Yeppers, a garden "center" would be your best bet. What I can use way down here in zone 9a might not make it in you area. You could try the forums at gardenweb.com, they have some regional boards.

Bagzz, that divorce thing is why so many members at my church (Episcopalian) are former Catholics. I was not really formally anything for years. There are problems no matter where you go. http://bestsmileys.com/religous/1.gif

BTW, can you insert images at this forum? When I use the image tags it just inserts a hyperlink.

Cowpie,

You might want to think about some NON-plant solutions, actually, if watering isn't going to happen. Or some minimal-plant solutions, at any rate. Maybe when your DS is feeling better, he and some of his friends could go out in the woods somewhere (keep in mind that we have woods up here; I'm not real familiar with what kind of native foliage you have down there) or go somewhere - where they could pick up some decent-sized rocks that you could put around the sides of your house in nice, artistic-looking arrangements, and then just plant some hearty, survival-oriented flowers around them. Just an idea.... :dizzy: I kind of like things that aren't exactly like everybody else has, yanno? Your house looks nice and spanking clean, btw. :D

Bagzz, I guess you and I have about gotten to the same place religion-wise. I have lots of questions that are similar to the ones you are asking. Throughout history, the wars that have been fought and the atrocities performed against humanity in the name of "God" and "religion" is horrifying.

A person named Acharya S. wrote a book called "The Greatest Story Ever Sold", and she is a pretty highly respected historian and philosopher. The book draws some rather thought-provoking parallells between the Christian Jesus Christ and numerous previous "sun gods" or "son-gods", all of whom were sacrificed to "save humanity". I'm afraid that religion can be a little difficult to hold on to once you start looking into it, and doing a little research. I'm on a permanent vacation.

I rode my bike for 30 minutes this afternoon. It was pleasant, pedalling around the neighborhood. My butt hurts, tho. We got padded seats, but it's still hard after you've been sitting on it for a while. Maybe it'll be better if my butt gets smaller.

TTFN,

Ella :wave:

Originally Posted by Cowpernia:
I know I'm not the only person who doesn't know what's going on with Shots' dh.

Did you get her email? She copied you on it.

Originally Posted by ellabella:
Schatzi forwarded her message to me last night about her husband....She's such a lovely lady, isn't she?

Tough, too! But everyone needs some back-up -- wish we could help out by more than :grouphug:, but that'll have to do for now.

Originally Posted by ellabella:
I think once a week is too often. Maybe it isn't, but I just get too discouraged losing only one or two pounds...... Maybe if I switch to once a month, I'll see a little better progress.

Why don't you compromise on once every 2 weeks? I would be concerned that you might not notice a turn in the wrong direction in the space of a month. Kind of like what I have not noticed because I wasn't paying attention.... I will have to redo my weight tracker so much I may just delete it, it's too discouraging. I have never been this chunky in my life. I only realized how bad it was on Friday when I was in Freeport and thought I'd try on some clothes at LLBean outlet. Horrors and more horrors. Went home and weighed myself and really don't want to be seen in public ever again. There. That solves that problem. Do we have a smilie of an ostrich sticking its head in the sand?

Originally Posted by Cowpernia:
I have not lifted a finger but have a sparkling, brilliant shine house and perfect sorta yard.

Absolutely fab!! Way to go!

Originally Posted by Bagzz:
Catholic Families tend to get all freaked out when you don't keep on with their beliefs--

Almost all the Catholics I know are lapsed Catholics. :dunno: Maybe the church needs an extreme makeover. :devil:

Originally Posted by Cowpernia:
I forgot to send the link.

I looked at that; I didn't see the part about their skills; where was that? It's an interesting idea. Do they let just anybody adopt them? :s:

Originally Posted by Cowpernia:
He said to put pine straw or mulch in there. It's too big for me to haul mulch home for an too expensive.

You shouldn't have to pay that much for mulch. If you drive around outside of town, you might even find someone selling loads of it. They could deliver it to you, I would think. My parents used to have a great big beautiful lot on the lake in NC covered with, among all sorts of beautiful trees and flowers, lots of pine trees. My stepfather used to rake all the pine straw up and sell or give away what he didn't need.

