Oh thank you all so much!! Miss sherry, I only have one citrus tree actually planted in yard so far, it was here already and it's a Washington navel dwarf, and thought it was dead after all the freezes last winter and all the cats eating leaves,but recently a few shoots of new leaves started growing out from root, original tree (it's tiny) is all dead wood so idk what's going on with the new stems popping up, they are kind of on side right next to the "dead" stems. I need to plant something and get it established before I get bombarded with eggs next summer! Thanks for the coffee suggestions!! I always have coffee around so will try tomorrow!! Thanks again everyone!! So far looks like all of the cats are okay with the lime, had a few that wandered around for a few hours, I guess looking for lemon leaves. Lol, I had one 5th instar a while back, moved him indoors to feed him older satsuma leaves and leave new growth on lemon for the little cats, he had just molted into last instar, and anyway, moved him in, he didn't eat satsuma leaves or the orange leaves I tried and then he made his sling and pupated, never even purged, never ate one bite after molting last time, but he eclosed just fine and flew right off after a couple hours!! Guess he just didn't like change! �;-) I swear there must kit be a ctrr

I don't really mean "fertilizer" if you have interpreted that to mean chemical ferts, which I don't use. I have Espoma Flower Tone (3-4-5), and chicken manure (3-4-2), which are the only ferts I use - well, I have the acid fert for my acid-loving plants and of course, the infamous Tomato Tone. The only reason I use this is to build my soil and to add some micros to the mix that might have been depleted since last year. I didn't add anything to the soil at the time I planted the peas, but then I did sprinkle a bit of the Espoma Bloom Tone around the soil close by, to give them a jump start, which was effective BTW. So, the remainder of the bed (the Peas consumed only about 1/4 of the surface area) has not been amended with anything for a couple of years. I didn't add anything last year because I was just growing Zinnias, Datura, and Mexican Sunflowers in it, and they don't really need any kind of soil enrichment at all. Anyway, for that reason, I wanted to add some chicken manure into the soil to continue building the soil there. I rarely use very much of it. As I said, I tend to be on the side of underfertilizing as opposed to over. So, I concur with you because I want to "build" the soil and not depend on chemical fertilizers to do a temperary fix for me. I haven't added or bought a chemical in many years. So I don't know where you are getting that I add anything other than organic soil building material. I also mix in brown matter such as composted leaves, and of course, my little bit of cat frass, LOL! Are you considering the Espomas as chemical fert? I know that the Nitrogen in it is really NOT organic at all. But, I had thought to use the Flower Tone, as I mentioned, for primarily the micros it adds. This was a new bed I created about 3 years ago, had been (and still is to a lesser extent) just bermuda and crab grass, with a bit of Commelina thrown in, which is easy to pull up. It had sat, unused and unfertilized by me for approx 10 years. Consequently, it was pretty lean soil. I know I need to have the soil tested, but for some reason I have a block against it - too much trouble. So, I mess around with it and if things grow well, they grow well and I've done something right. God knows I don't do everything right. But I am extremely conscientious about just building my soil. I would appreciate your insight as to what I CAN grow this time of year in the form of an edible - maybe peppers? Not really fond of them, but might use a few for salsa. Beans? Any dwarf varieties? It's probably too late and too early to plant anything right now. If so, I can always put a few Salvia in there. Susan

I see there is interest in this so I'll link to my animal communicator's website. The communicator, Gayle Nastazi, has always been very helpful to me. I have used her services with many of my cats in various situations; from dire emergencies (missing animal- found after 3 weeks!), to behavioral issues, to intergration and rescue issues with feral and abandonned cats that come into my care. I always learn something from every session. Although I know the whole idea strikes some people as pretty far-fetched (and that's OK), I feel comfortable saying that it has worked very effectively for me, and that I think it makes resolution of some difficult issues much easier. One thing I can say for certain is that Gayle is completely legitimate. I have met her in person. I also have no financial interest in this referral - just a hope that my suggestion might be useful. Click on the clink below and look for the Animal Communication link at the top left of the page. Carry on from there if you are interested. RE: Various Animal pee cleaners/destinkes - I think many (most?) employ some kind of enzyme. My conclusion after using all of them is that after the bottles are opened and partly used that it's possible that exposure to air in the emptying bottle degrades the enzyme significantly. It always seems to me that they work like gangbusters at first and then less so, particularly if not used up in a short time. Then I try another brand and it seems to work better (even tested side by side), but eventually poops out, too. I have tried Odor-X, Nature's Miracle and Get Serious, along with scads of others. The pattern seems to hold for all, so now I only buy in quarts not gallons, even though it's 'way cheaper in big jugs. I haven't experimented with decanting a gallon into smaller jars and keeping them closed until I've used up the other portions. Also I find it's helpful to vigorously shake the plastic bottle before applying. The idea mentioned by olychik about using rags is v. interesting and I will keep it mind. I hope that my link may be useful to you. Here is a link that might be useful: Link to Gayle Nastazi, Animal Communicator's webpage

I had a problem with a cat using the corner of the living room for a litter box. After replacing the carpet and installing hardwood, I thought the problem was solved. But no. I heard some scratching noise on the hardwood and went to investigate and found a rather unpleasant pile. What I found to solve the problem is called SSSCat. It is about the size of a hairspray can and the top contains a motion sensor. When the cat walks by it blasts a spray of air. I put one in each of the 2 corners the offenses were occurring. One blast was all it took. That cat will not set foot in the room again. you can use it on counters, furniture, rooms you want to keep the cat out of. I wish I knew about this when I still had some nice Christmas ornaments :( Here is the product description: Product Description Scat the gentle way to protect off-limit areas. Stop cats from roaming freely throughout the house. This unique spray deterrent system uses an adjustable motion sensor to detect a cat's movement within three feet of a designated area. Once the cat has been identified, the system is capable of delivering either an audible warning or combining tone and a burst of compressed air. Package includes motion sensor device, adjustable spray nozzle, compressed air spray and instruction guide. You can buy it online at Petco or Amazon. I wish I had known about this years ago !!!!!