Thanks, Kim, for the confirmation. I checked on Chinese chives, it's the same as garlic chives mentioned in Field Roebuck's book. He stated, "In at least one controlled experiment, when planted underneath roses, garlic chives completely eliminated spider mites and reduced aphids." Rose magazine site stated that high-nitrogen chemical fertilizer does encourage aphids. The Canadian website that advocated fall fertilization, rather than spring, cited less insect problems with earlier nitrogen fertilization for wheat fields. Garlic chives have white flowers, it is listed among the invasive species. In my experience with invasive species, it's the least invasive, since it can be pulled up easily. It's a tiny bulb - rather than invasive roots. If you cut the flowering stem off before it becomes seeded, then you stop the growth. I was hoping it becomes invasive enough to gather a gallon for making pot stickers -but it did not spread fast enough in our 40" inch annual rain and high germination in magnesium rich soil. I also have the American chives with purple flowers, this is invasive since it spreads by roots. This chives is more drought-tolerant than Garlic, or Chinese chives. Calendula, or potted marigold, is just as pretty but more drought-tolerant than regular marigold. Calendula host many beneficial insects, especially green lacewings. These lacewings fly around and eat Calendula's pollens. But they give birth to larvae, named aphid lion. More info: "Each lacewing larva will devour 200 or more pests or pest eggs a week ... After this stage, the larvae pupate by spinning a cocoon with silken thread... the adult will live about four to six weeks...Each adult female may deposit more than 200 eggs. Nectar, pollen, and honeydew stimulate their reproductive process." What I like the most about garlic chives, or Chinese chives is its medicinal and anti-inflammation properties. It's especially yummy in potstickers, better than green onions. I like Calendula (comes in bright yellow and bright orange), since they are drought tolerant and still bloom during frost. Below is a picture of Calendula in my tomato garden:

Well - after 1 1/2 hours of playing around with this, I feel like a complete dummie. I have resolved myself to having nearly 3000 contacts to import to my Gmail contact list. But I can't get anywhere. I have my AOl address book imported into Yahoo. When I try to import into GMAIL (doesn't matter if I use the older or newer version), it asks where to import from - and I can't find the .csv files. I have no idea where they'd be. Whe I select browse, it takes me to my documents - and it's not there. If I try to browse someplace else, I can't find it. It also occurred to me that it may not be in .csv form yet - but when I try to export from one Yahoo account (to say, thunderbird or another yahoo account) - it suggests I can export as csv file - I click on ("Yahoo! CSV: export) - and then it brings up a screen that says: you have chosen to open yahoo_ab.csv file from http://address.yahoo.com. What should firefox do with this file? My choices are "save file" or "open with: browse". If I click "save file" - I don't think anything is happening. And I wouldn't know what to select if I used open with .... Going back to GMAIL import, I have tried entering various names that I've seen in Yahoo mail. Including "yahoo_ab.csv" - but again, nothing happens. I had a similar problem trying to import into thunderbird - I simply don't seem to be able to locate the files to do it. I'd rather go directliy from yahoo to gmail (without going through thunderbird - bc. from what I was reading, thunderbird does not maintain my address groups - and that is important to me. In fact, if I could only import my groups - that is most critical part). I'm sorry I can't be more articulate about where I'm getting hung up. I have truly never felt so in the dark dealing with computer things (even as untechy as I am, I've had a little more grasp than this). Thanks. Lynn.

Glad to hear your girls like fairy tale characters. The book was rather difficult with a jillion characters to keep track of but maybe someday they will tackle that also. As far as a pic of the room, it doesn't exist except in my mind. Right now it is filled to the ceiling almost with stuff moved out of our kitchen which has been demolished and any furniture now in the room such as a loveseat and coffee table,etc. will be given/donated away. I'm even not absolutely sure of the arrangement in my diagram but so far I'm tending in that direction. May have to close the wall a bit between living room and dining room because I think a little less openness there might add some coziness and also give me room to put a corner cabinet in the dining room that will kind of be hidden but still useful for storage which is what this house has least of. Obviously, I don't have this all together but I do best one step at a time so if I could make up my mind about the bookcases, I think it would help me move on to the next step of deciding the rest of the furniture/room. Even the fireplace is unfinished and covered with cement backer board ready for marble (which we haven't picked out yet) but I think the bookcases because they will be first thing one sees when they enter the room should be decided first. Thoughts? The house though small is quite nice even if I do say so myself - especially once we get the kitchen remodel finished. (Though we also have a big job ahead of us doing the hardwood floors plus other tasks by contractors - this is not diy). The house is 75 years old but as I continue on this journey of remodeling, it seems my tastes have definitely moved from vintage/eclectic to modern/eclectic. Hence the reason for my indecision. I think the builtin bookcases will definitely bring me back from my modern direction. And I've heard it mentioned here that some think builtin bookcases give a room character. We are very fortunate that our house has so much character that it is not a major concern to add more. Though guess it never hurts. (sorry I'm rambling, it is late , will stop here...)

Yes, I have some of his books and I recommend them. He has a very natural approach to gardening and i have used alot of his ideas with much success. You have to be a junior chemist tho!!! For example, there is a houseplant tonic that calls for ammonia, whiskey, plant food, etc. a little of this and a little of that......works pretty good for me tho! I think it's all a matter of preference. Maybe you could find a used book of his on ebay or Amazon, try it that way. Good luck!