'course another thing you could do is buy some flagstones and make yourself a little patio!

Originally Posted by Cowpernia:
Our manager will not let us confront customers so these men did not know the store was closed. Some managers will shut off the music and some lights but not this one. So they shopped, all by themselves, til 10:50.

That's just absurd! Don't they have a loudspeaker? Many times I've heard over a loudspeaker "the store will be closing in 5 minutes. Please bring your purchases to the cashier"!!

Originally Posted by Bagzz:
--however,it's more than that---i find all organized religion confusing and i am tired of thinking about it ---it is impossible to understand and i am worn out from worrying about it----i am taking a VACATION from religion--

I don't blame you. If a church is going to exclude people because their lives take certain turns, that church will not survive in the future. Frankly, organized religion gives me a royal pain these days. But I don't find it at all confusing, mainly because I think of it as an institution that grew out of a human need for belonging and meaning. I don't see anything magical about it, really -- it's entirely real and true as long as you believe in it, and if you don't, it's not real at all.

Originally Posted by Cherry Cow:
I just don't want his love of learning to be crushed, and as far as I can see right now, that's all that's happening at school.

Isn't that discouraging? Good luck to you; I hope he thrives with homeschooling.

Originally Posted by Cookie_Amazon:
BTW, can you insert images at this forum? When I use the image tags it just inserts a hyperlink.

I was wondering the same thing recently; I've determined that you can't in this forum (down at the bottom of the page, you can see that IMG code is Off, not sure why). But you can always use the attachments feature to show a thumbnail of something.

I have been missing all weekend because 1) I went to Freeport Friday to meet my skinnycleanyfriend from Oregon who was visiting and go shopping and 2) when I got home we started having problems with our phone line and it only just cleared up a while ago. Cold turkey on the internet all weekend :yikes:

Sorry I missed your birthday, Ellabe :bday2you:

DD said the Loreena McKennitt concert was truly awesome. She even left us a voice mail message from the concert. She also informed me that the BF bought the two of them some champagne at the concert "because he looks over 21". Hmph :rollpin:

Later gators.
Kiwi

Shots did send me the email but her email gets rejected by my server. Don't know why. She resent it after I emailed her and, as a reply, it came through.

I am planning on having the kids make paper this week. I have never made paper and now that I'm reading instructions, I am afraid. Has anyone else done it? You let small pieces of paper get smushy in water, put them in a blender and destroy them, dump all this in a large pan, dip window screen in it, turn the window screen over and let the wet flat mess fall on a piece of felt or flannel, and let it dry. Doesn't that sound hard. When I turn it over, it will spill.

Originally Posted by :
She even left us a voice mail message from the concert. She also informed me that the BF bought the two of them some champagne at the concert "because he looks over 21". Hmp

Call the law, I say.

I know this is what all kids do but was still funny when the four-year-olds were read a story about a great-great-grandmother who was 94. "How was she?" No answer. "She was very old. Does anyone remember?" FIFTEEN!

My daily paper yesterday had a story about the adoptable nuns that is different from that online story. I will share quotes as I found it fascinating: "About 130 donors now get the prayer services of about 40 sisters. 'You don't have to be Catholic,' Sister McReynolds said, 'You don't have to be any religion.' .. The suggested years gift is $100 ore more but the amount doesn't matter. A ocuple of bucks gets the same spiritual boost.

"Donors get a picture, name and phone number of a sister they can visit, write, call or maybe even send a plate of cookies to. Personal contact is encouraged.

"'A lot of us go through our prayer line and we pray and never get any feedback,' McReynolds said. Many sisters are retired or in the Mount St. Francis nursing center. This is a way for them to keep up their skills.

"'It brightens up their day. It gives them a sense of being in a relationship with people we're praying for,' McReynolds said. ...... she said a corporate Adopt-A-Sister is coming soon."

Originally Posted by Kiwonk:
Why don't you compromise on once every 2 weeks? I would be concerned that you might not notice a turn in the wrong direction in the space of a month. Kind of like what I have not noticed because I wasn't paying attention.... I will have to redo my weight tracker so much I may just delete it, it's too discouraging. I have never been this chunky in my life. I only realized how bad it was on Friday when I was in Freeport and thought I'd try on some clothes at LLBean outlet. Horrors and more horrors. Went home and weighed myself and really don't want to be seen in public ever again. There. That solves that problem. Do we have a smilie of an ostrich sticking its head in the sand?

