So, how's your collection doing so far? Just to remind you, I have AV plantlets for the asking. I need to cut down, badly. Here's what I have ready at the moment: Little Chatterbox (semimini) Rob's Pewter Bells (semimini) Bloomlover's Shadow (semimini) Princess Jade (semimini girl leaf, pink flowers - small plantlets) Witch Doctor (standard) Snowy Skies (large standard) Blue and white double (almost rose shaped) semimini/small standard trailer, NOID What I have starts of, ready in a couple months maybe: Allegro Coronation Frozen in Time Genetic Blush Silverglade Baubles Buckeye Crinkle Peach Ness's Orange Pekoe Whirligig Star Bob Serbin sport Green Ice (all standards) That's just off the top of my head. You can check out my list on my profile, I have starts of almost everything I have, as backups. I only need one backup though : ) If anyone else is interested, feel free to contact me, but I am NOT trading for AVs. Like I said, I need to cut down, not increase my collection. Avsforme gets first pick, but after that, I'm sure I'll still have plantlets available. Especially Witch Doctor. I'll probably post over in the Exchanges section in a few days, after I evaluate what I still have and what's ready.

Michelle, It is 3:35 p.m. and I am watching The Weather Channel and it sounds like Arkansas is really getting it already and conditions are supposed to worsen, so I guess the Fort Smith forecasters may "ignore" ya'll even more if you're not having the ice too. Yes, we can hope we're wrong, but "in my bones" I feel like it is going to be a bad one. I can tell by the number of birds coming to feed, and we have huge numbers today. I just refilled the feeders and put out deer corn an hour ago, and the birds are having a big old pre-storm feeding frenzy right now. Randy and I both use the Weather Underground a lot and I love their forecasts. If you've never used it, you can access it via www.wunderground.com. Randy, I agree about the internet accuracy, but I have to say that our local TV forecast (Channel 12, KXII, the local CBS affiliate) has improved a lot since Steve LaNore became their chief meterologist. Still, I take it with a grain of salt and merge together their forecast, various online sources, the NWS and my own "intuition" to arrive at my own idea about what I think "will" or "might" happen. I bet the Eskies had fun. If it snows, and they get to go out and play in it, I hope you'll take a photo of them to share with us. Ada, Uh-oh. That's not good news. Y'all be careful. I think the perennials will be OK as long as their roots weren't bone dry. If they were bone-dry, you might have some root death. After all my bragging about what a fine job our local electric co-op does keeping the power up, I saw we're now forecast to get about 1/2 inch of ice here. Well, if that happens, the trees won't even have to bring down the poles and power lines, because the ice on the power lines will bring everything down all by itself. Oh, I dread the power being out. Our house is all-electric, so if we lose power, we're gonna be cold. Moni, I'm glad you're hubby is going to be able to make it home safely before the icing gets worse and the roads are even more dangerous. We went out and did all our errands early. Now we're just waiting for the fire pagers to go off, because as soon as the temps hit 32, the accidents start popping up on the Interstate like dandelions pop up in our pastures in spring. I don't really understand the sudden ice storm trend the last 5 or 6 years. Our first few years here, we had some gorgeous snowstorms and that was so much fun for someone like me who grew up in snow-deprived Fort Worth. These last few years, though, it is all ice and no snow. I'd rather have snow. Well, if I had a choice, I'd rather have 6" of rain and nothing frozen, but that's not gonna happen! Dawn

Good afternoon everyone----just got in from the yard, boy do I need to rake and trim. C.Myrtles with broken branches, lilacs with broken branches, and I am not sure my cherished Japanese maple will make it this year. I think the long extended drought got my azalea as well. On the bright side, day lillies, jonquils, hyacinths are coming up and looking pretty good compared to what we have been through. My roses are trying to bud out, I could not believe it but I figure I will lose most of the new growth to the elements or my pruning in the up coming month. Thats okay, I am moving most of the plants this year anyway. I am having a new section of fence put in and plan on trying a water feature. Susan and Randy: I bought seeds for butterfly habitat! Okay, so maybe this could be a little addicting but I have visions of a solid bed for the butterflies and hummers in the back yard by my weeping peach tree. I am practicing my poor photography skills to try to get pixs to share. My DH asked me to get somemore Mr. Lincoln roses for the front yard. He loves those roses. And of course his standard coleus for under the oak tree. He loves those the most so I fix him up a little piece of ground just for him. He doesn't actually garden but he loves to drive in the driveway at night and see the coleus waiting on him. Okay, so that was probably TMI but I decided to share. Been looking at the pixs of New York in the snow. Although I still think the ice is much worse than snow. Had relatives live in Maine and they did tell me you have to shovel your roof to keep them from collapsing if the snow is to heavy. Shot I dont even shovel the drive here much less the roof. She also told me she hated the fact you could not grow okra and usually only got a small crop of tomatoes due to the cold weather. Mike Morgan reminded everyone last week we just have 6 weeks to the official beginning of spring. However, I have found over the years that my grandmother told me wait until Easter. She had a theory that we always had a cold front the week of Easter. She had a very green thumb but I dont have that kind of patience. But be prepared Wednesday, we may have some snow, so as the commercial says, "Buy that bread". I just hold my breath that the power stays on, my daughter and grandkids were in Woodward when they lost power for several days, it was really rough on everyone. Glad to meet some old members who are coming back. Look forward to checking the forum daily.

I did some beading too.... I had two ladies from freecycle, that between the three of us , we are doing some book trading...So I made them my beaded book markers as a thank you. I'm planning on making another one or two tonight. If I get it done I'll post a picture. We are not iced in but it is darn cold...So I've been trying to think of things to do that are little and not real involved. I've got some Valentine fabric. I thought I would make a couple of heart shaped hot pad holders for my cousins who I have lunch with once a month. I like to have a little gift for them on the months that have a holiday. patti