OK, I guess your absence is excused. :) Everything you've put your talented hands to is just terrific! I certainly hope the fireplace and the many snowflakes have been stored lovingly away so they may be hauled out in all the years to come. Loving efforts like your's (!) are the basis of "traditions". I do so hope the fact is not "lost" on people who, too often, look only to the "goal" immediately in front of them... I could have sent you cat and dog hair in quantities certain to cover a child's mask in no time flat. (Unlike Cynthia, ;) ). Babs., you would have really like Mum a lot. She was always "into" something... (consequently, so were my brother and I). Papier mache, stripping furniture, painting something, sewing, hooking rugs or braiding them... . Our Halloween costumes were wonderful... but we were required to be something SCAREY... no princesses allowed. I see you've used your time profitably and JUDICIOUSLY. I'm not in the least surprised! and am delighted with your photo essay.

I'm the tree specialist & buyer (and certified arborist) for a retail nursery in Menlo Park, California. If you are still looking for this cherry, I have some suggestions that will allow you to be hands on before you purchase. Monrovia is a national wholesale grower / supplier for the Paperbark Cherry (Prunus serrula var. tibetica). If you have a local garden center that orders from Monrovia, they should be able to order one for you. Monrovia does require minimum quatities of each plant be ordered, so you may need to locate a larger retail garden center (usually an independent) that's willing to do this. Another wholesale grower is Loen Nursery, out of Oregon. I'm not sure if they ship to Charlotte.

Welcome to Charlotte. If you live in town, one of your best resources is Wing Haven Gardens & Bird Sanctuary in Myers Park. It's a three-acre garden of densely planted bird-attracting plants and trees with formal and informal garden 'rooms,'and it's open to the public. Been there 80 years. Many of us learned to garden in this region by becoming volunteers there. You can also be a member without volunteering; you get a regular newsletter and discounts on their popular symposiums. Also,there are two big plants sales there, in April & October, and members get to shop on members-only day. Take a break from packing and visit there, hours are Wednesday 10-12 and Sunday afternoons. Info is available on www.winghavengardens.com There is a Charlotte Hosta Club. Sponsors a garden tour, heavy on the hostas, every summer. For info, e-mail royal2227@aol.com

Now THAT'S a RIOT!! LMAO Years ago, I taught someone a lesson about walking across in front of moving traffic. I've mentioned a few times in here that when I was a kid I was a "gearhead", and into building cars and racing. My "daily driver" was an older trans am that was actually built for the track, with a 455 cubic inch motor, complete with a dual quad set up sticking thru the hood where the stereotypical trans am hood scoop usually sat, and believe me when I tell you, it wasn't just for show. My father's office was in New Haven, right on the edge of one of the worst parts of town. (Paige-- for your benefit-- it was the old tile place at the corner of the Boulevard and Congress ave.). Now, this "Congress Avenue" was the kind of area that if you stopped at a street corner, someone would always come up to the car looking to sell you drugs. However, on the far side of it is Yale New Haven Hospital, where this one particular day, my wife was after having our first son. Anyway, here I come, tooling down the road, and these two guys come walking out in front of me, so I slowed down, and finally had to stop right there in the middle of the road, because they thought it would be great fun to have a conversation right there. I sat there for about 30 seconds, until it looked like some other folks sitting on some steps on the sidewalk were getting real interested in my car. At that point, I figured if they wanted the car, they were gonna have to run real fast, and I just dropped it in low and matted the gas. You want to see these two guys in the middle of the street jump just as fast and as far as they could! Just imagine standing on a drag strip about 30 feet in front of the cars when the green light comes down, and that's about the view these two guys had, complete with the noise and the wheel stand. I'd be willing to bet it was a long time before they walked out in front of anyone else. (and before anyone passes judgement for being that reckless, when it comes down to it either being me or them, I'll guarantee you-- it'll be them, every time)