You might want to post this in the regular Florida forum. This one is just for plant exchanges and lots of people don't check it.

I suppose a suction cup device might work on very shallow superficial dents, but Kudzu is correct -- any significant dent stretches the metal. My days of studying and doing auto body repair are long over, so things may have changed, but the traditional way to straighten a panel is to work the dent from the outside to the center. If you can access the panel from behind, you bump with a hammer and dolly. If not, you use a slide hammer puller from the front (this leaves convex holes in the panel that you have to grind smooth and braze over). When the metal is as close as possible to its original contour, the dent that remains in the center represents the stretched metal. You heat this remaining dent with a torch to soften the steel, so you can bring it back as close to level as possible. A really good auto body craftsperson (I was never anywhere near that good!) can get the steel so close to its original contour that it needs only a mm or so of polyester filler (Bondo is a brand) for final leveling. The real old-timers used to use lead for leveling, but that was a long, long time ago. What little I know of current body repair practice seems to suggest that not many shops straighten panels any more. They replace them. So this is a kind of roundabout way of saying that your local auto body shop may not be of much help.

Hibiscus Seed Capsules Seed saving is a lot of fun and it's easy to do! This is how I do it....and these are general and universal instructions. Mother Nature is pretty easy to figure out if we keep with the idea that SHE needs to keep it simple too. Take a good look at a flower. When the flower fades leave it where it is, do not remove it. Eventually at the base of the flower there will be some swelling. This is where the seeds are forming. Do keep the petals where they are and let them fall naturally...I don't touch it or bother it, I just leave it be. The base of the flower will swell even more and soon you'll notice that the flower stem and the swollen base are turning a papery-brown. This is a very good indication that the seeds are almost fully ripe....in effect the plant has achieved it's goal of reproduction for that flower...it has produced viable seeds and no longer needs to expend energy to keep it alive, so it doesn't sends it's sugars and water up to the stem anymore. That's why it's turning papery-brown. It's no longer being supplied with nutrients and so it's dying back. The drying action will continue and as the swollen pod continues to dry you will see it start to open....some pods will open in a starry design, plants like poppies create a ridge of tiny little circles near the top of the pod....they make themselves into something like a little "salt-shaker" (sorta...but you could imagine it.) All flower pods will open in some manner when the seeds are ripe....it's so they can disperse their seeds. When you see that the pods and stems are both brownish in color, AND you notice that the pods are starting to open you can then collect the pods. I place the pods on an open plate or in open bowls in a safe place where they won't be disturbed and let them continue to dry naturally for another week or two. Then I remove the seeds from them. To assure that the seeds are thoroughly dry I let them dry on an open plate for a few more days...I even will stir them every now and then to make sure the bottom layers will get a chance to dry too. Storing the dried seeds is easy. I use paper envelopes. I make my own with my printer, but you could use coin envelopes or even mailing envelopes will do fine too. Label them so you know what's inside. Store them where they'll be away from heat or direct sunlight. I use cardboard file boxes to keep my seeds in and those do just fine. Another good place to keep them is in your dining room drawers. Those are dark places and your dining room is sure to be safe from extreme fluctuations in temperature. Good luck with your seed saving! Trudi

Have you considered craigslist? Also, do you have a local auction/ sales site? I believe you might be in an area that will allow you to access golsn.com. Free listing and free photos. I would contact my local Sr Citizen center for suggestions. There are usually quilters associated and other needle workers as well. They might appreciate the donations to sell for funding senior activities. Another org that you might consider is Habitat for Humanity...most offices have a "re-Store" where they sell donated goods to raise funds for building homes. Maybe I have started your brain juices flowing. It's wonderful that you want some good to come from the kits instead of just trashing them. Hoping your wife's condition improves!