I know it's hard to move across country with kids and pets and plants - my poor kids had to endure being close to my two large aloe barbadens plants, which are covered in sharp thorns; the moving company misjudged how much stuff we had after they sent out a guy and he measured and counted our boxes and furniture. Our two vehicles were packed to the ceilings, plants got a bit mashed, many left behind, and a couple were put on the truck even though it was prohibited and one died. Sad thing is, I was even more of a beginner then than I still am now, so I didn't have much at all! I can't imagine what it's like to have to leave behind that much from that long!!!!!! The pets we moved with us were 10 angel fish, 3 cory cats, guppies, and a very large African clawed frog. We moved them in 10 gal buckets, my husband bought a converter for the cigarette lighter and we had bubblers going in all the buckets. Everything survived. We had to sell a lot of fish on Craigslist before hand, which was heart breaking. But I think everyone should be responsible about their pets, so I'm glad you're taking the cats. I hate it when people leave behind cats, dump them off, or put fish into streams etc. I liked the idea of allowing people to come dig up plants; if that is acceptable to the new owners - could write something into the contract about the plants. But for yourself, definitely take a division of what you want the most, put in bags with wet paper towels as suggested earlier. Just like if you were going to do a trade online here at GW. I've been trading all summer, my first year trading, and I LOVE it!!!! You could easily get a garden full of plants just from the generous people here on GW. You could trade some of your plants here on the trading forums, if you have the time for it, and tell your trading partner to hold off sending their trade to you. You might even be able to get a division off your own plant later down the road that way. Just a suggestion. I'm addicted to this plant and seed trading!!! If you aren't trading yet, you should totally try it after you get settled into your new house. If it were me, I would be wishing the new house's garden was prepped and ready for the plant divisions I was taking as I was wrapping up my stuff with bubble wrap and paper . . . I was fretting over having a window for my houseplants!!! (In addition to worrying about whether or not the angel fish would even survive! And how I was going to keep 3 babies happy and fed as I drove alone!) It was a production, and it was VERY stressful, but it was worth it. We've been at this house for almost a year, and I have been shaping the gardens to my own liking, weeding, adding tons of new plants, weeding, expanding beds, weeding . . . and I'm so happy and proud of what I've done in one growing season. I'm going to try wintersowing this winter!!! Best of luck to you, get as much help as possible, remain calm, put it all in God's hands and let go - all will work out in the end. You'll have a lush, full garden again in just a few years!

We moved to Melbourne Beach 11 years ago from a small, close-knit, wholesome town in Utah. We thought Florida's busy East Coast would have nothing similar, but we have been pleasantly surprised with Melbourne Beach. Locals say it is where Opie's Mayberry meets Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. Melbourne High and Brevard Community College have both given our kids an intelligent, happy education. A typical street scene in Melbourne Beach is joggers, dog walkers, bike riders, and folks carrying surf rods and surf boards across A1A to the beach. Before I moved here I thought surfers were like biker gangs, but stupid me....they are peaceful, outdoorsy, one-with-nature, and very friendly to this non-surfer. Gardening is great here with bright colors blooming in shade or sun, winter or summer....first thing I do when I get home from work and climb out of the car, is visit my flowers before heading in the front door. I could go on and on...what's not to say about a beautiful island 2 miles out in the Atlantic Ocean, where you can walk to the Indian River or beach in minutes, and where your neighbors are dolphin, sea turtles, manatees, osprey, bobcats, bunny rabbits, and an amazing variety of fish, birds and other critters. Melbourne Beach technically runs for about 3 miles starting just south of the 192/ Melbourne Causeway, and then gives way to 14 miles of county land heading south to Sebastian Inlet that is also called Melbourne Beach. It is all a treasure and we are lucky to be here! This post was edited by surfsnook on Sun, Apr 7, 13 at 15:49

Wonderful pictures again Ricky. You and Karen look like you are having a GREAT time. The flowers that caught my eye are reddish brown and the picture is right under Karen's. Those flowers are really unusual. The rest are beautiful and that opal, oh my. The critters cute. DH was wondering what kangaroo tasted like. FlowerLady

Trancegemini, Sorry but I have read the posts correctly, apart from being too hasty in my typing and therefore mistaking Paradisi's comments as Misty's. I was late for work. I stand by all else that I have written. I agree that the form of development that you have described is unsuitable. It is just a cheaper version of urban sprawl. It is driven by the preference that buyers have for just the suburban block rather than a more organised and balanced mix of higher density living, community shops, larger parklands, etc. and fast transport. Government knows that urban sprawl is getting out of hand and by making blocks smaller, it is supposed to slow it down. Of course it is not slowing. But it is having an enormous strain on infrastructure. I feel many outer suburbs will end up as the slums of the future just as they have in the USA. Economies of scale naturally means that services like trains and buses are going to be much more difficult to run in a sprawl than in higher density communities. Before the car, people occupied a footprint a tenth to a fifteenth of what we do now. As a result of the car we take up ten to fifteen times more space. So it follows that it costs that much more for services and inconveniences. When the price of petrol gets even higher as it is bound to, the outer suburbs will be really hit. Where transport hubs are and commerce and shopping exists, Goverments should zone for higher density housing. There are many examples of excellent high density living with adjacent parks and gardens in Europe and the USA. But right now there are not enough votes in it. There will be inevitably though. There are many examples of outer suburbs that have become slums because of the lack of services and amenties being provided. One classic example is Los Angeles where I have spent some time. With reliance on the motorcar and very little consideration for public transport and decent educational facilities, parks, health facilities etc., there are now suburban "no go crime zones" where everyone has a backyard but nothing else. People feel so isolated with support facilities so negligible and morale is so low that crime is rampant. Freeways spaghetti everywhere and yet are still clogged. Billions are now being spent on railways but far too late. Of course everyone in these garden forums are entitled to their garden blocks but that does not mean that there must be some sensible thought into how our cities as a whole will be sustained. It also follows that inner-city high density living can also be quite enjoyable. Most folk need to live close to their work and to the things that gives them pleasure. Urban sprawl has resulted in clogged roads and unreliable public transport services. In order to save on the time it takes to travel they choose to live in higher density communities. Mostly it is surprisingly pleasant believe it or not. I know many more folk in my street than I did when I lived in the "Burbs". We...