Hey Dee, google "Brand X Foliage Cleaner" (sorry I can't link it, I'm on a work computer). It's an amazing, non-toxic foliage cleaner that gets rid of most hard water spots, while also making the leaves "slippery" enough that mealy bugs and scale cannot adhere to the plant. I literally can't say enough good stuff about the product and use it on all my (non-fuzzy) plants.

Happy Mother’s Day to all ❤️ We had a small group of DH, me, DS2and my mother. The kids nominated DS2 to buy plants for my mom and me. We had a very lazy day, with lunch of quiche Lorraine I had made yesterday, and a dinner of chicken prepared like schnitzel ( cutlets pounded thin, dusted with flour and paprika, dipped in egg and rolled in panko and cooked in the smallest amount of oil possible), on a bed of creamed spinach and mushrooms, served with saffron rice. Watermelon pieces as a salad and coconut cake for dessert, all made by me. Our club restaurant isn’t open for sit down meals yet, and I did not want to risk going elsewhere just yet, so I had this all planned and it took just an hour to put it together. We ate in the informal dining area and I used one of the azalea plants the kids gave me as a centerpiece. Nothing fancy for a change, and I found a box of unused tray liners from Hester and a Cook when we moved and used those as sort of faux placemats. So glad we did not have a big do that required a lot of cleanup, as after dinner DH got a call, his mother died on Mother’s Day evening. She was in her late 80s and had Alzheimer’s for more than a decade, cared for in her own home according to her wish by round the clock helpers. DH and DS2 had driven to Alabama to see her the day before and found her especially frail, so it was not a surprise to anyone. Still, any passing is a blow, a jolt in the road. I’m more thankful than ever to have my mother! DH’s brother, a physician, was with their mom at the end. We will have a very quiet family funeral in a few days. “A life well lived is not to mourn, but to envy and inspire hope.”

My DD and her fiance came out, and my dad treated us all to lunch at one of my fav local Mexican food restaurants. I’m still thinking of my veggie chili relleno with queso fresco. Ahhhh. I wish I could eat it every day. :) I tried to convince them to move in with us, but they won’t. I’m not doing Empty Nest Syndrome well. I want to be with her every day. It’s been years since she moved! She’s 27! When do I get used to it?!

Moses,I love your Gardenia story! You did a great job with that gardenia and it sounds like a beauty. I agree August Beauty is one of the better varieties. I had a few at my old house and they bloomed a lot and were easier to care for than some others that I had killed lol! I don't know what variety this one is. It is by the back steps. There's another huge shrub right next to it, that I have yet to identify. That other shrub grows monsterous and tries to shade out the gardenia and I have to continually whack it back! The first winter we were here it rained then froze to 10F one night! Very unusual for us. This gardenia had branches burst open from the freeze. I had to cut it down to a couple feet high. This year it has come back enough to produce several blooms which have begun opening for Mother's Day! Diane, I too, wish you could smell her heady tropical scent! So heavenly.