Dear James, I think that you could do it, at least for a little while, in the summer. You'd see a tremendous amount of growth, provided that you met the basic requirements of heat, light, porosity of soil and witholding of cold. Thanks, Dawn. Dear Todd, I've probably lost a few, but we've not had any severe cold snaps (I should qualify that - temps in the below-40F-range and wet soil) for a few years. If the soil hasn't been watered by the idiot gardener or we haven't had rains (no danger of that lately), they can handle lower (above frost) temps with no problem, but you wouldn't want to put out something particularly sensitive like the Stapeliopsis neronis (or is that Stapelianthus?) or Caralluma socotrana until later in the warmer parts of the year. Thanks for the lead - it's a waxy flower, not unlike a Hoya.

How nice to be living in Victoria hey...I am in Edmonton Alberta and yes this winter has been exceptionally warm as well .Plus 11 on Christmas day...We are still in the plus's here and will be all week... Well for me I am always busy also as I have a acerage east of Edmonton that keeps us busy.. Right now I am clearing some brush and making it into wood chips, composting.. The bigger stuff We will use for the wood stove... What I did was stack 12 straw bales together in a Square and filled it up after going through the wood chipper shredder with leaves, grass, coffee grounds, pine cones, wood chips, more grass, straw, and spruce tree needles.. The straw will help retain the heat and it should compost over the nexts few months...But in the mean time here in Edmonton I am also turning over the compost bin here and keeping it warm as well.... I am a little worried about no snow cover as I have alot of lilies that may be lost if we get a real cold snap and no snow cover..I was thinking of bringing in some straw and covering them up but what a mess that would makes... I am thinking of heading to Victoria or Vancouver to get a load of drift wood as well some some sea weed for composting... But the drift wood I would sell or make things from...As of now I have a little bit of free time so travelling out west would be a mid winter getaway so thats why I am thinking of heading west for a week or two...It breaks the mid winter blues if it dose get cold here... If we do get some snow then I am piling it up all along the flower beds to for winter protectiion...I also watered the spruce trees the other day so that they don't dry out from the cold....As we never really got a whole lot of rain in the fall here... Plus I also keep busy filling the bird feeders here as well as out at the acerage ..They also have fresh water to bathes in as well...It's sure is neat watching the birds have a bath with snow all around them.. They must be part russian and getting ready for the NEWYEARS Polar Dip ..lol.. Happy Gardening to yea all...HAppy Holidays...Chatterbox Lyle..

Turning 60 last summer definitely put me in a very pensive frame of mind. I'm still struggling with questions of what defines me, how will I transition from a job I've loved but which is now winding down (at least I'm winding down emotionally but still attached) and now with the time schedule of when can we move down to the retirement home that gives us so much joy we want to retire every Sunday when we have to leave and come back to reality ;). And most of all I'm facing the shock of realizing that what I've always considered a physical gift was really a sneaky time bomb. All my life I've been naturally slim; weight simply has never been anything I worry or think about. I weigh within 10 pounds of what I did when I was 17....and so I let myself drift along through the decades airily assuming that meant I was healthy and I certainly didn't need to get physical exercise. After all, I wasn't trying to lose weight so why bother? And now here I am sixty years old, terribly out of shape, not particularly interested or craving any kind of exercise and terrified that I'll soon be facing what others have mentioned: getting older and having my body give out on me. I know I have to get moving and yet it's feeling impossible. I hate having to squeeze in exercise by giving up sleep in the morning. I just can't face trying to break my day in the middle by going to the campus health center and sweating then coming back to the office. At the end of the day I cannot make myself go exercise, I'm tired and just want to relax.Weekends are for lounging around in paradise, not forcing myself to go run or walk or god forbid find a gym in the Florida Keys instead of enjoying the sunshine. Not sure why I'm so blocked but I have to find something physical that I like or at least can stand doing, that I can do regularly and that will keep me fit and healthy. Still trying to figure out what that is and then JUST DO IT.

My sympathies, Lars. I can at least still use my CPAP. I had surgery for Carpal Tunnel and think I've already damaged it today. Will call Plastics at the VA tomorrow and ask them. I'm a Vietnam era veteran and get all my medical needs from the VA. It's a 1 hr. 15 minute drive there in Indianapolis and I drove myself. The only problems coming home was had to turn the key to start as well as put in drive with my left hand as well as having to reach across the steering wheel with my left hand to turn on the wiper blades. Did that at a stop light. I'm alone and there were a few things I did with my right hand today that I shouldn't have. Hope you're doing better and heal quickly. Madonna