What you may be missing is that nothing should be followed to the letter. In WS or life for that matter IMHO. The purpose of following the instructions you posted was to see how you method worked. Following them "to the letter", is what anyone else would have done to give it a try the first time. After trying the method the first time following the instructions you posted, would be the time to make any changes that would improve the method as a whole or for an individual person. In this particular method of packing up seeds, there is nothing to improve on as it isn't one that is going to work, IMHO and experience. "You changed the conditions by using tape. Would that be an absolute? Was it even mentioned? Would some other kind of tape be a better choice? (if it were needed at all)" Yes, I added the tape that was not mentioned. and yes it is an absolute to need the tape. For bubble envelopes to go through the post office at the large envelope rate, there are certain requirements to meet. One of them is for them to be uniform in thickness and slightly bendable. The straws, once placed in the bubble envelope moved around. If there where more than 3 in the envelope, they moved around when the envelope was moved into different positions, bunched up at one end and the bubble envelope was no longer uniform in thickness. Mailing it this way, without the tape would end up having the bubble envelope cost more, go as parcel rate and if you tried to send it as first class, there wouldn't be enough postage on the envelope. The tape used, scotch magic tape, was and is the best tape to use to hold down anything and the easiest to remove from anything. "You said the seeds stuck in the straws. Were they 100% dry going in? Were the straws 100% dry? Any moisture in the seed would cause problems no matter what method you use to package them." Oh yes, my seeds are as dry as you can get and have been stored in paper coin envelopes made from scrap paper for months. Tiny seeds couldn't be any dryer either and they are stored in plastic prescription medicine bottles from the local pharmacy. None of the seeds stick to the inside of the bottles. The seeds are stored inside a house with forced hot air heat, can't get any dryer than that, and heat that has been running since mid October daily. The straws couldn't have been any dryer either. In newly purchased boxes that where never opened till Sunday and been in the house, in the dry heat for almost 3 months. The issue of the seeds stuck in the straws is not an issue of how dry the seeds are or not, or how dry the straws are or not. The issue with the straws is the same as with the ziplock baggies, static electricity that holds onto and all but cements the small and tiny seeds to them. The don't come out without shredding the baggie or flushing he seeds out of the straws. OR, you just give up and toss some of the seeds out. "Constant, steady, heavy pressure on the packets for extended periods of time? "I dont believe that this is, in any way, an accurate recreation of real world conditions trades may encounter as they traveled thru the postal system." This was a perfect recreation of the abuse that our mail gets going through the postal system. From what my letter carrier has described to me at various points in time, our flat mail, first class mail, bubble envelopes get tossed around as if they where balls, have heavy packages placed on top of them and get tortured through the postal system before being given to the local letter carrier for delivery. This is one of the many reasons that bubble envelopes need to be used to ensure the safest way of transporting seeds from one location to another. If I had young children in my home which I don't, my children are all grown adults in their mid twenties an early thirties, I would have had them playing catch with the bubble envelopes for an hour to simulate the abuse they would receive going through the postal system. "As far as time, cutting, and folding, and taping and writing and sealing seems it would be a little more time consuming than using a stapler." Though I don't find it time consuming, it is much easier than using the pressure of staples and worrying about the seeds getting stuck in the straws, caused by static electricity, which is the same thing that happens when using the ziplock baggies, especially when putting small and tiny seeds in them. I do my best to reduce my plastic consumption as well. The gallon ziploc bags I use to cover my containers for WS, all get dried in the sun, packed up and reused till they can't be reused again. Usually at least 2 WS seasons and sometimes more. The same with the glad press and seal that I use for WS as well. Printer paper is a non issue in my house as well, the printer is well used and going at least 3 times a week for various things and hubby's work. I print out at least 800 packets in less than 2 hours during the summer months and know what my gardens will produce in seeds, so the cutting, folding, labeling is done long before the seeds are collected. And yes, if the printer is not used once a week, you damage the printer heads, clog them up and need new ones. May as well be printing out seed packets to keep the printer heads running. Fran

I am bumping this thread. I have hellebores in two areas of the garden; one with mature plants and the second in an area where I've been scattering seeds occasionally. This year, I found hundreds of babies around my mature plants. I transplanted around 300 of the babies over to the other area and now have collected seed to scatter in the same area. The new area has partial sun. We are in New England. My questions are: 1) Should I scatter the seeds, scatter and rake in lightly, or scatter and then cover with a light layer of something? I would prefer not to pot them and then have to plant them later. (Too much chance of me forgetting about them!) 2) When I see a baby ( around an inch and a half tall, with a 4" root), did that sprout from last year's seed or this year's? And as a followup, is the young plant (around 7-9 inches, with larger leaves), a 2 year old? Thanks, I do love these plants!

Agree that the legal issues aren't our concern. They are iVillage's. IMO they are all covered by the Terms of Service and User Guidelines that already exist here and that all agree to abide by when they join. If you have never read them, it's worth the time to do so. ;) Everything posted immediately becomes the property of iVillage. So while I have no concerns about any personal liability I do think an upfront disclaimer along the lines of "Please consult NCHFP for current guidelines etc". wouldn't hurt. And the issue of posting links also has some ramifications for Admin here as some links are prohibited - none of the common ones we use on this forum that I know of, but "Sources of Safe Canning Information" FAQ is in the works. ;) Not to mention that half the time when we post links anyway, they get ignored. As with referring someone to a FAQ, some folks just want a personal-to-them answer or they want none at all. Dave

While I think you could buy basic tile and materials to build a new shower pan and rebuild and tile the walls relatively inexpensively, I think the cost of the shower door is what will be pricey. I did a quick online search, and the least expensive neo angle door from Sterling is about $350 -- and that's without shipping/tax. Of course you'd have to follow those dimensions exactly. Almost hate to say this -- but if the same shower is still being made, your least expensive alternative would be to buy a replacement shower base from the manufacturer. Then -- it must be installed properly -- install it in a mortar base (mortar is cheap -- use lots so that the entire floor is evenly supported!!). All the best! (and good for holding your ground that caulk won't cut it!)