Thanks John, My orchid is no where near that size...yet. Should I use a trellis large enough for the future growth or should I just try to up grade the size as the orchid grows? I actually have the ability to put a very large trellis up but I would have to beat and hack back all of my other vines that have no respect for space; like my rangoon creeper that seems to be true to it's name. I have to hack it out of my orchid cactus every few months. Alyson

We may be way over cautious but I'd rather err on the side of caution especially with children. Your local County Extension Service can give you FDA guidelines for food safety. Travel became an issue for me. Years ago while in Madrid I was violently sick to my stomach the first few nights after dinner. Our host practiced, as many Europeans, not refrigerating items which are commonly refrigerated here in the U.S. For the remainder of the trip I ate only saltine crackers and gingerale, I was already drinking bottled water only as was DD. My dear friend made a lovely fritata (eggs, potatoes, onions, etc.) which she served hot upon our arrival. It then sat on the counter unrefrigerated for the next few days while they snacked on it. When we returned home I visited my MD. He told me that I became ill due to bacteria introduced that my body was not equipped to handle. I am not at all immune compromised Our hosts have always lived this way so their bodies treat that bacteria differently. I found the refrigeration issue to be the same in France, Germany, Norway, Sweeden, Iceland. They just don't refrigerate commonly refrigerated food items as we do here in the States. Have been to many underdeveloped countries and DH has never had a problem? He is of the "when in Rome" mindset. I've seen him drink from the tap in places that just scream "you're gonna have an issue". He must have some superhuman immune system. Me, I drink only bottled water/drinks and always travel with a stash of pre-packaged foods items, as I want to be able to enjoy the entire trip wherever the destination. Over the years, I've discovered that four star doesn't mean the same thing once you leave the States. In fact, four star in some odd out of the way places means 1/2 a star by U.S. standards. As for meds, I was under the impression (with the exception of vitamins) that at most they can lose their effectiveness, not make you sick. Thanks for linking the article terriks.

I can tell you from experience. Unfortunately, I made custard based "vanilla" the other night. I even put the bean in with the seeds while heating it. And never remembered to put in the vanilla extract. It was really good frozen custard, but it had very very little vanilla flavor. Or course, it could be that I just like it to have a much more pronounced vanilla flavor, so I'll stick with my "both" recipe.

Remember my little red '90 Dodge Colt, made by Mitsubishi, that I bought about '97 and drove for about seven years: it had a standard tranny and when I drove out almost daily to look after uncle's farm before it was sold that I found that I could coast over 16km. of the 20 km. trip? At something over 200,000 mi. the mechanic told me that I shouldn't drive it any more. I took it to a TV evangelist-related drug rehab "Teen Challenge Farm" nearby and they gave me a receipt for $400. for it. A friend at the investment group was surprised at my story, "What? They gave you a $400.00 receipt for that piece of _____!". They'd given one to him for something not too far over $100.00 for a newer (Ford, I think) that was in better shape, some time earlier, so his nose was rather out of joint over that deal. They signed the portion of my vehicle registration paper that's to be used for transfer, I took the plates off and took them home. A few days later I got a receipt in the mail for the $400.00 ... and had no trouble with it from the income tax people when I claimed it. ole joyful