I was thinking of Marda today so thought I'd check in to see if, by some miracle, the capability to add music to a thread had returned. I miss her "Those No Longer With Us" thread. It always made me cry, but it was a cleansing cry. It was just what I needed to be able to move through the holidays without the ones who made all the difference. I'm just about done with my shopping, only have to find something for DB. I sat and pondered what to give a persnickity carnivor and started searching for some great piece of meat. Maybe buffalo burgers or a moose roast? I came across an elk carcass on sale at Amazon and wondered what the heck an elk carcass was. Still don't know much more than it's 225 lbs of meat, but I was hysterical laughing at the buyers reviews! I laughed until I cried, and am still laughing. Have been working 14-16 hour days for the past 2 weeks and I'm tuckered out both mentally and physically. Haven't had a chance to bake a thing yet, and there is a box to be mailed home to PA and another one to South America where a friend was recently stationed. I've threatened to withold sending the box if he doesn't stop sending me pictures of the beautiful Andes Mountains and, just to break my heart, pictures of him at the beach. Christmas is a big deal in South America and life is winding down to a complete halt for him, which isn't good for someone so far away from home. I think of all my soldiers in Iraq, how many holidays they've spent over there now, and wonder if there will ever come a time when we'll have a Christmas with no war. Last Monday our high was 81, tomorrow's high isn't suppose to get out of the 40's. As is normal after being exposed to thousands of soldiers and physically exhausting myself, I feel a cold coming on. There is too much yet to do, I can't afford to get sick. If I don't get a tree up soon, DS is liable to move to the house down the street that has not one, not two, but THREE Christmas trees displayed in the windows across the front of their house. Show off's. They're beautiful, I'm jealous of their free time, but it's not going to happen in this magic kingdom. I made a pot of barley soup yesterday using pork neck bones. My Grandmother taught me how to make this soup, she always used pigs feet and called it "Trotter Stew". As much as I loved it, it had a lot of fat that had to be taken off. The neck bones had some, but not much, and the soup was just the ticket on a cold, blustery day. One of the Officers from the PA National Guard brought me a cheese cake as a thank you on Friday and it's sitting in the ice box calling to me. Always seems the things that are bad for me have the loudest voice in the ice box. The carrots and celery can't seem to get above a whisper. Tomorrow is Monday and is suppose to be my last day of work for the year. I've once again went over my carry over cap on vacation time and, darn the luck, am being forced to use it or lose it. The boss is frantic since my last remaining employee left for a job in Korea and he has no one to monitor my operation. Sucks to be him. Merry Christmas. Tuesday I'm going to dig out the microwave booties Jan gave me a few years ago, sit back, relax, and let visions of sugar plums dance in my head. Wednesday is the first day of winter vacation for the kids, so DS and I will find a tree and spend the day decorating. It's going to be a simple Christmas, filled with simple pleasures...my child and me. Now it's off to find that special piece of meat for the carnivor. If I procrastinate long enough, I might stumble upon a reindeer carcass!

Thanks again for the kind words. My DD took the pic, she is home from college and I suggested she do a painting of the house. I hope she does! I am glad she took the pic when she did- we have had unusually severe storms and they are a little worn looking now. foxy earth great advice,I think I will do just that! Thanks The little flowers in the front are oenethera -evening primrose. Wow I havent thought of Donna Reed in ages!! Lorna- I love Don Juan( no jokes please!) and Golden Showers. faltered, Weeelll,, they were little when they were planted, by the time they were on the columns just a little, DH was hooked. They do unhook and can lay back a bit to paint the columns. We have done that. Maybe this will help you do it!! ( am I enabling? I think I am enabling you)

For years I had a tube feeder full of nyjer seed, but sparrows used it more than anything else. Only once in a while I would see a goldfinch eating from it. A month ago I replaced the tube feeder with a sock. There was an immediate increase in goldfinches, with up to a few of them on it several times the first week. After one week there was a big increase in goldfinches and it has not let up yet. There are almost always 1-4 goldfinches on the sock and several times, including today, there have been 8-12 fighting each other to get a space on the sock. They are such beatiful birds and it is great to see so many of them now. I hang the sock from my tree about 6 feet from the ground and so far I've never seen any squirrels messing with it.

Hi all. Sorry for the delay in posting this. Yes, i am retired! I grow many types of cacti and succulents that are hardy here in Franklin. Most are Opuntias (Prickly pears and Chollas) but a few barrel types as well. Here's a partial list: O. humifusa O. imbricata (gets to be about 4 to 5 ft tall here) O. viridiflora (ditto) O. whippleii O. fragilis ( many cultivars) O. basilaris ("iffy" in our climate) O. macrorrhiza (many cultivars) Escobaria vivipara (cute pink flowers) Echinocereus triglochidiatus (BEAUTIFUL orange to red) A bunch of different sedums...mostly miniature types A bunch of Sempervivums some Jovivarbas some Orostachys some Delosperma (not reliable here but easy to start from cuttings) Mammilaria wrightii ( not supposed to be hardy here but mine stays out all year and seems to do well for 4 yrs now.) Yucca glauca, and filamentosa And I'll be planting some Agaves (Century plants) when I can find some. My garden was made with a product called "Paver Base" from Menards. I simply bought a bunch, laid down newspaper, and built a mound over it. It works great! Dave Franklin