Hello.. :-) Just noticed this discussion. I really like extending the season too. I just haven't done as much of it as I like. It seems to be one of those goals that gets lost in the shuffle. I noticed a few days ago that the two Viburnum carlesii I have are still covered with very pretty leaves even though all of the other viburnums have none. Funny, but I bought them both at the same time and planted them in different locations. One shrub turned a pretty light mahogany color with a different color making an edging around every leaf. The other turned golds and reds. I thought that was pretty late to still have leaves..plus it is one of the earlier shrubs to bloom in the spring and really it has to have the best fragrance of anything in my yard. I was planning on moving them in the spring. It just occurred to me maybe I should be concerned about whether I will disturb their bloom when I do? I have hellebores here, but so far, they have not done much for me. If they repeat this pattern in the spring I may move them and see if there is a better place for them. I was just looking at my photos from last year. February photos were all of the duck pond. [g] March had crocus late in the month, daffodil foliage all the way up by the 16th and one blooming up against the foundation, Sedum buds fattening up and hens and chicks still with their winter red colors. The end of March there was Tulip kaufmanniana 'The First' blooming. By April 2nd I see the only bud on my Hellebore. Isn't that late? I just have very little in March and what I have is sparse. I wonder does anyone actually have a whole section of their yard that looks like a garden in March? pm2

Mboston, your post made me cry! Thank you so much for posting a message to me. It's been an exhausting few months of waiting and more waiting and I just didn't have it in me to write up a huge post with no real information except maybes and more maybes. I also had a small email issue with someone here on Gardenweb and she tipped me over so I haven't logged back into my emeraldisle email since then. The gall of some people sometimes. But I shouldn't let that take away from all of you wonderful people. :) I saw my oncologist at the end of March after seeing the fertility specialist the week before. We needed my oncologist to give us specifics on time (she gave me until September to get pregnant!), we needed her to say if I could carry the baby or if it would have to be a surrogate (she said I definitely can carry the baby!), I stopped taking the Megace that same day (so the worry is the cancer will definitely grow back but there is no way to determine how fast and/or aggressive it will be) and it's a no to any hormone treatments to stimulate eggs as my cancer is hormone dependent. So...after stopping the Megace, I had to wait for my cycle to reset itself (I hadn't had one since June) and then the fertility testing would start. 6 months seems like a lot of time but really it's not! I got my cycle and then 2 days later had to get to the fertility doc for blood tests and an ovary ultrasound for them to count the eggs. It was a couple of days after the marathon bombing and it was overwhelming (to put it mildly) to have the armed National Guardsmen and their Hummer vehicles standing outside Mass General. I actually starting crying at the sight of them as this is the world we live in now and I'm trying to bring a baby into the world. And my heart broke knowing I was thisclose to the victims that were brought to MGH. Of course during the ultrasound I hear everything the doctor doing the procedure (not my doc) is telling the nurse. So I mentally make my notes and I'm googling everything on my phone before we even leave the hospital. My appointment with my doctor was the following week to discuss results. I only have 3 eggs on each ovary (low for someone my age not in menopause) and one of my hormones is very low. My doctor told me not to panic yet as it doesn't mean that I can't get pregnant naturally, it's just not ideal for egg retrieval. Plus he can't give me hormones to stimulate any more eggs due to the cancer. My doctor is so sweet, he's determined to help me and says he thinks about my case all of the time and what he can do for me (safely of course!). He's never had a case with my variation of issues so it's a first for him and his staff. I was talking to one of my cousins (she's a nurse at MGH) and she said these one of a kind cases get a lot of attention as it's both a challenge and an opportunity for them, so that made me happy. My doctor decided to wait until my next cycle (whenever that would be as I don't have a real cycle schedule) and re-test everything to confirm the numbers. I figured it would be 4 weeks or so, turns out it was just 3 weeks later. So I went again last week for another ultrasound (still only 3 eggs on each ovary) and more bloodwork. I go back at the end of this month to see what the next step is. I also saw my OB/GYN last month and she said I'm the most determined patient she's ever had and can't believe how much I've been through in the last year trying to figure this all out. She said if I end up pregnant after all of this, she will make sure my story makes it into a medical journal as it deserves to be. I told her I'm just doing what I can, it's all I know how to do. I never ever give up without a fight! So, in a nutshell, here I am! Still patiently waiting and worrying about only having 4 months left now to get pregnant. My oncologist is allowing me to wait 6 months for my next D&C as she felt confident to do that. I trust her literally with my life and I know she wouldn't allow it if she wasn't ok with it. It's definitely a risk I'm taking but my husband and I talked it all out and it's what I wanted to do. At this point, what is 6 months. (I hope I don't regret those words!) Mothers Day this year was really hard for me, I didn't expect it to be so emotional. It was like I was mourning something I never had. My mom went to my brother's house and I decided against it. I felt bad but I had a long talk with my mom and she said she understood. I haven't seen anyone in my family for a few months and I didn't want a million questions about everything plus I didn't want to take away from it being my mom's and my brother's MIL holiday. And...I definitely didn't want to have to stop by my in-laws house. My mother-in-law and I are on the outs as I couldn't take the pressure of the constant texts asking how I was doing, wanting all the details, etc. I know she cares about me but I finally had to tell her this was between me and her son and no one understands the stress I have right now. I know she's angry but it's really too bad. I have no room in my life for drama at the moment! You ladies are so sweet. I still read here all of the time, I just didn't have it in me to post. But now you sure got an earful (or would that be an eyeful!). All of your prayers, good vibes and thoughts are on my mind every single day. I couldn't have made it this far without people like you sending up your prayers to the big man upstairs. :) You have no idea how thankful I am for you. This post was edited by emeraldisle624 on Tue, May 14, 13 at 12:46

I'm not surprised that Cathy has a pair, but I do not have any myself. I do have a very large plastic spoon with a long handle that will serve about 1/2 cup of liquid, and I often use it for serving soup because my main ladle holds one cup (and is so marked), and I usually prefer to take out smaller portions at a time than that. I have three very large wire strainers (all different sizes) for retrieving pasta, and I hardly use them for anything else. I have slotted serving spoons that I use for serving vegetables without liquid, and so I would not need a perferated spoodle for that. I have smaller strainers that I use when deep-frying something, although the deep fryer that I have now has a wire basket. Lars

lasagna and loaves of sourdough bread? i would have delivered the coolers to you had i been invited!!! i feel sort of like garfield--lasagna is one of my very favorite foods... you may or may not be surprised to hear that indeed, i am done with all the baking that is gonna happen this season--last night i baked a couple poatoes to go with our meatloaf. couldn't think of a good reason to ruin a perfectly good holiday season so far :) a trip to the grocery store yesterday yielded almost everything i need for our menu though, including a beautiful little standing rib roast. then i read joey's recipe for a chopped italian salad and decided i needed to add that so i'll just pick up some romaine when i stop for a chunk of pate on my way home from work tomorrow night. everything else is do at the last minute so i'm feeling pretty golden! enjoy the time with your family--i'm sure they'll be thrilled with your treats!