Thanks for the ID, Alicia. Now what do we do? A little research via our dear friend Google discovered that --- Wildflower species with state endangered status that occur within NACE jurisdiction include Auricled Gerardia (Agalinis auriculata), Blunt-leaved Spurge (Euphorbia obtusata), Potato Dandelion (Krigia dandelion), ***Carolina Spinypod Milkvine (Matelea carolinensis)***, Creeping Cucumber (Melothria pendula), Swamp Lousewort (Pedicularis lanceolata), Rustling Wild-petunia (Ruellia strepens), and Veined Skullcap (Scutellaria nervosa). Do we contact someone at NACE about our tiny localized find? Nurture it and try to propogate more? Gardening suddenly becomes more than just a lifestyle/hobby/routine ;) Here is a link that might be useful: National Capital Parks-East

When I place my 25 pound bag of sugarless angelfood cake mix in FS containers, I used 2 gallon zipper bags to hold about 10 pounds in each canister, and I leave the bags partially open. I used the big 1.5 gallon huge size canisters. I do make sure that the rubber seals are very clean and have no bits of stuff or foreign materials in the seal areas. The domed canisters are easy to pull a decent vacuum on. I use a seperate vacuum pump however as it gives me a much stronger vacuum that can hold a cover on for many months. Thats how my cake mix is stored, and is still under vacuum, as is the grated cheese in the fridge. If there is even a single nick on the plastic edge where the seal is made to the rubber ring, it will usually leak. I have moistened the lip with a little water and placed the lid on and its pumped down quite well. Another way to get that seal to hold better is to use a very light coating of non stick spray, applied on a paper towel. Its applied VERY THIN and would be lighly applied to the plastic rim of the canister. This will help to ensure a good seal, but the best I get is when I use my external vacuum pump. For the big bucket shaped containers with flat and concave lids with the knob, I have has to fix a few small cracks that show up around the knob. I use crazy glue to pull the glue into the cracks under vacuum and its hardened off with an activator that turns it solid in one second. The cracks that form are because I use a very powerful vacuum pump. Right now, I have a batch of vinegar salt brine waiting for the next wave of pepperoncini peppers to get canned, and its under vacuum. Basically, a stronger vacuum pump may be needed. It also may be that the pump you have inside the FS is either dirty or worn out so its not pulling a vacuum very well. The pumps in the FS are quite small, and most have a built in sensor that shuts them off once they reach a specific pressure which is obviously lower than 30 inches of mercury (read on a vacuum gauge). The square or rectangular containers will crack down the sides every time. I went through 3 of them and found that even though they are thick plastic, its not designe dwell enough to hold a good vacuum. All my square ones cracked in the corners.

Bright, Nice job!! Love the quilted placemats. I really really like the setting with the tan placemat and the two dishes. I think it highlights the dishes nicely. The dinner plates and the floral salad plates go together very well. Good eye! Love it. And your green creamer and sugar set are absolutely gorgeous!! I bought a couple of new shelves for my craft room this month which blew away my budget so I have been resisting temptation to go to the dish stores and you are not helping with that at all! :) Mo

And if you do need an abrasive for, say, soap scum or dried-on toothpaste, a paste of Oxyclean and water rubbed on with a plain old rag or sponge does wonders. I LOVE Oxyclean and use it for almost everything. Don't buy it off the TV, it's a lot cheaper to get it at Walmart or KMart. The cheapie version they sell at the dollar store doesn't work anywhere near as well, I think, because it's more filler than anything else. I had to use so much that it negated any savings.