Nice. I hope it doesn't get any direct sun though, as that will fry the plants. Here is a link that might be useful: Trini Garden This post was edited by triniguy on Wed, Jul 3, 13 at 20:36

Cats and cameras were made for each other! And she looks like a decoration or 'setting' to me, LOL. Lynne, I hear you. My Orange Tornado has been incredibly well-behaved with my Christmas things, to my total amazement. But when I made the decision a couple of days ago to leave it up, due to folks being here the 18th, it seemed HIS opinion was "enough already"!! He removed the hanging crystals from the chandelier, then the next day he removed 3 little bird ornies from it. So far the garland is still intact on it. Last night he knocked over a tiny decorated tree in a ceramic pot up on a shelf, shattering the pot all over the floor. I am ready to take everything down NOW. ASAP. And store HIM along with it. Arrrggghhh. hugs, Karen

I made a "bathroom" basket for friends of mine that were visiting from out of town. I wanted them to feel at home & not awkward about asking for anything they might have forgetten to pack. I always save the little soaps, shampoos, conditioners, etc. from our stays at hotels. I used these items in my basket along with some sample size products from the store, such as shaving cream, tooth paste, body powder, deodorant & a lint brush. Then I included some things like disposable razors, tooth brushes (left those in the rappers they came in so the guests wouldn't think they were someone elses or that they'd been used before) sample headache medicine, etc. In the guest bedroom they were staying in I made another simple basket that I put a map of our town in case they wanted to go exploring on their own, a couple of sheets of pretty stationary & envelopes, a pen and a few stamps. Don't know if you drink, allow drinking in your home, or if your guests drink; but if the answers are yes I have another suggestion. I also set up a tray on another table in the guest bedroom which I supplied with two (pre-chilled before their arrival) miniture bottles of champange, two champagne glasses (could be white wine glasses also) and a small box of Godiva chocolates. I found the champagne & chocolates at one of those import stores, so they weren't as expensive as if I had purchased them at the grocery or specialty store. Oh, something else I just thought of. I put a small box of tissues in the room, and I don't usually keep a small waste basket in the guest room, but deceided to put one in there so my guests wouldn't have to run all the way to the kitchen or bathroom to dispose of their trash. Hope some of this helps and I hope you have a wonderful visit with your friends!

We LOVE our dogs! We've always had large outdoor dogs. The two indoor dogs we've had were small. We live in the country and they get to run free, swim in the surrounding lakes, and chase rabbits and howl at the full moon :) When they are "caged" it's a 3/4 acre pasture, not a crate that many are in during the day when no one is home (and/or at night). I'm home all day and have interaction with my dogs on and off all day. The weekends are full of outdoor activities around here (they're right in the middle of whatever is going on). They have grandchildren that play with them. They are my first defense against would be intruders. They bark at the slightest movement/sound (trust me :o ) Was it a coincidence that the first time they came in at night last year, we had a pack of feral hogs root up our south lawn??? I don't think so :o So the point of having an outdoor dog is no different than having an indoor dog...companionship. BTW, if you've ever seen a Lab jump in a sub-freezing lake to retrieve a duck or just for recreation and LOVE it, you'd know that they are fine in their igloo dog houses filled with cedar shavings :) Could all dogs do well in that environment? No, that's why we choose a breed that can.