Huh! Join the club, Kiwi. But, yes. Every two weeks would probably make more sense...I caved and weighed myself yesterday, of course. So much for all the strategizing. I lost one lousy pound. I shouldn't say "lousy". It's better than nothing, and a pound of hamburger looks pretty substantial, actually. It's just that it's soooo sloooow now that I'm ...um....over 21. I had that "moment of truth" a month or so ago. I wish I COULD stay home and not be seen in public until I'm looking and feeling a little better. Unfortunately, no can do. My only saving grace is that the young woman (30's) in the office down the hall from me has been gaining, too. You know how misery loves company. But now I'm starting to wonder if she's pregnant. She's looking decidedly chunky and has taken to wearing a lot of empire-waist dresses that do NOT flatter her one bit. She may not be preggers - she's not married, (not that THAT means anything) but she has always been quite attractive and well-put together, and seemingly on top of her game. I dunno. I guess time will tell.

Almost all the Catholics I know are lapsed Catholics. :dunno: Maybe the church needs an extreme makeover. :devil:

Yeah. It needs SOMETHING fersure.

I looked at that; I didn't see the part about their skills; where was that? It's an interesting idea. Do they let just anybody adopt them? :s:

Good grief! What will they come up with next????? Things must be pretty tough if they have to start adopting their old nuns out. Maybe they should sell off some of their property. Isn't the church the biggest property owner in the world?

'course another thing you could do is buy some flagstones and make yourself a little patio!

Now there's an idea!!!! I love outdoor spaces that you can actually use as well as look at.

I don't blame you. If a church is going to exclude people because their lives take certain turns, that church will not survive in the future.

Yeppers. That's why they're reduced to adopting out their old nuns.

Frankly, organized religion gives me a royal pain these days. But I don't find it at all confusing, mainly because I think of it as an institution that grew out of a human need for belonging and meaning. I don't see anything magical about it, really -- it's entirely real and true as long as you believe in it, and if you don't, it's not real at all.

I agree with you 110%. Reality is whatever WE choose to believe, and it can be different for each of us.

I have been missing all weekend because 1) I went to Freeport Friday to meet my skinnycleanyfriend from Oregon who was visiting and go shopping and 2) when I got home we started having problems with our phone line and it only just cleared up a while ago. Cold turkey on the internet all weekend :yikes:

Missed you, Kiwi. Glad you're back! :D
Thank you for the birthday wishes!!!!!!!!!!!

My butt still hurts from riding my bike. I called my DS because I know that he & his GF ride all the time. He says HIS butt was sore the first time out, but that it's fine, now. I guess that's encouraging. I soaked in the tub for a while, but it's still sore.... good grief! :dizzy:

Well, I hope everyone has had a pleasant weekend weather-wise and in every other way, too! I sure hope Shatzi's able to get us an update before long. Yep, long-distance hugs seem terribly inadequate, but she and her dh are certainly in everyone's thoughts and prayers. She'll needto be tough, I imagine. Sounds like there'll be some rehab work to do.

TTFN,

Ellabella :wave:

Oh! I remember what I was going to say! Don't get discouraged about only losing a pound or so a month! I finally stopped fussing at myself about that about a year and a half ago (with the help of a semester-long program on healthy eating at the school) and have lost about 30 pounds since then. It looked like it was only a pound or two a month, and it probably was, but I'm happy to be where I am now. Two pounds a month is better than no pounds a month!

Hey, Cherry - Thanks for the encouragement! Actually, I was kvetching and complaining about losing a pound a week! That's how impatient Iam!!!! I've never been great at long-term projects. Once I decide to do something, or decide that I want something, I like for it to appear instantaneously. Those dang pounds sure seem instantaneous enough when I eat something I shouldn't be having!

BUT, having said that, I am resigned, this time, to a gradual weight loss as part of a healthier life style. Hah! Maybe I can start writing articles for those health and fitness mags. Or not. :p

Have a great day!

