One of the great things about gardening is that it can teach you so much about yourself! For instance, for a long time I favoured putting soft pinks and mauves and delicate lacy whites together. I still do a lot of my baskets that way. My husband told me he would like me to put in planters with "a riot of color" in them - to be bold and mix all colours together. Of course I told him I preferred to match them and coordinate them. Then I started to experiment - after all I like the colour red a lot and I figured since mother nature puts all her colours together why shouldn't I. The result was that I started to like to really like the "riot of colour" my husband was talking about. One example is a favourite of mine - Gallardia, or blanket flower - I have never come across any single flower that is so perfect in orange and red - It reminds me of a perfectly constructed work of art, and each one pops up so effortlessly in the garden, and takes my breath away as it does. So I made a perennial garden - with bold oranges, pinks, reds and yellows in a mass profusion - with those adorable favourites of mine "Nasturtiums" too in every colour imagineable. Then Tony, my hubby, decided to plant a rose garden (like the one we used to have before we had our kids) and one day I asked him "What's your favourite rose?" - to my surprise he said "Double Delight" the two toned pink one - with the gorgeous scent. First of all, I didn't know he would care that much about scents, and second he has often told me that he's not so keen on pink. So now, we're both contented in our garden, with a combination of masculine and feminine all over the place - each with its own special niche, each adding to the overall look. Our pond has just been finished and the rocks around it contrast so fittingly with the soft and fragile look of the roses. I love to dig my hands in the dirt, but I can never push a huge wheelbarrow of it myself. My husband can prune, but he wouldn't have my patience with dead-heading all the flowers. I think gender is in the garden - it's everywhere we look, and we should take it's example. Like nature, we too need to value and embrace the male and female sides of our true selves, why should we ever be afraid?

I'm so glad to hear that the seeds I sent out are making it to their new homes and two more cards with fantastic goodies have arrived to my home. Alana (poisondartfrog), thank you so much for the Argemone! I've really been wanting to try some of these but have been having a heck of a time finding seed. And the Pentapetes phoenicia, oh my goodness - this is the first I've heard of this species but as soon as I received the seeds I started reading everything I could find on it and this is most certainly my kind of plant. How absolutely gorgeous and I'm obsessed with the Monticello gardens and Jefferson's work as a gardener so it's so perfect. And last, but most certainly not least, the Ipomoea nil 'Sunrise Serenade' - this looks like an absolutely stunning variety. I'm doing a fence of Ipomoeas next season and this will look gorgeous there. Maria (elf7), thank you so much for the gorgeous card and the round carrots are absolutely perfect! They grow fantastically in the rocky soil here and I also love to grow them in containers and hanging pots. They're incredibly amusing. And I'm putting in a cutting garden and very much look forward to growing the dahlia zinnias there. ~Amanda

I also believe somewhat the "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger", but I have limits. My old doctor who was a very wise and moderate man told me that we were "sanitizing ourselves sick" and that if we didn't expose ourselves and our children to soem things we'd never develop a natural immunity. Of course, I'll kiss a horse on the lips, don't blink when I eat ice cream with raw eggs (although the fat content gives me pause, LOL), if I find a dog hair in something I pick it out. I eat raw tomatoes from the garden, dusted off on my shirt, although I know I grew them in nicely composed cow manure. However, I don't eat meat that's been sitting on the counter for two days, I won't buy home canned goods from people I don't know and I cringe when someone sits their purse on my counter, knowing that purse has been on the floor of the bathroom, the back seat of the car, sitting on the sidewalk. I really don't like it when I go somewhere and see cats walking on counters either, because I know they've dug in their litter box. At my home I just quietly clean the counter before I start food prep and don't obsess. At the cat's home, I just shut up because although I find it icky, it won't kill me and I know it. And I'm not one of the people who get so grossed out over a bug. Insects are eaten in many parts of the world (although I choose not to except in case of starvation) and I love lobster which is basically a huge water bug. Yeah, really, it is, look it up. So, at the end of the world, the zombies are going to have to do me in, my immunity at this point is pretty good. Annie

here's how you break it. You sit down with spouse, and say, I have a problem. i don't trust you. I need your help. Let's try something - transparency. You be transparent with me, I'll be transparent with you. I promise not to snoop, but if i ask you to show me, will you agree to do so? Also, Please offer me any information you can without me asking so that i can be comforted. A trustworthy, loving spouse will hopefully be open to a path towards change, especially if you do your part to stop the snooping. Then, after a certain amount of time of transparency exercises, it is on the distrusting spouses side to DECIDE to trust. it is as simple as an overnight decision to trust the other person. Who wants to live a life of crazed suspicion? If the transparency eases your mind, then take it the next step and decide to stop. trust that if there is truth, you will be shown that when it is necessary. It is the responsibility of both to create trust. You can only be in control of your part. If you are incapable of trusting, either because the other party is truly untrustworthy, or because you are not willing to trust, then your relationship will be unhealthy and miserable.