I have been trying to remember some of the more unusual containers I have seen on this forum and the first one that comes to mind is an old claw tub. It was in the middle of a wildflower garden and was quite interesting. It brought to mind old victorian houses for some reason. Wooden horse troughs show up nicely if you have access, otherwise I suspect they might be rather expensive. Galvanized wash tubs and wooden half barrels with liners and very large urns that have an overflow into a gravel filled bed (sometimes this is called a pondless waterfall, no fishies in this one), a bucket tipped and pouring water into another larger bucket or tub for a start. I gave a talk to a group of older people living in a group of condos with only a small patch of concrete in the back, and showed them a small water garden in a 15 gallon plastic ice tub. I put in three plants including a small black magic taro and a small pump and fountain from Harbour Freight. The filter came from Lowes although I showed them how to make a filter out of Tupperware. I got a letter from them two weeks later and they had all put in a water garden. None of them was like the other and they were all very pleased to sit on their concrete slab and talk to their neighbors about their water gardens. A friend has a monster flower pot that she sealed on the bottom and it attracts lovely little frogs. I thought it was terracotta but it is plastic foam. She changes the way it is set up every year. She sometimes puts a fishie or two in it but doesn't want to let them get too big. She uses an aquarium bubbler and does a complete water change from her well every week. OK, that's all I can think of right now. What do the rest of our ponders remember? Oh, yes. Look up Adam's Filter. It is the same principle as my tupperware filter only a bit larger. Don't use clear tubing. It clogs up with algae really fast. Sandy

Sure are a lot of "dorfus'" here - meet Dorfus Burger-Head here!! Wow that doesn't sound too smart does it. Oh well, this is fun.

Oh what memories you have brought to my mind! I am from the midwest but went to college in Tennessee. I had never really been down "south" for any extended amount of time and was not prepared for the culture shock!! Imagine my surprise/shock when I went out my first evening in town... I asked a waitress for a soda and she replied, "Your a Yankee aren't ya?" I had never been called a Yankee in my life nor had I really even thought about it. I was constantly reminded that I was a "Yankee".... when I asked for "goulash" instead of "chilli mac", when I borrowed a "sweeper" instead of the "vacuum", when I "pushed" the elevator button instead of "mashing" it, when I wanted to play "wee tee" instead of "miniature golf", when I "went out" to dinner with a friend instead of having her "carry me out", when I said "Hi! How are you doing?" instead of "Hey! How Ya'all doin'?"... I could go on and on, but one day everything changed. I had two friends who were from Japan (one northern and the other southern). One day the two were talking and I asked one of them what the other said. He replied, "I have no idea. He's using southern slang that I don't understand!" I about died laughing! It was then that it really sank in that we're all so different but that's what makes life exciting!!! Happy Scrappin'!!

Lydia, I am in Booneville tonight, Thursday, Oct. 24 will ride to Sedalia tomorrow, and then drive back home. Sorry to not have looked up your phone number before leaving home. :( Moni PS, anyone that has Lydia's email, can send her my number... providing of course, you got both. :)