I so agree, Sandy. We can all so easily be humbled when we start to feel sorry for our situations by just looking around at how much worse so many others have it, and what great attitudes and high spirits many in terrible health and/or who undergo repeated, painful procedures have. I had major reconstructive surgery on both of my feet in 2000 (four different procedures on each foot at once, 6 months apart), and can tell you that was no picnic, but I imagine what you went through with your back last summer and what Sharon is about to have done is even -- I'll try to be positive -- more of an opportunity for growth. :) As for the smoking battle, I used to make fun of folks who talked about what a SERIOUS addiction it was until I REALLY TRIED to beat MINE... Here I am 6 years and 13 days later, still chewing the nicotine gum, BUT the last tobacco I smoked was Nov. 1, 2003 (after waffling back and forth quite a few times between May 1 2000 and Halloween 2003)... However, the longterm effect of all my on-again, off-again affair with the nicotine-gum substitute was that when I FINALLY kicked the cigarettes for good, I found I was no longer able to wean off the gum (I had been completely nicotine-free for a year before 9/11, when, like Peter Jennings, I relapsed and began the cycle of a couple months of smoking followed by a couple months of gum... for the next two years). Aside from the cost of the gum (which is less expensive if you buy store brand), the doctors say it's pretty safe to use and have NO PROBLEM with me chewing it longterm -- Even when I had a heart attack Feb. 21, they didn't have a problem with me having my nicotine gum in the hospital... Nicotine is chemically similar to caffeine -- it's all the OTHER STUFF in the tobacco smoke that kills ya... the TAR, the CARBON MONOXIDE, the HYDROGEN SULFIDE, the HYDROGEN CYANIDE and about A THOUSAND OTHER TOXIC CHEMICALS, or so they say. So if you're fighting the smoking battle "solo," Sandy, perhaps you should give nicotine replacement a try... you may not save any money vs. what it costs to smoke, but you'll certainly save your health... There's only ONE downside, for me, at least when I'm not in closed quarters... when I smell someone else's cigarette it often still smells GOOD to me... I was helping dig holes to plant tomatoes and peppers at the local Master Gardener vegetable garden this morning and the guy who's in charge of it this year smokes... He passed me at one point with a cigarette and I caught a whiff and it smelled good and I told him so -- and he asked if I wanted one... Not THAT foolish I said NO THANKS, I'll stick with the gum, lol. Good luck to EVERYONE with your health issues! Jeff

Noticed the powdery white bugs on a minirose in a planter here yesterday. We call them leafhoppers but don't recall which one as there are many types. The larger mobile ones hop quickly & can fly short distances at certain stages.They tend their brood in the white stuff. Agree with simply wiping them off with fingers, gloved or not (which catches the hoppers off guard), followed by the cold water hose to remove the remainder of white stuff (which is slightly sticky). Find a preliminary treatment with the hose watering wand set to "mist" weighs down the hoppers so they don't jump away. Follow that up with a medium-strong spray, not so strong that you beat the leaves up. The cold water stuns as well as removes them.They seem to only show up in the heat here. Never needed to do more than repeat this daily for a few days till they disappear entirely. Very effective & harmless to all but the target. Some of the scariest-looking bugs are actually the most beneficial & eat the harmful ones for supper.Tend to treat them all as friends & neighbors unless proven otherwise - definitely a "mini-ecosystem" going on here achieving balance on its own. The hornworm spied on the tomato yesterday will become a hummingbird moth & we'll still have tomatoes to feed us, too. The caterpillars that munch the passionflower leaves turn into butterflies floating amongst the flowers while the aphids feed the ladybugs. Without the rich web of life the plants would never be a garden & we wouldn't even enjoy the plants themselves without the pollinators. All have their place in the dance. When I sit on the porch steps as day turns to twilight, the porch frog wakes to sit beside me & the enormous praying mantis we've known since she was tiny climbs down the passionflower vine for a lower perch to join us. We watch as the daytimers settle down & the nightlife starts to play. Silly as it may seem, we enjoy each other's company. I consider them "people", but then I do that with everyone. So much richer for knowing them. Curious to find out what those eggs become - please let us know. And remember, the garden is also for savoring. This post was edited by vasue on Thu, Aug 1, 13 at 7:58

Hi, I have the same problem with poison ivy. It takes constant vigilance. Any where a bird can sit (and poop) you will get poison ivy plants underneath - they are constantly renewing all season. Since birds eat oriental bittersweet as well, the same seed spreading probably happens. I pull all other weeds by hand, or use a hoe, but I will use Roundup on poison ivy. Fewer seeds can germinate the more MULCH I have, so I try to keep that thick as well.

Jim- funny you should mention forsythia.... I transplanted mine over into her yard last fall. It made a nice bright yellow splash this spring. I can only imagine how well the red mulch will set it off next year. Bright yellow and red, aren't those the McDonald's colors? Maybe I can prune it into two golden arches instead of a bright yellow meatball. We can base a whole landscape color theme on these two Crayola-bright colors. Carol- I opted for a pear in front of the house I rented.... I bet it's a splintered pile of firewood by now! At least you weighed your options, I picked it because it was cheap, the leaves looked dark and lush, and I saw several others growing well in the neighborhood. Westhighland- I bet your bedroom is awesome in the fall when the leaves change color.