Thank you, Laura... such wonderful sentiments! :-) Our weather has been crazy, too... but we half expected it. Last year, we were already laying out soaker hoses and starting to water...and this year, we've gotten so much rain that we're completely saturated! We're just now able to get in and cut grass, and talk about tall! It's hard on the mowers, I'm sure, but what can you do?! If it's grass, it has to be kept mowed at least semi-regularly... and if it's garden beds, they must be kept weeded or the grasses, thistles and other nasties take over! So, we're darned if we do and darned if we don't! Mother's Day was nice... calls from my kids, and the husband made a nice dinner... while I spent the day relaxing, for the most part. There are certain chores that must be done regardless of what day it is, like cleaning and feeding dogs and other animals, but that's no big deal... I have it down to a science! ;-) I finally got the old guy to help me get photos off my camera, so I thought I'd share a few this morning... Here's a mama and her twins... My very best mouser... I call her Vixen! The next generation of excellent mousers... one of Vixen's 3 little ones... Walking from the shade garden area toward the new rose arbor... A young Peony Tree in the dappled shade garden... notice the rambler rose runners everywhere on the ground! Closeup of the flower from the Peony Tree... Another Peony Tree in the front yard... north side... And this is a Trillium that opened white and is turning a pale pink shade. It's among a patch of purple flowered hybrid Trillium I planted several years ago... you can see the mottled leaves of the hybrid... I didn't plant the white one, though... And finally, the first of the Irises are starting! I hope you enjoyed a walk around the yards with me... stick around as all the roses begin blooming and other perennials begin to color the gardens a wonderful rainbow of scented color! Thanks, Al... I can finally view Youtube, but the monitor I'm using has no sound on board... for a girl with a technological genius as a husband, I'm always the last to get upgraded! Would you believe I'm still using Windows XP?! I desperately need an upgrade to Windows 7, which should be coming shortly... when he has time to upgrade me. :-) It's kind of like being the plumber with the leaky toilet handle that sticks, or the barber that doesn't have time to cut his own hair... when you're in the business, you're last in line! :-) It looks to be another gorgeous day... sunny and hot with strong humidity... I may spend some time weeding and edging today, instead of killing myself cutting grass! Hope everyone has a lovely day! And... Happy Gardening!

I like Burt's Bees shampoo & conditioner, especially the new one "Super Shiny" because it tames my dry hair. However, there was a BB's product I tried years ago that was so awful it actually caused me pain. I'm referring to the Theraputic Bath Crystals. When I put it in the bath water my skin felt like it was been burnt alive. I couldn't jump out of the water fast enough. I've read reviews where others have had the same reaction but most people don't seem to experience a problem so I guess it depends on how sensitive your skin it. Mikasa...years ago I bought a couple of their white soup bowls open stock and loved how durable they were. So was I surprised a few years later to see how much the quality had changed when I bought an extra one. Utensils left ugly marks on the bowl that didn't wash out, even a spoon was removing the finish. I thought surely this is a fluke so I got another one and the same thing happened. Don't know what Mikasa changed but that product has gone downhill since I first bought it.

My water is softened then filtered. I have some suds no matter what I use. Some detergents I can't use at all because the amount I can use and not have excessive suds just isn't enough to clean anything. Having HE on the package really doesn't mean much in terms of suds. The lowest sudsing detergent I've ever used is Sunlight powder, not HE. Or maybe they didn't want to pay for the symbol? I often think moldy washers aren't just the result of fabric softener alone but FS and not enough detergent to compensate for it. There is extra oil left in the washer and on the fabrics after the cycle from the FS.

Some of the best cooking gifts I've gotten have been coffee table cookbooks. The kind with art book quality paper and photography, but really good recipes for out of the ordinary things as well. One was Plenty by Ottolenghi and whatshisname. Another is Aromas of Aleppo by Poopa Dweck, a lovely lady with a name that doesn't transliterate well in American. :) I also received a Breville Multicooker as a gift. It took me half a year to even figure out where to start with it because I so didn't need it, but I'm very fond of it now. It's like an Instant Pot. A thought that counts gift was the meat slicer that was meant for meats at a sandwich counter, was not up to slicing cheese (per instructions), was huge, too heavy for me who thinks nothing of lifting the KA mixer, and dangerous to clean without protective gear. Really thoughtful, but it went back to the store. Some TV chef had pooh-poohed home models, so the giver just went light industrial rather than choosing something else. ;)