Here's a shot of one of my camellias that's just about finished blooming. This was only it's second year and only one flower. But it's looking healthy. Camellia April Dawn And below is what I bought yesterday. Took the lazy way out and took a couple of shots of the whole tray! New stuff I bought (1) Opuntia phaeacantha (orange), two new sempervivums, parsley, tarragon, and two supposedly hardy rosemary plants. One is "Madeleine Hill" and the other is "Irene", which is a trailer(?). The nursery had then both marked as zone 5 hardy, but then one of the sales persons said they "might have chance in Providence, in a protected spot." Why rate them as zone 5 then? Anyway, time will tell. New stuff I bought (2) 2 Osteospermums for my planters, and some pansies for now. The rest is the same as the first photo.

One fairly easy, but not cheap, way to kill privet and other shrubs is with the trunk-spray method. You will need to get triclopyr that is a high enough percentage to dilute with diesel so that the triclopyr can be about 25% of the resulting solution. This is brushkiller, but not the same strength that is normally available in the nursery section of your big local discount store. I buy this at a feed store or such for about $89 per gallon. Used judiciously, it kills a lot of privet, though. Put the triclopyr-diesel solution in a sprayer, or in a bucket. The sprayer can be one of those 1-gallon pump things. The solution has not eaten up the plastic on mine. Don't use the sprayer for ANYTHING but weed/plant killer. If using a bucket, arm yourself with an old, wide paintbrush. Be careful not to spill the bucket, as you'll cry if $50 of triclopyr runs into the ground and kills something you don't want it to. Coat the bottom 18 inches or so of the privet trunks, on all sides, with the diesel/triclopyr mixture. Then wait. This is very satisfying. In a few days, you'll see the leaves begin to yellow and drop. The privet is dying! When it's entirely dead, if you wait long enough, it will start to rot, and you'll be able to break it off at ground level by hand and take it out to the trash or whatever you're going to do with it. If you cut it after it's dead (wait a couple weeks following leaf drop), spray the cut stump with roundup immediately, to make sure it's gone, gone, gone, especially if you see any green below the bark.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsessive-compulsive_disorder

Good luck finding a hairdresser that will/can cut it like you want it! Whatever you do walk,or better still,run right on by Wal-Mart,Supercuts,etc! LOL I have had at least 5 hair cuts since we have been in NM,showed them pictures,verbally explained in detail to them how I wanted it,practically showed a couple how to hold the scissors.Even shampooed and blow dried in the style I wear before I went and told them I wanted a shorter version of THIS! Haven't found one person that can cut it like I want it and have had some really BAAAD haircuts.I even stopped a lady in the parking lot at Wal-mart the other day and asked her who cut her hair because it looked like the way I like mine.LOL The last 2 times I cut it myself.Figured I could chop it up as bad as anyone else and it was free!LOL Stacy-I have seen pictures of you with short hair and long hair and I love it short! Makes you look young,not that you are old or look old but there's just something about it short that is very becomming.I'm with you when it comes to long hair and heat/humidity.The shorter the better for me.Good luck and post a picture when you're done.