I plan growing highbush blueberries in a whiskey barrel this year

Many years ago, I saw a dried citrus decorated tree in Martha Stewart Living. It was so pretty. It was the year our DS was getting married in mid-December & we were having a housefull of out-of-state guests for a week. I wanted our 1848 house to look very New England(y) for our very western family & citrus has a tradition (along w/pineapple) as being a sign of New England hospitality. I dried dozens of orange, lemon, grapefruit, & lime slices. Oh, it was beeeeautiful! At night with clear lights it looked like stained glass. About a week before the wedding I started noticing little gnats flying here & there. Three days before the wedding they were not only here & there...they were everywhere. Yep, my beautiful citrus slices were the culprit. DH still teases me every time he hears Martha's name. We had to redecorate the tree and spray for bugs. :( Now, I just put a variety of citrus in a clear glass bowl with battery operated mini-lights winding & hidden throughout. ;) I've had good luck with the cinnamon/applesauce mixture that you mold in cookie cutters with a straw punched through for hanging. I like to make dried apple faces but those don't keep either. By the time they've dried enough to look cool they are also rotting. Another :( Popcorn/dried apple slices work very well but no cranberries...they also get gushy. I also fill bowls with whole inshell nuts & mix with winterberries/evergreens. Very pretty. Mostly, I go outside & gather bits/pieces from the garden. /tricia

Yes, use that plate, platter or something. During the fires of Southern California last month, there were 3 pumpkins in one of our kindergarten rooms. When we returned to school 10 days later, the stench in that room (and the mess) was obvious when you opened the K door! The custodian had found the mess and smell on Friday, and cleaned it up for the teacher (we have a GREAT custodian). But the smell was still there on Monday when we came back. DonnaR/CA

Mtn., if you're having a large gathering for Thanksgiving, a fun thing to do to seat everyone is to place a Scrabble tile on each plate⦠or something, face down, each different from the other. Put it's partner tile in your new turkey and pass it around. Everyone picks a tile out of the turkey, and then they have to find the matching tile on the plate, and that is their seat. It's a cute little game people are amused by, it prevents any awkwardness as to "where should I sit?", But leave the seat at the head of the table for the hostess, I guess yourself. Also fun to use are the pieces from those memory games. I have the ones of animal prints by a specific artist from the Boston MFA, which is what I used last year (I have also used the Scrabble tiles), so the person who picked the penguin had to find the plate with the matching penguin chip, etc. There is also a memory game of famous portraitists, i.e.: Picasso, Renoir, etc. My point is, the turkey could be a vessel to carry the pieces people pick to start finding their seat.