Well folks I am home after a weekend in the Temple hospital. God blessed me with some great doctors and nurses . What I was transferred to Temple for is they thought there was a problem with my aorta lining being separated in one spot and Harker Hights could not handle such issues . But much to the doctors relief as well as mine this was not the case . The whole problem revolved around an alergic reaction which developed over time to my prescription to lisinopril which is a blood presure med. so be warned if you are prescribed this med you may after time develop an allergic reaction which involves swelling in the extremities which is inflamed and at times it itches . also can lower your blood pressure to near dangerous low levels. so be on guard if you your loved ones or your friends take this drug it can be dangerous.Some other good news I forgot to mention. Since I last saw my Doctor in Bryan earlier this year my heart function is up 9% and I have lost 15 pounds . A great victory thanks to the help and good care of my doctors and nurses And the good Lord looking after me. This is one reason I have not been very active on the forum this year. hope to change that dramatically. I have missed everyone. Merry Christmas. Kevin

Was gonna post this last night,...-sigh-...but,...once again I fell asleep at the keyboard. Sometimes this dang chair really is just way too comfortable. LOL! - Anywayyyyy,...sorry. Ahem,...now, to continue. Okay, so two days ago I received two more fantastic seed laden Christmas cards,... From tbbgardens (Trudy): A really nice, snowy card with a pair of Cardinal birds (my MIL's feathery fave), and YEAH,...Back Pearl Pepper seeds (another Wishlist BIGGIE!!), also Scarlet Creeper Vine (We have lots of chainlink fence here at our new place just begging for vines of all kinds, plus we also have an arbor out back), Hoya (Pretty! Flower stars!) and Anise Hyssop (From what I've read, this is one heckuva perennial herb! Great looks, great scent, and leaves for tea)! Never tried any of these, but now I'm sure gonna!! Thank you so very much Trudy, for the beautiful card and seeds, and for all the helpful information! :) From ruthz (Ruth, of course): A cool "Let it snow" card with a plastic window featuring simulated snow and a view of a jolly snowman, and no less than three more selections from my Wishlist!! Lemon Drop Pepper (Yessss!), more Black Pearl Pepper (Lovin' it!) and Eupatorium rugosum ‘Chocolate’ (Tallish, with purple-bronze leaves and white flower clusters - Niiice!! Thank you soooooo much, Ruth!! :) Cards and seeds received yesterday... From wishdesign (Jean): A cute "Share the joy of the season" card with a plush-toyish-looking reindeer offering symbols of the season as gifts. Now,...for the seeds (O Boy, O Boy, O Boy!!), first off, more Lemon Drop Pepper (Genetic diversity rocks,...who wants inbred peppers?! The more the merrier!!), Goji Berry (Majorly doing the Happy Dance!! Yeah baby!! Definitely a SUPER BIG TIME want from my Wishlist!!) and Indian Ginseng (Aswagandha - A medicinal herb for folks with insomnia, and the berries can be used as a substitute for Rennet in cheese making...totally rippin' cool!!). Thanks bunches, Jean!! Oh,...and the little red zippies, uber nice touch!! :) From missmojo (Lisa): A cool, handmade Christmas card, stamped with an image of holly and "Happy Holidays!", with purple Balloon Flower seeds (Yip-yip YES! My SIL only has blue,...guess who's gonna be wanting whose seeds now!! He-he!) Thanks a bunch, Lisa! :) Today's card... From dirtdaddy (David): How totally cool! An Elvis card! Could easily be the cover-art for The King's Blue Christmas single (if there ever was such)! - Ahhhh, now for the seeds! Man-O-man! More Black Pearl Pepper (Enough is never enough!!), more Lemon Drop Pepper (Like I said for Black Pearl), Thai Red Hot Pepper (Yeah! It's cold outside, stoke the fire!), Dr. Wyche's Yellow tomato (From the late Dr. John Wyche - Oooo, a real good one, to be sure!!), Jimmy Nardello Pepper (Sweet and light when eaten raw, classic Italian frying pepper, a favorite non-hot. - Hmmm, methinks a bit o' culinary experimentation is definitely in order), Bush Moon Flower (White Datura? We have Moon Flower vine, Morning Glory type.) Thanks loads, David!! :)

Christmas came in February for me! Very excited! A big thank you to Melinda. Melinda Hagen, sent me nice angel card with 9 packs of seeds all commercial from (ferry morse and burpee) company. These are: Impatiens Tropical fizz (my absolute favorite), okra clemson spineless (love), cucumber burpless tender green, collards georgia, Beans golden beans improved (my fav), Zebra grass (excited), Super sugar snap peas (love peas), Carnation chabaud giant (love it) and marigold crackerjack mix. Love everything. Can't wait to try them. Thank you so much. So sweet of you Melinda for mailing the package for 3rd time. Sorry for all the trouble.

Thanks. You make me feel like an even ruder toad, as I'm unable to individually thank those for the cards and seeds. The last few months have been a whirlwind of envelopes, bubble mailers, seeds, packets, addresses, cards, wish lists, etc... scattered about, lost, found, misplaced again, under piles and piles of the above. I haven't been able to sort things out here, I can only somewhat organize what goes out the door. ;)