Ianna What do you mean trying to get people into the conversation side Is this another forum. Propagating sure is fun and free for the most part. I have had such a busy week with family this week, not got a darn thing done in the gardens. Weather has been so terrific as well Today is Thursday but to early to get outside, Just after five am and still dark I am going to try mixing a bag of cement. In the wheelbarrow Have the form ready, under a new arbour. Bought some green colouring stuff to mix in with the concrete. Just going to pour a square slab and then push some nice leaves into it for pattern The biggest problem is, as I see it, before having began the work, is lifting the bag of cement Sure is heavy not sure how many pounds the bag is I tried Fuschias at one time and do like them so much Not more than half a dozen at a time Sometimes they do seem to overwinter, indoors but have to survive for me with no care what so ever til spring. My greatest efforts over the past few years has been with Brugmansia. Just love them and the fragrance. I don't know any tips I could give you for Florida, in particular, but I sure would not want to miss, winters down there in all that sunshine. The weather is gorgeous in the winter. Locals just love winters in Florida Not humid, but mostly everyday is sunny Sometimes there is rain. They need the rain and the odd day, even in Fort Myers, where I am, we might get a touch of frost Of course they make a big deal about it, and it is a big deal as there are crops of tomatoes, eggplant etc. upon which many people make their living. We up here in Canada, here about any cold weather in FLorida affecting the oranges, but that most often is not a factor, at least not to great of a factor. Oranges seem to take some cold, unless it is actually the blossom that gets hit. The greatest financial loss , in the ten years I have been down there, comes from frost on tender crops, as mentioned Florida is not a gorgeous place to live, as some spots on this earth are. But you can not beat the sunshine, and often even a little breeze with the day. And for folks like ourselves, you can garden, year round.

What a strange thread. I thought about not posting at all, and I agree with one poster who said folks need to get outside for some dirt and fresh air. Where I come from in Hawaii, land has always been worth its weight in diamonds. No one can afford to grow in rows; consequently, people there take advantage of every nook and cranny they can find. They've gardened that way for generations. In any garden bed you will find mustard or pak choi cabbage growing alongside Thai basil growing alongside daikon radish growing alongside Manoa lettuce, hot chili peppers, and often, a big pot of Portuguese parsley. Bamboo tepees support string beans and yard long beans. Green onions are tucked everywhere because they are used daily! Hanging above it all in typical wood slat pots you will find one or more of the thousands of orchid varieties, some blooming on fragrant long stalks that perfume the entire neighborhood. My father grew vanilla orchids on an old rotten tree stump, the tallest thing in the garden. He'd use a ladder to get up there to hand pollinate the blooms. Not four feet away were a couple of papaya plants laden with fruit. Way in the background was banana and a small avocado tree on its way to becoming a giant. My mother used to always have a pineapple or two growing because she said the sharp, sword-like leaves chased away bad spirits. We shrugged our shoulders at that, but the pineapple was always sweeter than what was found in the stores. All of this was growing in a postage stamp of a back yard which still had to have room for a clothes line. I live in Kansas now, where it is quite easy to grow in rows, but my garden is no different from my mother's, always has been, just no pineapple or papaya alas. I guess the term "potager" must be like a buzz word for some and that makes it more special. Who knows. I just garden the way my parents did because it is practical.

I have such a love hate relationship with the sorts of articles such as "Never pay off your Mortgage" etc. The benefit is that it gets people thinking, the bad thing is that it paints a narrow, ill conceived, rosy picture that doesn't hold up too well under scrutiny. Life is never so black or white. Several potential fallacies: #1. The assumption that everyone will have other debt in their life. #2. I'd like to find a bank that will give you a 95% 30FRM (as per his example) with out requiring an 80/15, or PMI, etc., all costs which he neglects to account for. #3. If his rosy fellow Ed is out of a job, he'll have no earned income. It's tough to make a deduction from that, so his "after taxes payment" will be readjusted back to original, meaning his $40K will last a much shorter time than this article (which also fails to account for basic costs of living beyond housing) accounts for. Fact is that if either of them are out of work for any amount of time, they're screwed. I'm not sure yet if we'll pay our mortgage of early or not. As per the article's example, our income has increased so that it's not the drain on us that it was 2 years ago. If we do prepay, we'll do it in a lump sum capacity after the point at which it is not longer a beneficial tax deduction to us. Right now we're investing the money that would go to extra payments. -meg

Dear MamaP, I am so glad to hear your boy is getting better. I've noticed in my life's journey that when people are caught red-handed in a serious issue, some will lie and point fingers to avoid taking any responsibility for their actions. It shows weak character and it looks like that's what you are dealing with at this school - cowards. They are running scared. If you can afford an attorney, I would at least go for 1 counseling session to see what you can and cannot do legally. Write down everything you can remember with dates and names. Shame on these people! You local media might be interested in your story as well but see an attorney first. God bless you and your family.