Well, hello, everyone! What a nice surprise to see emails from cottage gardeners in my inbox. I hope you're all doing well, and I know you Northerners must be on pins and needles awaiting Spring. I hope it's sprung for you guys. We're in the throws of Spring down here in Florida. The weather has been gorgeous. Yeah, I've been pretty dull for a while. I'm still gardening, but I haven't been on the forums in ages. I miss you guys! The City Code Enforcement seems to have seen the light regarding my modest garden. It was nonsense, and the City Manager seemed to agree. So I shouldn't have any more problems. Crossing fingers... Gene and I went to Ireland in Sept. 06, and I was so inspired by the small front yard gardens and all the lush hanging baskets. Most of the yards had a rock wall, or a tidy hedge in front, then wild abandon behind it. So I decided to redo the front of my garden to have a more "orderly" appearance like the ones I saw in Ireland. I made a short picket fence/edging and put tall red pentas behind it. I keep the pentas trimmed as a hedge. Anyway, I think this makes my garden look more like a garden, and not just random "horiticultural overgrowth". Here's a few pics, and I included a link, too. Hugs! Happy Spring! Happy Easter! Ooooh. Easter candy... Cadberry Eggs... Excuse me while I run out for chocolate... Nicki Here is a link that might be useful: More photos

My husband and I rented an old house on the river on Lady's Island, SC, one year while we were waiting for our house to be built. The house was in a well established subdivision of homes built in the 80's, yet this house was over 100 years old, and stood out because of it's older, Victorian farmhouse style architecture. It had three levels, that included a walkout basement, which is very rare in a coastal area where the properties are so close to sea level. The story behind the house was that it had originally been owned by a woman, who after a huge dispute with her neighbors in downtown Beaufort, had the house moved by barge across the river to Lady's Island onto property she had inherited from her father. There was no bridge to the island in those days, and she used to row herself across the river into town for provisions each week. The first paranormal experience happened to DH, who was out in the yard mowing one afternoon. Our kids were at school and I was at work, and the entire neighborhood was quiet when he suddenly heard this strange, lilting music coming from the house. He went inside, expecting to find a radio on, or that one of the kids had come home from school without his knowledge and turned on a tape player. As he climbed the stairs from the basement to the living floor, the music stopped and he never could find the source of where it came from. The house was empty, and the kids didn't get off the bus until hours later. He told all of us about it, but none of us had a clue as to what it could have been. A month or so later, my daughter took her 8-track tape player to her girl friends house for a weekend sleepover. The girls turned on the tape player and heard this strange lilting music, something like they had never heard before, coming from the tape player. My daughter remembered what DH had told her about the music he heard, and called us immediately and played the tape over the phone for him to hear. It was the same music he'd heard that day previously in the yard, and was a tune none of us recognized. He told DD to bring the tape home with her the following day so we could all listen to it and try to figure out the mystery, and she agreed to do so. When she returned the next day and we sat down to listen to it, the tape was blank - and she swore that she hadn't erased it, she was as disappointed as we were that it was empty. The next occurrence in that house was also with DH. We had a group of friends over to the house one night for a cook-out, and the upstairs bathroom was occupied when DH needed to use it. He went downstairs into the basement where there was a tiny half bath installed. As he stood in front of the toilet peeing, he felt a tap-tap on his shoulder, as though someone was trying to get his attention. He said, "just a sec and I'll be finished", and turned his head, expecting to see someone waiting to use the room, yet no one was there. He immediately turned around and walked through all the basement rooms, and there was no one around, anywhere. We later heard from our neighbors that the house was haunted and previous renters had also witnessed strange occurrences while living there. One woman had been setting up the dining table for a birthday party for her daughter, when one of the balloons she'd blown up and attached a string to suddenly began moving about the room on it's own accord, as though it were held by someone walking around the room. It was an airless day and all the windows were closed, and she claims the string wasn't vertical, but angled as though someone was running with it. As she stood there, three other balloons were invisibly grabbed up and then they all went floating, as though they were being held by someone, up the stairs to the bedroom level. That family apparently had so many other bizarre happenings in that house that they got spooked and moved out. That's why it was available for us when we needed a quick short term rental. We never felt threatened or in fear about our "ghost", just figured it was the old woman's energy still there for some reason, and we always wished we could have found out more, but we moved out soon afterward to get into our new home.

While everyone is celebrating Christmas, I'll be hosting 2 Channukah dinners Sunday and Monday and getting our Weber fired up. Sunday is for one of my childhood friends and her family. Grandkids and Daughters coming on Monday. Looking forward to all the kids lighting the Menorah and reciting the prayers for the lighting. Here is my Sunday Menu: First, Pomegrante Cosmopolitans, wine and beer along with Eggplant Caviar. I always go light on appetizers. Salmon on a cedar plank grilled with a dressing of apricot preserves and horseradish Baked Chicken with mustard and capers sauce Potato Latkes with homemade applesauce and sour cream sides Roasted carrots More wine Dessert will be: Homemade Lemon Yogurt Pound Cake (Barefoot Contessa and easy) Brownies My guest is bringing a desseert made from a recipe handed down from her Grandmother (who came from England). More wine and coffee. I love when Channukah falls on the same time of Xmas. I usually just host dinner on Xmas Day regardless. It's become a tradition in our home.

Cpartist do you have a door into your closet or is it just an opening? Sara could you send me a picture? I measured the actual space since they made an error on the concrete footings measurement so I ended up with more house then garage which benefits this closet. The closet at question measures 6’3 1/2” deep and 5’8 1/2” wide. Also at this point the door is centered giving about 18” on either side of the opening. I guess I could do hanging in the back and narrow shelves on the both sides. Or maybe I should have him move the door to allow for the 2’ L shaped hanging? But then the door swing may hit my vanity or bed table.