Hi there. I know what you mean. I don't honestly remember going through this last fall, though our two buffies were much younger. THIS fall however, one of our gals started to look just ratty. She first lost all of her feathers around her neck. They share the pen with 4 indian runners so I began looking very suspiciously at one of our drakes. Then she lost her tail feathers, and her rump looked just plain round. THEN she lost all of her feathers around her vent area. I was starting to get concerned, except I could see the bristles around her neck where her feathers were coming in. Buffy didn't act herself either, she seemed reluctant to start the day and wouldn't come when I called. I started to worry a little, but she didn't quit eating, so I just kept on eye on her. Poor girl. Her sister didn't seem to suffer this year at all. It looks like it feels awful itchy, like coming home from a fresh haircut every hour, every day. Best I could do was make sure she had plenty of dirt to roll in - but it's hard for us to keep anything dry much for very long in these parts, so she just had to hang in there. Ours is better now, but I had to get after the rest of the flock for making fun of her. To make her feel better, I explained that one of my co-workers commissioned me to make a set of wings for their halloween costume this year, so her feathers won't be wasted in vain. The set of wings I'm making, I told her - would be "golden tipped" thanks to her troubles. She was rather non-plussed, but oh well. LF

Well, it's often said that the criminal returns to the scene of the crime. Must be so...I found myself in a dumpster again today! Honestly I was just going to put in my recyclables (well, actually I didn't have any right now so swiped my Mom's, I was just being helpful, no, really!). But when I dumped her's in and I looked in there and saw those square water jugs just LAYING there... *sob* ... I couldn't help myself! Luckily I just happened to have THE HOOK with me. (Say, how did THAT get in the car?) Maybe I'm in denial. Maybe I need a 12-step program. (Yes! Yes! That's exactly what I need. Because 3 steps just ain't high enough to reach the jugs in the back! woohahaha...ulp...um. Hmmm. Maybe time to adjust my meds.) ;-) Kris

If it has the same flowering habit as 'Autumnal Blue' that is noteworthy. Last time I was at Swanson's, earlier this week this item was being displayed on shelves to the left of the west door of the central greenhouse (with bulbs, information counter etc.) - with a conspicuous 40% off sign placed among the pots. The purple silk tree is a seedling that appeared in Japan, was brought to us via Hines nurseries. One year I saw other purple seedlings among a batch of green ones on offer at the Skagit Valley Gardens retail outlet south of Mt Vernon. So, it might be possible to get your own purple-leaved one by planting and growing silk tree seeds. Purple variants are certainly frequent among seedlings of Cordyline australis, while presumably not as usual with silk tree maybe not so rare as the Hines introduction might imply. I've noticed stock of the Japanese selection going bronze or even brown during summers in pots at garden centers here. Somehow I have not been able to come up with 100 bucks for a 5 gallon pot of a silk tree that may become even more blah-looking during the season than the purple honeylocust.

a2gemini: Our granite is juparana oro. The backsplash tile you see there is an inexpensive 4x4 porcelain tile. Sorry I don't remember the name but we got it at Lowes a few months ago, it is made in Italy and was $0.33/tile. It was on the shelves by all the tumbled marbled stuff that I think it's supposed to mimic. We mixed it with a tumbled marble noce pencil tile throughout: And with a few handmade tiles behind the range: Good luck with your remodel!