It just so happens that I have many, many plants to re-pot (who doesn't?) come spring. I also have to divide one of my Oncidium. That should keep me busy for awhile. Maybe I'll be able to hit a plant swap or two and get rid of some of my extras. I also have this large, shallow terracotta bowl that some one in my building tried to throw out. I've been trying to decide whether I want to fill it with black mondo grass or black clover.... maybe some ice plant? It has to be something full sun tolerant and preferable not an annual. Jonathan, good luck with the maidenhair! I brought my back from the dead myself. They are one of the few houseplant that absolutely will not adapt to low humidity levels. Very unforgiving of under-watering as well!

When I participate in a swap, I always bring the bubble envy to the post office, have it weighed, find out exact postage, then put that on the "outside" for mailing to the host and that amount "inside " for mailing back to me, as I never want the host to get stuck with me not sending enough postage. Hosting one of these swaps has got to be a huge time consumer - we all (who benefit) need to make sure we do our part by handling the packaging/mailing/costs well. Also, add extra postage if you think you will be receiving back more than you are sending. Nancy

Hubby brought my bag of soil into the kitchen yesterday, is all thawed out, containers are ready to go, tomorrow I will be buying my paint pen,and I am set to go. Ahhhhhhhh, almost, still deciding on which seed to sow for "Life" See ya all dancing "Nekkid"under our clothes,under the full moon.Can't wait! cAROL

Thank you everyone, your complements make it worth my while to try to figure out what to do with two weeks worth of leftovers. Posted by hawk307 "------ DC: Talk about Dinners fit for a King !!! Wheeooo ! ---" Be careful Lou, behind every great king, there is a great queen who actually rules the kingdom. Posted by jasdip "----and now you have a year to plan next year's festivities.---" Yes I know, I hate to hear, "Come on dcarch! Not rib roast and duck again!" Posted by mustangs "Amazing!! How does one get on your guest list? Cathy" Marry me? LOL! Posted by jimster "It's the spectacular food we have come to expect of you, dcarch. And the photos too, are mouthwatering, even the blurred ones. ---" Thanks Jim, but truth be told, there are so many folks here cook with great panache, yet my cooking with sous vide, that requires absolutely no skills, nothing can go wrong, no overcooking or undercooking possible. Just flip a switch, "Set it, and forget it." Ann_t and FOAS, regarding Potato Latkes authenticity, what I went by was as defined by Wikipedia, under the section: Hanukkah Tradition - "Latkes need not necessarily be made from potatoes. Prior to the introduction of the potato to the Old World, latkes were, and in some places still are, made from a variety of other vegetables, cheeses, legumes, or starches, depending on the available local ingredients and foodways of the various places where Jews lived." And I did not invent the Mushroom Wild Rice Latkes recipe either, it was adapted from the KosherEye Web site The Wild Rice Latkes tasted very good because I didn't have Schmaltz, so I used the dripping from the roasted duck and rib roast, as it turned out, much tastier than Schmaltz, IMHO. It is always fun to engage your guests to go out of the regular food boxes a little. They really liked the purple Okinawan sweet potatoes, for instance. dcarch