, down-to-earth, very good person (awesome, actually) and everyone of us has benefited hugely from this openness and sharing. Anyhoo, it was a fun lunch. Below is a (cropped) pic taken of us at the restaurant. It shows my special ring. I had them take one to show DS I was wearing it once again. Lynn And here's a pic I took of DS on his first birthday. I gave his birthmom a copy of it. he had a Cookie Monster birthday cake, hence the bright blue icing. Not the greatest idea for a birthday boy in a white outfit (LOL!):

Thanks everyone - It really was amazing!!! I walked into Jolane and there was Peppi exactly as she said she would be. She's pretty much told you everything but I want to add a bit. Peppi is the first cooking forum friend I've met in real life and she was raving about some of the other friends she's met through here. If y'all are half as nice as she claims, I can't wait to meet more of you. Next time anyone is in Chicago or passing through, drop me an email and we can get together for more of this addictive kind of fun. We talked so much and had such a great time they had to kick us out - very politely of course - but then we had already been there for THREE hours!! Where did that time go? Good thing Peppi wasn't working that day - that was a very long lunch hour. I had the best girlfriend lunch ever. Most of my girlfiends are salad nibblers and forget about dessert. Peppi and I shared a delicious lunch and between the two of us we finished most of it. When we were emailing back and forth to set it all up she said something to me that just struck a chord..."Never trust a skinny cook". I'm framing it for my kitchen - it just made me feel so warm and good. Of course I can't let that be an excuse not to get to a healthier weight but it is a lovely thought :) Next time, and i know there wil definitely be one, we will take pictures and maybe I'll get brave enough to put a picture of myself on the internet. I had to run, barely made it home before the bus, but I did. Peppi did you run into the Viking shop? Just wondering if that's where you picked up that cool (hot) pepper de-seeder?