I'll ditto Dee's welcome even though I don't grow what are annuals here in my colder (than your's) zone. Here Gerbera daisies are (I believe) also called African daisies which means they're not perennials here in the colder climate zones. They're colorful and attractive--I'd love to have them year-round but when the snow falls, they disappear beneath it, never to return the following season. I would agree with echinaceamaniac that it needs more light but it may also be growing where it gets too much moisture. Where I am there's generally sufficient rainfall each season that supplemental watering isn't necessary.

compost_hugger_nancy- Yes, Claire is a REAL BIRDLADY, and a GREAT one at that. She helped me identify the Red breasted Nuthatch when I called it a chickadee, lol. Plus has helped with other things too. Thank you for the kind words, I'm glad you like the photos and stories. bob414- They are different, I've been around them my whole life, so I'm use to them. I have photos (before digital) from 20 years ago where you see orbs spiraling down the hallway of the house I used to live in. I have photos of them in cars I would restore. I would have to take a lot of photos just to make sure the orbs weren't in the way. Claire- No I haven't got a hold of any organization concerning the orbs. A. (There are some entities you call orbs that are visible to infrared cameras but not to the human eye. They may be visible to birds which are known to be able to detect a wider spectrum of light wavelengths than humans. To the infrared camera they appear as floating points of light in constant movement). True, birds even have like a sonar (radar) that they can pick up other birds with and energies like a tracking device that is in the air. I think if there is too much energies (orbs included), it will interfere with their tracking and they may not fly. Most of the orbs stay in constant movement but some don't. Here are some dancing- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhdSd2SrhOU B. (The orbs seem to be centered around (and in) your house and don't go too far outward although they do travel high and may extend far up right above you). True, it may be a portal. C. (They seem to be able to pass through walls (which are made of non-living materials) but they seem to avoid living materials such as birds and maybe trees. All living organisms as far as I know have a bioelectric field associated with them. They also seem to avoid cars and trucks except when covered with snow. Maybe the metal carries a charge)? True and false. They avoid birds but not necessarily trees. I've seen still orbs on the branches with a little bit of flicker. Bioelectric field is basically Orgone Energy (natural energy)that was discovered by Dr. Wilhelm Reich back in the forties. I have orgone devices in and around the house, even on the deck. They don't avoid vehicles, I have pics of orbs in vehicles that I was restoring. D. (They're not particularly affected by wind or heat or light or magnets, although they may notice the magnetic field). True E. (They appear in loose groups on a fairly regular schedule; around sunset and then again around midnight. The activity of the groups is very variable - sometimes slow and sometimes very excited). True F. You're located in Southern Alaska which is near the Arctic Circle. True Question 1. (You're in aurora country, do they react to auroral activity? Today activity is low, but we're near solar maximum and the Auroral Oval could easily extend out to Southern Alaska when activity increases, as it does on a day by day basis. Auroras are chock full of energy which could affect your orbs). There is probably lots of them during aurora borealis due to the amount of energy available in the air. Question 2. (What about sound, which is another form of energy? You have neighbors so you can't just go blasting out strange music (or you shouldn't), but if you set up a camera indoors you could play with sounds of very low and very high pitch, as well as everything in between). True, even though I might be inside the house, I know there is some 'music' that seems to bring more of them around. I will show you the test when I get the cameras up in the house. I had to order more cameras because two of the ones that came in were bad and not working. I will be pointing more cameras upward to see how they act with the auroras. I will be testing frequencies as well. Question 3. (Do they come out when it snows? You said you didn't film when it snowed because you "didn't want to get a false reading/observation", which is very reasonable, but maybe you could put a cover of some sort over a camera and a dark background to see if they're there. My thought is that snowflakes are charged so that might affect the orbs). The orbs do come out when it snows and you can see them going against the direction of the snowflakes and some go sideways. I can also do the covering of the camera with the black background just to see how their behavior is. Question 4. (What type of light did you use for your test? Incandescent, fluorescent, halogen, LED? Maybe a 'black light' bulb that produces UV light would have an effect). I used an LED light. Good idea on the black light, I need to get one and perform that test. Question 5. (Would they react to a battery? Batteries have an anode and a cathode so there might be an attraction or repulsion to one end and not the other). I went and did that test, here is the video- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dI_h1gnm6w Question 6. (Winter Soltice is coming up this weekend and it might be worth looking to see if there's any difference in activity. There's a lot of cultural history and also hype about the solstices, but maybe there's something to be seen). True, I took a video at 1am because they were acting different, shocking- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef18lpRjQow It's my pleasure passing on information like this. If you look into lets say Orgone Pyramids, you'll understand more about the energies around us and how you can change things for the better where you live. P.S. Almost forgot to mention about the ravens that have been coming by lately- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6Pgb-KrsBU Ed This post was edited by Trickyfingers on Sat, Dec 22, 12 at 9:38

Thanks Louisianapurchase! Ernie and I went out to the gym this morning, it is so, so nice to have plenty of room. I was working out in a space about half this size and had to move things every time I changed exercise or when I wanted to get the treadmill out. It's so nice to be able to set up and just roll through the work out. While I would have loved to have my desk in front of the windows, the sacrifice was worth it. Now I can set up and work out on both sides of the bench when doing alternating sets. I love the two walls of mirrors too. And everything is organized, what a dream! Doing step ups on one side : Then walk around to do split squats on the other, no having to move anything or change weights. Once I have the other bar it will work even better. Now Ernie's take on this. He says he can't understand why mom is keeping all her stuff in his Corgi Cottage, but if it makes her happy he is willing to share. As far as the weight lifting stuff, it was very boring. First she put me in puppy jail, something about her being tripped or me getting squished .. she is silly like that. I tried to remind her how fast I can run and dodge .. but what ever. So I used this time to recharge my batteries. Now I don't understand the whole cardio thing either .. she could just chase me, then we both would be having fun! On the plus side though .. when she got on the eliptical I was sprung from jail. I found her nasty lifting gloves and had my way with them, well until she saw me! It was almost as good as rolling dead worms outside. :)

i wonder if you would be better off.. building a light stand.. and starting seed in mid to late winter... but whatever you decide.. keep i mind the cost benefit ratio ... dont spend 100 bucks.. trying to save 10 bucks worth of material.. unless the point is to experiment and learn.. as that can be invaluable ... ken