nymphgarden, I`d like to see a list of your Lotuses. For Lotus I have Mrs. Perry D. Slocum that has bloomed 12 times so far this year, A Carolina Queen, and an un-named that has bloomed twice this year and I have pictures of the blooms. If you could use other pond plants, outdoor plants, or house plants in trade let me know what category and I`ll send you a list. I`d like to make a trade with you if possible. LMK Xjaxx Jack jatoni@sc.rr.com

Hi there, from a fellow Minnesotan! I like the idea of three bean salad, and you could easily put that together in a hotel room and the day before! How about picking up a cold shrimp cocktail from the supermarket deli? Or a pound cake and some strawberries for dessert? Here ae a couple more ideas to add to your list of considerations: White Corn Salad 2c frozen shoepeg white corn 3/4c chopped roma tomato 1/2 c chopped cucumber 2T chopped green bell pepper 3T white wine vinegar 1-1/2 tsp olive oil 1 tsp Dijon mustard tsp salt 1/8 tsp ground black pepper 1 clove garlic, minced Combine vegetables in bowl, toss. Combine remaining ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously. Pour over corn mixture and toss well. Serves 4 From Cooking Light magazine, date unknown Make the orzo for this one before leaving home and just kkep it chilled in a zip lock bag. Greek Orzo Salad 1c uncooked orzo 2c chopped cucumber 1\-1/2c cherry tomatoes, quartered 1c feta cheese,crumbled 1/2c chopped onion 1/2c chopped fresh parsley 1/2c chopped black olives 2tsp salt 1/4tsp pepper Dressing: 1/3c extra virgin olive oil 1/3c lemon juice 1tsp minced garlic ½ tsp salt 1/4tsp pepper Cook orzo, cool, place in bowl with prepared vegetables. Toss with dressing and chill If you can keep the fruit cold, you could make this in your hotel room, too. Super easy! Sunny Fruit Fiesta 1 cantaloupe, halved and seeded ½ honeydew, seeded 1/4c sugar 1/4c fresh lime juice 2T fresh lemon juice 1T orange-flavored liqueur (optional) 1-1/2 tsp grated lime zest 1c fresh sliced strawberries 1c black or red seedless grapes Using a melon ballr scoop cantaloupe and honeydew into balls, set aside. or just cut fruit into bite size chunks In large glass or ceramic bowl, combine sugar, lime juice, lemon juice liqueur and lime zest. Stir well to dissolve sugar. Add fruit and toss gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour to blend flavors, stirring once or twice. Spoon the fruit mixture into serving bowls or hollowed out melon halves, dividing evenly. Serves 6. **For a tropical version, substitute kiwi slices, papaya or pineapple chunks, or mango cubes. Add a little grated fresh ginger, and maybe a dash of coconut extract. Linda

Try going out at night with a light, it looks a bit like weevil damage, give the tree a shake and see what falls out.

When my husband's job moved to another state and him with it, I stayed behind (it was 400 miles) to get ready to sell and move. He went house hunting in the new town all by himself. I told him that the new home must have a garbage disposal, a window over the kitchen sink and a big window with a view from the kitchen table. Other than those 3 things, I could make do with whatever house he picked out. The day we moved in was the first time I saw my new home. It had the disposal, and a window over the sink, but it was too high for short me to see anything out of it but the tops of trees. And there was a window with a view from the table, but the dog couldn't see out of it. Within 2 months those windows were changed to accommodate both me and the dog. I loved that house, DH did a great job house hunting on his own.