Well, if the addiction wasn't bad enough, I had to look at your pictures. I must say I think these are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen, the colors are so vivid. You should be doing the photographs for the hybridizers. Love the seersuckering on Tiffany Gold (did you get that one because your daughter's name is Tiffany?), gorgeous Castle Camelot, I really need a DL that color, don't have any. Your pic of Lucky Streak kind of threw me since it so much resembles our Oriental lily Black Beauty. Love the green throat on Nancy Britz, and that's a stunner on Bird Talk. I could almost break my rule of not buying "shorties" but Siloam Show Girl is a color combination I love, and same goes for Toast and Jam. Really, they are all wonderful to me, and I will be looking forward to as many as you have time to post. Sorry to hear about your mom, wish there were some real words of comfort to offer, just know that we all care about you. Avedon

All your comments have made my wife's day. She is the photographer and when she is taking pictures, she spends a lot of time composing the shot and then takes a multitude of pictures. When we purchased our digital camera a couple of years ago, she wanted a camera that "felt" like a D-SLR. We could not afford a real D-SLR. We ended up choosing a Fujifilm FinePix S6000 fd. When she takes flower shots, she uses the SP (Scene Position) setting and chooses the flower icon under Scene Position. This is the subsetting of SP that helps take the best flower shots. She uses that setting for any close-up shots. When taking the actual shot, she looks through the viewfinder rather than the little screen on the camera, and holds her arms tight against her body for stabilization. She patiently waits to try to catch the second when there is no wind and the flower is as still as possible. She also holds her breath when taking the shot. Last summer was actually her first summer of taking daylily pics. It was quite entertaining to watch the contortions she would go through to get "just the right" composition. She likes the pic to be of the flower and not the dirt behind the flower or whatever else might be distracting from the beauty of the flower (such as the neighbor's chain link fence), and that can take some creative positioning. Most of our plants are fairly small yet and don't have enough foliage to be a good background. She is even contemplating using a potted daylily to cart around as a foliage backdrop. She loves the challenge though.

Funny how many of the least expensive dinners are comfort food-ish. We shop sales and buy in bulk...I think that will always be a habit and a good thing with DH out of commission for two months. We picked up several pounds of Boston butt for $1.05/lb. and after a day of slow roasting in my cookstove oven I have lots of shredded pork in the freezer.....mmmm. We make big meals and rework the leftovers into a casserole or stew and freeze some for nights I work late. We ate mostly vegetarian in our very poor days....lots of lentils. Cooked and mixed with some taco seasoning, rolled in homemade flour tortillas and topped with homemade salsa and homegrown lettuce. We didn't think we were poor, lol. These are recipes from our Extension Nutrition Program. * Exported from MasterCook * Surprise Burgers Recipe By : Katie, from a grocery store recipe card Serving Size : 10 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 1/4 cups lentils 3 cups water 1 cup chopped onion 1 cup chopped carrots 2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs -- more if necessary 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon oregano -- * see note 1 egg -- optional 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons butter, margarine, or oil cheese slices Wash lentils. Add water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer about 15 minutes. Add onions and carrots. Cook 15 minutes or more until lentils and vegies are tender. Stir in bread crumbs, seasoning and egg. Drop lentils by rounded 1/3 cupfuls into hot oil. Flatten with pancake turner. Cook until firm and brown on both sides. Top with cheese slice and cook until cheese is melted. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : * I use sage and a little thyme...use whatever herbs you like for meatloaf. ................................. This stuff is good...smells wonderful... * Exported from MasterCook * Meatless Lentil Chili Recipe By : Katie, from the Nutrition Advisor program Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 5 c boiling water 1/2 tsp salt 2 1/3 c lentils -- washed 1 can (16 oz.) tomatoes 1 pkg dry onion soup mix -- (I use beef base and chopped onions) 1 1/2 tsp chili powder -- or to taste 1/2 tsp cumin Simmer lentils, salt, and water for 30 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 30 minutes more. Serve as is or over spaghetti, rice or corn chips (top with shredded cheese). Use for pizza, tacos, or serve as a dip. Spread on plate and top with diced onions, tomatoes, chiles and shredded cheese. Serve with tortilla chips. .................................

Scott, you did not say what varieties you are growing or where they came from. Are they started from cuttings or rooted plants? All those factors make a big difference. Look to 'Divine', 'Cal. Sunset', 'Thornton's Lemon Drop', 'Kimo', and 'Penang Peach' (probably many more -- others can advise) for eager bloomers at a smaller size - or bloom better in a shorter growing season. This is VERY important and I can't emphasize it enough. I've tried many, many varieties. I purchased several that looked good 'online', but when they started to grow 2 feet in one season and still didn't bloom -- out they went to the compost pile! But probably the biggest thing is 'patience grasshopper'. These plants bloom in their own time. You must let them grow. You cannot expect immediate gratification. As plant growers, we must all learn that.