BBoy....You have a good memory about my battles with phantom seed thieves. My efforts to combat Towhees pulling out seeds include: covering rows with garden debris and then covering with remay. This year the debris covering the first planting is stalks from zebra grass which are now beginning to deteriorate and break down.....trimmings from ferns worked to protect bean plantings last summer. I'm still not 100% sure it is towhees because of the weighted remay cover but the holes left last year were very neat and precise....definitely bird like. jwww

I was gone most of yesterday running errands. I'm glad you all liked my tablescape. Wanda, yes . . . that's what I was going for ~ Simplicity! I'm glad you noticed that . . . and glad it actually came out that way(LOL)! Trudy: yes, aren't they great . . . especially for $2 each! Party, that's not a dumb idea. I actually did roll the napkins originally, using the silver napkin rings and they looked very good that way. I think if I'd had more decs in the middle of my table, they would have looked even better but, rolled and placed above the plates, I thought they called attention to how empty it was up there (LOL!). Love your other ideas, too. I'll bet a pair of antique reading glasses would be great by/on the books. I'll have to keep my eye out for more possibilities for next year. Jeanne, thanks! I think OA's ideas for a Billy the Kid table are fantastic! I hope you'll do a table like that someday soon. Can I add a few more ideas? Blue spatter-ware tin plates and cups; horseshoes; bandanna napkins, rolled and tied up with a bit of thin, frayed-at-the ends rope; an old, rustic lantern; a battered tin or spatterware coffee pot filled with Black Eyed Susans? OA: of course I don't mind! I've already seen your table and it's fantastic! What you can come up with on the spur of the moment is amazing, just like your President's Day tale. My favorite, though, is still The Sandcastle Table. Kath/MMW: hello and welcome to our forum!! Happy Birthday, too! Cindy: thanks! Are you using the chargers in your latest table? I need to go look in a minute. Magpie, thanks so much. I agree with you on Washington and Lincoln. . . such great men! ****BTW, have any of you had a chance to see HBO's miniseries, "John Adams"? We originally rented ours through Netflicks, but it's rentable many places and for sale, as well. It is phenomenal, wonderful, beautiful, excellent, breath-taking and will make you incredibly proud of our forefathers . . . I can't (obviously) say enough good things about it. Even the music is fantastic. It's based on David McCullough's book of the same name, and follows our nation's struggle before and throughout the Revolutionary War and past Jefferson's presidency to the Fourth of July when both those great men (Adams and Jefferson) died within hours of each other. Paul Giamatti was incredible as John Adams; Laura Linney played his wife; David Morse played George Washington so well it was amazing. Both men should have won major awards for this piece. Anyhoo, it's really worth seeing, even if you're not a huge Early American buff. I bought it as a gift for the family at Christmas and can't wait to see it all again. Karen, thanks, I won't change it then. And an early Happy Birthday to your DH. What a great birthday to share! Luvs, thank you! Yes, I've often wondered that, too. He was an honorable, good man and a brave one,as well. Sometimes I actually have dreams that my DS is elected President someday in the future and the legacy, however distant, continues. Punk, thanks. Your comments are always so thoughtful and kind. I wasn't sure about the books but am keeping them because you all seem to like them there. The table's still set for at least the rest of this week. As for the napkins, they're the first I've ever attempted, but got inspired to make some from this forum. Jane: Yes, the tablecloth is really an old Matelasse coverlet . . . you have such a good eye for details! I do wish we lived closer. As it is, will you please plan another table soon, and/or reshow us past tables using your wonderful pewter? Your dining room is my all-time favorite and I always love seeing pics of it. Lynn

It's a Federal Holiday. Expect banks and post offices closed. Our schools used to close for "Presidents Week", but the school board cancelled it this year due to many days schools were closed for Hurricane Sandy October-November last year. So no school Monday only. Teachers who had plans, unable to cancel reservations, can have the whole week off but forfeit two days off plus two days pay to make up for it. In my school district, substitute teachers make $100 a day.

I won't go into who's better looking. Don't really care! And I agree that the voting public is very visually-oriented and visually-conscious, but I have to disagree with the voting public being well-informed. When I see the people relying on email, Twits, Facebook and texting to form their voting decisions, I shudder. Maybe we should go back to having only electors. I always encourage people to vote, but I should specify that they should be informed when they vote and from at least a variety of sources and hopefully some credible ones, not just one "news" channel, emails or something they heard or read in a book somewhere. It comes up most every election about the number of times the taller candidate is elected. Looks mean a lot. They concentrate hard on the looks especially for the debates. Special height podiums for the individual candidate, and if I see another "power tie" I'm going to blow chunks! I think it's sad to see them parade out their families and use them as a campaign tool. Gallagher had a great line about that. To be honest, I think a 5' tall woman could have trouble being elected. Voters look for taller women too. Height is a big thing in this country. For men and women alike. The "regal stature" applies to both men and women politically. Among the campaigns I've worked, I ran the campaign of a 5' tall woman. It was far easier to garner support when people didn't see (or know) how short she was. Qualifications and competence were on paper, but people still judged. And this was at the local level. That really surprised me. I knew being female would be a challenge, especially for the office sought but I didn't realize height was such a big factor. Looks are subjective of course but there's certain expectations that many people have. And people are hypocritical no doubt. And it's not just in politics. Fat and old are rare in broadcasting in major markets and major networks. Check out salespeople. Looks are a big factor in hiring decisions whether admitted or not.