adrienne - no tea for me :-) The patio hosta bed is one of my favorite things. The 'Elegans' hosta is a particular favorite - it is 5-6' wide with enormous leaves. I tried to arrange the hostas as a color progression and play with big and small ones. So the bed starts in the L between the patio and the ramp with the smallish blue 'Halcyon', then the huge blue 'Elegans', then the smallish blue and gold variegated 'June' (although the gold variegated has faded out to a light green over the years...), then it moves back to big again but continues the gold variegation theme with 'Frances Williams', then along the north side it goes back to big blue with a couple of 'Bressingham Blue'. Behind the blue 'Elegans' and 'Halcyon' is the big blue and white 'Northern Halo' and behind 'Francis Williams' and 'June' is the large, bright green 'Piedmont Gold' (which is getting overrun by the big Persicaria polymorpha!) The pots of Golden Forestgrass that goes so well with 'Frances Williams' are usually in the boxes of the planter bench. We didn't bother setting up the bench this year so I just grouped the pots near the hosta. I do like to play with color and I like big, bold plants :-) beeps - The big Copper beast (a Briard - a breed aptly described as 'a German Shepherd in a clown suit'!) is a house guest for a week while her owners are on vacation. The little beast is ours. Misty takes no guff from her big buddy!

Summer (since that's the season we're in and most people seem to be mentioning): 1. Picking berries (mostly blueberries), eating some in the field, some baked (Grandma's strawberry shortcake, blueberry buckle, Dad's blueberry pancakes) and freezing the rest. 2. Fireflies - still see some occasionally but very late and fewer than I remember - my DD has never caughyt one in her life, DS probably doesn't remember doing it. Are they getting scarce all over or just up north here? 3. Running in the sprinkler and Slip N Slide (my kids love this - DD and my cousins' kids literally spent all day yesterday sliding - and then after dinner the kids started passing water balloons, the adults started throwing them and it turned into a free-for-all). 4. Sunday dinners at my grandparents' house, often picnics at the farm (my great-uncle inherited, my cousin lives there now) and staying late into the night, out on the lawn, most of us barefoot (incl my uncle!) and listening to my uncles singing amazing harmonies (though my grandma couldn't sing and my dad still can't). Enjoyed joining my uncles, 1 aunt, a couple cousins singing around the bonfire last night - DD stayed up til 9pm running around with the other kids and glowsticks (at my uncle's place just down the hill from the farmhouse - he bought the neighbor's house and some of the south field and orchard from my great-uncle, I got the northern woods). 5. Haying (first rolling the bales together in groups for the men to pick up when we were too little to do anything else, then when older driving the truck, then when stronger helping the men pick up the bales and put them in the barn). Not sure that was a "pleasure" but it was part of summer. 6. Playing in the woods behind our house with my brother when I was 7-8, and then a different house with neighbor girls when I was 10-12, before we moved to a *more* rural spot, where my parents still live). They're building a house now in the swamp next to our first house - I can't believe it passed wetlands! 7. Riding my bike to the library where I worked as volunteer librarian in the summer. 8. Riding my horse out in the fields (though mucking out the stalls and rounding up the cows and ponies after the ponies busted out of the fence wasn't fun). The smell of a horse on a hot day - it's been a long time but I still remember it...stopping for a drink at the brook and cool off in the shade of the trees... 9. Camping near the seashore, digging for clams and having steamed clams and homemade chowder for dinner, sleeping in a tent after staying up late sitting around the fire (but I don't miss the sandfleas). 10. The fireman's parade, carnival rides, and fireworks - going this week with the kids. I guess they still have many of the same experiences I had, in the same places, though they don't have quite as many siblings and cousins, they do have some cousins who come visit, and we still occasionally get together (like yesterday) with 2nd cousins. Why don't we run this thread every season/holiday?

Oh, I just noticed- it should have read "a jar OF honey" not "on". Doh. What a great idea, glenda. Thanks for the suggestion! Yes, I know socks, it's so lovely. They must have found an old jar and used it as I've never seen new ones like that. Which makes me think that would be a clever and wonderful idea - using vintage and unusual jars for honey and jams, too. I suppose getting the correct lids for a good seal would be necessary though.

I would buy it too! Actually I would want a monthly subscription. 1 sample is never enough!!!! I'm not sure either about the jars. Plastic would be lighter and cheaper to mail. But can get squashed. The lid would need to seal tight. I would also make some stickers on the front with your name & such. I'm not sure about detergent. I was thinking along the lines of Verizon and a Verizon reseller. They're allowed to sell Verizon service but cannot claim to be the real Verizon. Just an example that comes to mind.