Nancy, I hope you like my seeds, and no, we haven't gotten anything back yet. If I were stuck like that on a big swap, I'd be tempted to buy $15.00 worth of seed and split the packs and fill the remaining envies just to get them out of my hair. She must have an iron constitution! (Don't anybdy misread that, I am actually not in any hurry to get the seeds excpet I am always excited to see what I'm getting) You probably already know a lot of this, but regarding your paperwhites, I have some ideas from an article I wrote for the Daffodil Newsletter I hope you don't mind me sharing. You know how they can get awfully tall and flop over in an unattrative way riiiiight when they are starting to bloom? I have 2 tips you can use to keep them shorter and have what I call a "higher bloom to foliage ratio". (Meaning it looks like there is as much flower as foliage.) 1. Put a teaspoon of gin or vodka in the water when you start them. That is misleading because you just "put some in" according to how much water is in there. 2. Put them in a dark chilly room, closet, basement or garage to root. Make sure they are dark and it is chilly. I think they root in a week and they bloom in 2 weeks after that, but you can hold them a month or up to 3 months if it's dark and chilly. 3. Instead of putting them in a low saucer or dog dish-shaped thing with rocks, put them in a clear (or colored) glass vase. You need to put about 5 bulbs in your purse or pocket before you go shopping to make sure they will fit inside the base of the vase. I use the cheapest ones I can find from Goodwill where they cost about $1.00 each and are shaped like a hourglass. It's sort of cruel because I stuff the bases full and the recipeinet have a devil of a time getting the bulbs back out. The vases are hard to find at Goodwill this time of year because smart alecs who hear the tip run out and buy everything they have on the shelves. Put your bulbs, nose up, in the base and if you think it's too tight a fit, just rotate one or two bulbs because they are never perfectly round and if it's close, you can usuallyjam themin. I'm going by memory, but I believe a Dutchman once told me the bulbs never get any larger, only smaller. When you add water, the skins of the daffodils will stain the water in an unnattractive way, so do an overnight bulb presoak so you don't have skins falling off -- it keeps the water much cleaner, but is messier to put together. The foliage can get 18-20-" tall, so look at your vase and decide if you need the vodka or gin. You might not. The side walls of the vase will keep the foliage upright and look very cool. The roots will show through, but you can leave them as-is or add rocks. Keep the water just above or just touching the basal plate (the base) of the bulb and never let it get dry. Once they start rooting, they will elevate themselves, and if you flub up on the water it won't be the end of the world. They do well in regular household light, but that makes them eventaller as they reach for the light, so truly, consider those vases to corral the foliage. You can put a pretty ribbon around them if you get the hour glass shapes, or scotch tape 2 contrasting ribbons to the other shaped vases. Lime

This string has made my day. All the great ideas...heating the counter tops and using it as an extra griddle - FANTASTIC! And of course I'll drink more now since I'll have a built in ice pack in the counter. :) Seriously, I got up this morning and felt my laminate. It too feels cool to the touch although probably not as cold as granite and it's not the dead of winter. I usually choose function over form but I'm now leaning towards form over function for this one item. Thanks again for all the serious and entertaining posts. This is a great community. :)

Anne, I saw my first Rose Chafer beetle last year. I didn’t know what it was until you mentioned it in a beetle thread. So after that I have been in denial. I hope that the JB’s never get worse for you CB’s are bad enough and they are ugly. Carol, It’s not that bad really (well it is) but you get them anyway. I have found threw the years that you need a few sacrificial lambs. A couple of roses that the beetles love so much that that some others are left alone. wirosarian, your so dog gone funny. Now who remembers the poster from years back. They showed a necklace made from JB’s. Maybe we should have their nutritional levels tested like they are with other insects.

Oh my, a puma! Reminds me of the sightings around here a few years back. This, from 2011: "...Then in June 2011, there were reports of a mountain lion in Greenwich and, for the first time, a photo... https://www.connecticutmag.com/the-connecticut-story/there-are-no-mountain-lions-in-connecticut-so-why-do-we-keep-seeing-them/article_c03d308a-f52a-11e9-9a84-5ba07033defc.html Also, "...On June 11, 2011, in Milford, CT, a mountain lion was killed by a motor vehicle. It is the only confirmed presence of a cougar in recent years. This young male cougar was found to have DNA from other cougars found in South Dakota which means it traveled about 1,800 miles east...." https://goodmorningwilton.com/woodcock-nature-center-column-mysterious-mountain-lions-of-ct/ I will add, there is a farm at the end of my road, and I worked there for a few years. That year (2011), the farmer told me he saw a mountain lion walk across his front yard, cross the street, and head down my road (towards my house lol! Yikes). He also had a GREAT corn crop that year, and he swears it's because the mountain lion scared away the deer and raccoons. At the farmers market one day I was in a conversation with this farmer and a few other people, and I said, oh, he (the farmer) thinks he saw a mountain lion, and the farmer cut me off and said, "I didn't THINK I saw one, I DID see one!" He was adamant, and quite frankly I believed him. Especially when I was at his farm on the ground working and would suddenly look up at the tall grass beyond his fields and wonder if I was being watched. It was kind of spooky! Also, while looking up the 2011 sightings, I see there were sightings more recently too, in 2019 and just last August! I forgot about those! https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Cougar-sighting-reported-in-New-Canaan-Thursday-16398687.php Nothing around my house except the usual suspects. My daughter lives down the street and says she is constantly hearing coyotes howl at night (and says it's creepy lol!) but I don't hear them. Perhaps there is a coyote route by her house. Or I'm just a heavy sleeper lol! :) Dee