I bought Starry Night and one or two other beautiful dark blue Rhododendron quite a few years ago at Cravens on Rt 50 in Fairfax, VA. At the time they had many varities of dwarf Rhododendron plus other interesting ones like deciduous etc. I have no idea whether Cravens still does this since I've moved away but if you're still looking, it may be worth a shot. Warning: I found that these and quite a few others didn't do well in Northern Virginia. PJM comes to mind, as well; it was wildly popular but very few people could make them last for more than a few years. A fellow at Merrifield Garden Center, near Cravens, told me that in truth, everyone sells everything, even though they know that some varities will crash. It just makes a spectacular and irrestible display in the nursery and you want to have them all.

YAY!!! I got the Blue Robin yesterday (unfortunately not in time to send it back out though). So I had tons of fun going through it and found lots of goodies to winter sow (especially lots of annuals!) I will put it all back together today and send it out to Amy Moday morning, I'll post the confirmation number Monday afternoon. Thanks again Tina for a wonderful swap, and thanks for the great seed options everyone!!! Here's what I took out: (22 packets) Morning Glory "Milk Way", Morning Glory "Star of Yelta", Johnny Jump-ups, Celosia "Flamingo Feather", Cactus Zinnia, Lilliput Zinnia, California Giants Zinnia, Chicory, Lemon Catnip, Pansy giant blue, Pansy Trimardeau Mix, Marigold "Safari", Impatiens, green Hosta, Wisteria floribunda, Scabiosa ochroleuca, Poppy mix, Cucumber "Garden Sweet", Tomato "Elfin Cherry", Tomato "Sweet Baby Girl Hybrid", Tomato "Porterhouse Hybrid", Dianthus "Summer Sundae". Here is what I added: (34 packets) Peony Poppy salmon, Peony Poppy red, Peony Poppy pink, Peony Poppy lavender, purple cross Poppy, Iris "Yellow Flag", Echinacea Rubinstern, Echinacea "Rocky Top", Gaillardia "Dazzler", Eupatorium "Gateway", Primrose "Sierra Sundrop", Ligularia "Desdemona", Ligularia "The Rocket", Scabiosa "Summer Sundae", Scabiosa "Ebony & Ivory", Scabiosa "Imperial Mix", Tithonia "Sundance", Heliopsis "Summer Sun", Millet "Limelight Spray", Crape Myrtle "Candycane", Verbascum "Album", Portulaca "Pink Sundial", Celosia "Glowing Spears", Helenium "Mardi Gras", Malva "Pirouette", Malva "Zebrina", Tiarella "Wherryi", Columbine "Dragonfly Hybrid Mix", Columbine purple bonnet, Columbine "Irish Elegance", Cleome "Rose Queen", Cleome "Violet Queen", Cleome "Cherry Queen", Cleome "Purple Queen".

I found this post by accident and couldn't stop laughing. What a relief to know that I am not the only member of the "wrong car club". I'm not even the only member of the "loading groceries in the wrong car" club, LOL. My husband is always pleading with me to please be more aware of my surroundings. My daughter and I loaded a weeks worth of groceries in someone else's car one time. I got into the drivers side and she got into the passenger seat and buckled up. We were both into our conversation so much we didn't notice someone elses fast food bags and jumper cables in "our" car. It hit us both at the same time ...mid sentence. We grabbed our groceries as quick as possible and ran.Unfortunately, in our hurry, we left our toilet paper in the back seat of the car. I've always wondered what the real owner of the car must have thought when he found an unopened package of toilet paper in his back seat.

Hi Dances: I sometimes wonder if the "female liberation" and the "equal opportunity" push in the sixties and seventies didn't do more harm than good to working women now. Of course I am for equal rights and equal pay for equal jobs - it just seems like NO ONE - especially the men - wanted to tackle that ever-present question of WHO'S GOING TO TAKE CARE OF THE HOUSE WHEN BOTH SPOUSES WORK?? Unfortunately, for the most part it still falls on the women to do most, if not all, of the domestic household chores. The result: Woman who now have less time than ever before; who are having to work outside the home full-time and still are expected to keep the house shining like a brand-new penny. I call it the "Ozzie and Harriet" syndrome ;)! Our house isn't as neat and spotless as I would like. Like most families (I think), both my husband and I work full-time jobs. We don't have any kids with us (his youngest daughter lived with us until she went off to college, but that was six years ago), but we (I) have four cats. To be honest, about the only thing he does is mow the lawn once a week. I edge, weedwhack and sweep the sidewalks. Even when it comes to yard work, I get more of the chores! I honestly don't think he would even remember trash day or recycle day, and he certainly wouldn't remember water bottle delivery day! He does like to cook big meals when time allows, but to be real honest with you I'd rather have soup, salad and sandwich for dinner after a long day at work than to eat a huge meal and than stay up until 10:30 that night cleaning all the pots and pans he uses! Yes - the bulk of the entire house workload does fall on me; and I am becoming increasingly more angry about that fact. Even though we both have full-time jobs, my husband earns about three times what I make, and I sometimes wonder if that's why he doesn't do more around the house. My opinion is: It shouldn't matter about the size of the income; we're both away from the house all day, and we both have the same amount of "free" time in the evenings and on weekends. I sometimes wonder how men can just sit there and watch the women they supposedly love and care about work their fingers to the bone doing all the housework? I know I couldn't do it. And when you ask them why they don't contribute more, most of the time the lame-ass answer is: "You didn't tell me it needed doing!". I find that hysterically funny, because you sure don't need to tell the WOMEN that the clothes need cleaning, the kids need feeding, the house needs vacuuming. I remember telling my DH that "this was his house too, and he should be able to see the things that needed doing just as well as I could!". It's amazing how they can turn a blind eye to the chores that need doing when they don't feel like doing them. A man can get away with a messy house and uncut lawn - but due to an awful double standard, women can't. Make no mistake - I love my husband, but this household workload inequity is really starting to bother me. And don't even get me started on the holidays - I'm beginning to dread holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas; simply because it means all that extra work on top of all the work that I'm already doing! DH and I have been together 15 years; and for those 15 years, he has NEVER once taken charge of the holidays, whether it be Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas. It's ALWAYS been up to me to take care of the Christmas cards (and that includes keeping track of all HIS friends when they move!) and accompanying letter, decorating the house, getting the tree up and decorating it. It's kind of hard to enjoy the "season" when your bone-tired! I'm beginning to feel like the "perfect" holiday for me would be a holiday where I wasn't expected to do anything - no decorations, no presents, no extra work of any kind! It's not that I don't like the holidays - I do - but it's becoming just TOO much work that it's tough to take some time out from all the hustle and bustle and just enjoy the holidays! I know that doesn't sound very festive, and I wonder if anyone else out there feels the same way I do about this. Now, I know that there are men out there who do more domestically than their women; it's just that more often that not, it's the women to do all the domestic housework. It's almost like we were expected to go out there and have full-time jobs and careers and STILL act like Donna Reed and have a four-course dinner prepared with the house spotless and ready for "hubby" to come home! Thanks for letting me vent, everyone! Dances - I know this doesn't solve your problem, but hopefully it will make you feel better so know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE in this.