Oh gosh, Haley, I'm so envious of that one plate with the dogs that look like greyhounds on the left side of it. One sitting and one laying. I collect anything greyhound and whippet, and tho I've often seen the brass plates with foxhounds, I've not seen one with greyhounds. If by chance you'd be interested in selling it, please email me privately! You made a great haul, and WELCOME out of Lurkdom! No going back now, LOL.

Thank you J.D. and Carrie! Carrie, leaf roller caterpillars certainly are a problem with modern cannas. The leaf rollers I have become skipper butterflies (in some parts of the country the cats on cannas become moths) so I don't like to kill them, but I don't like them messing up the looks of the cannas either. The species cannas are resistant to them, but the flowers are small. However the hummingbirds really like them :-) I didn't have many leaf rollers on any of the cannas this year. There just haven't been that many butterfies of any kind due to the drought so it wasn't a good year to test out varieties, but I think the variety pictured above is a resistant type and if so it will make a good foliage plant. I love the dark red stems and veins. As for the modern big flowered varieties as soon as I see young caterpillars I move them to a 'catch plant' that is out of sight so the cats can live to make butterflies. They are plain little brown guys, but I like to see them 'skipping' around. You could also mist the foliage regularly with B.T.which as you probably know is a bacteria that is specific to caterpillars and not a poison. If it weren't for the caterpillar problem I'd have more cannas than I do. There are so many wonderful varieties that have beautiful exotic looking flowers.

Geesh, how come I am the last to know about this Etsy. Actually, my first buying experience did not go all that smoothly. The artist's description of my desired purchase said it was 19" x 17" oval. And that she would ship it in a wood box to protect her work and shipping is $25.00. So I click to buy it and print out my invoice. Went to the Post office and got a money order for the final amount on the invoice. Before mailing it, I got an email from the seller saying it will be $15.00 more for shipping with the wood box. I relented and sent the extra $15. When it came, the actual measurements of the item was 16" x 14", not the 19 x 17 as described. The size was important to me and a deciding factor in my buying it. I am a little unhappy, but it is beautiful and I will keep it. I emailed the seller and she was appropriately dismayed that this "mistake" was made and said that she would refund $25.00 of the money I sent. I haven't seen it yet, but it is early. This experience won't keep me from future purchases, but I wlll be asking a lot more qestions of the seller in the future.

I have learned more things than I can list here. Any time I want information, or suggestions, I turn to the KT and I've never been disappointed. Also I have learned that people you've never met in person can be so caring. I've met 39 KTers in person and I love them all. We almost feel like family when together. I have received so many cards from KTers and I have them hanging by ribbons around my hall door. I have to walk through that door to get to my bedroom and bathroom. I feel a great strength every time I walk under those cards. Thanks to all my good friends at the KT, You've enriched my life in so many ways. And I look forward to meeting many more in person.