Ok, ok..I am givning in! I am on the prowl for either those birds or a couple of green singing finches. Jojo, you just made me realize how much I miss hearing the singing of birds in my home.lol It made winetr go by so much better than the dead silience in my home. I think I know who named those birds..lol. Such cute names that only a kid or two can come up with. I would love for you to raise them along side of us, all the way to the brood, hatchlings, and babies. I would love that Jojo since I have a thing for birds. Just love them and you have yourself such a beauty of a pair! Hi Al, Jodi, Josh, Jodik, and Laura! I missed all while I was sick.;-) Laura. I have been sooooooo sick and now that I have got better nergy, it's time to catch up onmy e-mail. I am sorry about the delay bust just know that I appreciate you and the rest of the bunch here. I am SO BLESSED to have such great friends as you all. Love you all! Mom, says to send a group hug to you all! Mike

rhizo_1 , Your garden plan is the exception rather than the rule. Most small scale vegetable gardens focus on a very limited number of plant types that attract harmful insects specific to them. The average backyard garden does not contain 'wide assortment of native and exotic annuals, perennials, woody ornamentals'! kimmsr - That is pure nonesense! If the predatory insects run out of harmful insects to feed on, what are these 'other food sources' that you say they turn to? Other beneficials? The fact is, the move on to where their natural food source can be found in abundance. That is fact and not a daydream! Unless you can actually create a balanced environment with 'wide assortment of native and exotic annuals, perennials, woody ornamentals, and vegetables', as rhizo_1 say's he has, you will never hold predatory insects and achieve a good balance between beneficials and harmful bugs. The vast majority of small scale vegetable gardeners do not or can not maintain such a balanced environment for any number of reasons, including location, space, financies, etc. What you are talking about works in theory, but in the real world, it is far from the norm! I rarely have an insect problem and do not lose crops to infestation. On the rare occasion when harmfuls get out of control and other measures do not work effectively, I have no problem using organic insecticides on a very limited basis to even the playing field, just as organic farmers all over the country do every day. Ron The Garden Guy ** See Below Informative articles, ongoing garden journal & interactive garden forum! Here is a link that might be useful: The Garden Guy Website & Blog

Once again, no photos from Randy, but hopefully, I'll be able to redeem myself with some accounts of things I've witnessed and heard. :D Account #1 - While up at my folks' this weekend, Mom spotted a praying mantis on one of her plants. I then noticed that it was eating a grasshopper (YIPPEE!!). It was so cool watching it bite into the critter and chew. LOVE those mantises! THEN, some wasps that we commonly refer to as "meat bees" started taking interest in the mantis's meal. They would fly up, try to land, and get smacked away by the mantis! Its reflexes were so strong and fast, we could hear the whacking sound and see the wasps hitting the ground! At one point, the mantis even let one wasp nibble on the back end (less tender? LOL) of the grasshopper, while it continued to munch on the front. As long as the wasps didn't infringe too much on the mantis's area, everything was dandy. :D Account #2 - The barn owl has really been vocal in the early morning hours here. It seems to be on a routine of sorts, feeding, or making noise, every couple of days or three. The other morning, when the barn owl seemed to be taking a break, I heard another sound which I can only describe as a "deep, resonating" hoooOOO, hoo-hoo-hoo, repeated just like that, over and over, with breaks in between. No gutteral sounds, though. Another type of OWL?! I've tried looking for this sound ALL over the place online, but I can't seem to nail it down. When I first heard it, I thought it surely was an owl. It has that classic owl sound to it, but then again, I've never heard a "classic" owl sound in person. LOL Then, due to call descriptions in my book, I thought it might be a band-tailed pigeon, but the sounds online just don't match. However, none of the owl sounds seem to match, either! And it's definitely not one of the Eurasian collared doves (or ringed-necked turtle doves?) which have been hanging around. The sound is VERY deep and VERY resonating (almost a bass sound), and yesterday morning, DH and I heard BOTH the barn owl and this mysterious creature at the same time! I sure hope we can ID this soon....before it's gone! I'm so tempted to get a night-vision something-or-other so we can put this mystery to rest! Brenda

It took 3 of us 2 1/2 hours to get them all in. It got to 35. I can't get into my dining room at all & the porch is full too. The Voodoo bulbs are blooming & are on the back porch. I get to smell their "lovely perfume" every time I let the dogs in & out. Yuck! I'm sitting them outside until tonight. I had their box at the other end of the yard because there are about 8 of them blooming now & they were really covered with flies. It looked like a scene from the Exorcist or the Amityville Horror. LOL Another possible freeze tonight & then out they go. Next year I am stuffing them all in huge Rubbermaid tubs to make this sort of thing easier. Linda