My garden and house caters first and mostly for my dog - he's the most pampered pet you can imagine :-) This includes his own doghouse in the garage (that he hardly ever uses, but is used by the roaming cats in the neighborhood, much to Timmy's distress), an enclosed front porch with doggie door, basket, rug and private sofa, free roaming of the garden, two more beds inside the house, etc. You get the picture - he's the king of it all :-) As for wildlife, since we live on the foothills of a small mountain range and part of a natural park, we do get quite a lot of critters. We have a birdbath that is used not only by the birds but also by the bees and wasps, of which there are gazillions (we are in a honey producing area). Birds in the garden include sparrows, robins in Fall and Winter, loads of blackbirds, gold finches and a multitude of others I can't name. Last Saturday I saw my first swallow of the year. Above us on the hill we can frequently spot hawks, of which there are some colonies in the park. At night owls are a frequent visitor and we can hear their calls many times. Cuckoos are also a familiar sound as soon as Spring is here. I have a lot of evergreens in the garden and this provides excellent nesting sites for the birds. Preferred are the bay trees, laurustinus and the conifers. I'm constantly finding nests whenever I prune anything. I had a resident bat for about a year, sleeping in a closed garden umbrella we had on the patio. Unfortunately I had to remove the umbrella because the wasps decided it was a good place to nest, so it had to go. I was already stung twice, didn't want to be stung whenever I opened the umbrella! Still, bats visit frequently and it's common to see one or two flying around the garden at dusk. Some years we have glow worms in the Spring, which I absolutely love. It's magical to see them hovering around the garden at night. Other assorted critters include geckos, small lizzards, snakes, mice (yuk!), crickets, locusts and the occasional hedgehog. In terms of specifically catering for critters, I keep the birdbath going all year (we don't have hard freezes) and try to plant things I know will be used by the wildlife. This includes berry shrubs like pyracantha which are a major hit with birds in the cold Winter months. I also have a weeping mulberry tree and let its production go to the birds, who have a feast with the fruits. The compost pile is also a good feeding ground and there's a little bird that spends hours there hunting for the small fruit flies that proliferate inside the pile. Butterflies are catered for with things like lantana, mock orange and buddleia. I need to add more larval food to cater for butterflies, but haven't come quite up to it yet. I don't use any sort of chemicals in the garden, don't even spray the roses, and this of course translates into a welcome sign for critters, even if it means that slugs and snails are huge, sigh... I don't use a slingshot to get rid of them, like Edna does ;-), but I do throw them onto a neighbooring field that is kept wild. All in all, I consider a privilege to have wildlife in the garden and have been slowly educating myself to encourage it as much as possible. Eduarda

Hey guys (waving my hand cyberspace-style). I just wanted to follow-up with what I ended up buying. I happened to be in Macys, and by chance, they were having a weekend sale on Fiestaware, buy one piece get one free. Their Fiesta display contained a bowl in several colors, called an "Individual Pasta Bowl". This bowl had everything on my checklist - wide enough to manage big chunks of stew beef/potatoes (yet not too wide), deep enough so nothing will slosh out, they stack nicely for storage, and are microwaveable. And of course, the BOGO-free sale. It comes in a perfect yellow color for my kitchen. Actually the "yellow" I chose is what Fiesta calls "Ivory", but it's actually a soft buttery yellow, versus their "sunflower" color which is the bright yellow of, well, sunflowers. The Ivory looks very different on the Macys website than it looks in real life. The website also says it holds 32 oz. which it doesn't--more like 26 oz. if you fill it to the very top rim. I also ended up buying a few bowls in the Cobalt color, cause it'll also look good in my kitchen, and I love how the different colors look together on the table. I've found out that Fiesta makes this pasta bowl style solely for Macy's, and it is not sold elsewhere. I don't know why. Anyway, I'll link them. The customer reviews re-affirmed all the reasons why I like them. Here is a link that might be useful: Fiesta Individual Pasta Bowls at Macys

Someone was in Hanna Antique's, huh? Gawd I love their stuff and I think it is one of the best shops in Birmingham. Don't give away our secret! lol I didn't find much this week, but I've been twice this past month. I'll go again before the sale is over, just in case. The Mulberry transferware is in one of the small booths, to right of stairs going up. Can't miss it. Probably 4 or 5 pieces. My mom used to buy me a chocolate cream pie from the Bright Star for my birthday each year, but we've moved and now DH orders something from Edgar's Bakery - the new one on 119, just off 280. I told him "I hope it wasn't red, white and blue." ;D He said he told them to half the decorations on a display cake - I have a feeling he was calling them today to change. lol They are open tomorrow, so he'll pick up then. Can't wait!

Yes, I do use charger plates, it does depend upon the occasion though. I definitely use them for all the holidays and special dinners (birthdays, anniversaries, special company dinner etc). And sometimes just for myself :) I really enjoy setting a pretty table, so using chargers is not a hassle to me, I've always considered it a special added detail to the tables look. I set the table to please me, and the people that come to dine. I would say it pleases most of the people who have enjoyed dining with me, although I do remember one year when I went all out at Christmas with some future relatives and used a crystal knife rest as part of the setting. The future mother-in-law of my DD did not see the need for the knife rest, which if OK with me, "different strokes for different folks". As for not having spinning plates as Chicagans asked about….I will use the shelf liners/rubber padding that you can get at most big box stores and grocery stores. I cut a circle out of about 6 inches or so to go in-between the charger and the plate, no more movement of the 2 plates when you use your knife to cut your food. Simple, inexpensive and it doesn't show under the plates. You can also put this circle of liner in-between the charger and the tabletop too. I usually use a table cloth or placemats to that usually keeps the charger from moving around too. The only time I don't use the rubber liner is when I use my silver chargers, the rubber is not good to touch real silver, so I will just use a white paper doily to separate the two items to protect from scratches to the silver charger. Patty cakes, tinam, and nutsaboutplants, thank you so much for your kind words, I am amazed you remember me, that really touches my heart. I am doing well with my health so far, I try to live each day with appreciation that I got another chance at life.