Ella :coffee:

If you lose more than 1 pound a week, you will disappear in a year. And furthermore we will have to come to your house and beat you up for being an overachiever. So don't do that.

I watched some of those superobesity shows on TLC last night. For some reason it didn't make me feel better about myself.

It's like summer here today. Actually hot. Apparently there is no such thing as spring this year -- you get winter or you get summer.

My mom's birthday is in a couple of days and I already have her present wrapped. And I have a card! Now all I have to do is mail it. She could even get it the same week as her birthday for a change...

Kiwi

I really exercised some bad judgment today. I went shopping at the mall for a bra today in the midst of PMS.:eek:

Why do the bra manufacturers seem to all presume that if you are a "plus" size you need a huge cup size and an under-wire?

Hiya cowsies.

Peach, your email rejects me too. At least now that I know it rejects other ppl's emails I won't take it personally.

I went to see [I]The Namesake[I] on friday w/ my sis and friend. Good movie. Subtle. Had to think about it for awhile before I was sure I liked it. Saturday went to lunch with friends at http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?...ion%20Homepage then shopping at a nearby little town. It was rainy and icky, but we still had fun. Yesterday went shopping for a wedding dress w/ DD. Nothing like a shotgun wedding to get you moving. Anyway, she's going to look beautiful on her day. We actually found a dress off the rack. No ordering and waiting. Not that we have time to waste here.

Geez, Kiwi. You'll ruin your reputation. You've got to be careful or ppl will start assuming that you really can keep to a schedule, and before you know it, they'll start expecting it. That's why I'm always a day late and a dollar short. It's actually a plan to keep ppl from being disappointed by me. I do it on purpose. Yeeeaaahh, that's the ticket, I do it on purpose.

Cherry! 30 pounds off is wonderful! I think the slow and steady route is harder than starving it off quickly, and lots healthier for sure.

Speaking of dieting, gotta go, it's lunch time.

Originally Posted by Wabby:
Geez, Kiwi. You'll ruin your reputation. You've got to be careful or ppl will start assuming that you really can keep to a schedule, and before you know it, they'll start expecting it.

Well, no chance of that this time around -- I was of course barely on time to get to my Dr. appt this afternoon, so didn't have time to mail the package before it, and I had to wait 45 minutes for my 2 minute appt. (yes, my hip feels better, yes, I will keep going to PT, yes, I'll stop taking drugs one of these days, Goodbye) Then it was too late to mail the durn thing. Do all post offices close at 4PM now? It's ridiculous.

Why did I look up McMenamins recently? Had something to do with restaurants built in old schools (something Kennedy school in Portland). But why was I looking them up to begin with? I cannot remember.

I'm going to go make hamburger soup. I think. I just realized I didn't buy any mixed veggies. Gonna have to chop em up myself. Dang.

Kiwi

I am at work sick and would really like some hamburger soup. In lieu of that, please post today. A lot. Entertain me. Inspire me. Achy.

Brian gumbol is taking Regis's place this morning and he is all that entertaining. When is Regis coming back?

Design your own Kleenex box. http://www.mykleenextissue.com/

Feel better soon!

Oooo, Cookie, only $5 and I get to put DS's graduation pictures on a tissue box. Yay.

I am sharing facts today:

Fact 1: If you purchase sushi in the supermarket where the ingredients are listed on the label, you will be disappointed. Carrots, for example, have a LOT of ingredients: Carrot, water, sugar, salt, a couple of acids and then I quit reading.

Fact 2: A gorgeous red bird is circling my house. Chirping and repeatedly LANDING ON THE GROUND> I tried to chase him away but he coudn't go so I had to find the cat and drag him in. I can't keep him in forever so the birdie needs to go someplace else.

Fact 3: I am not good at making paper. I practiced and it looks like handmade pizza dough made from lint.

Originally Posted by Cowpernia:
Oooo, Cookie, only $5 and I get to put DS's graduation pictures on a tissue box. Yay.

Cheap, if you get bored enough. ;)

Originally Posted by :
Fact 3: I am not good at making paper. I practiced and it looks like handmade pizza dough made from lint.

I wonder if you could use it for Kleenex. You could mail it to Sheryl Crowe, I think she has a paper shortage.:dizzy: