Update: I just checked my e-mail and got a message back from the Parks District. This might be of interest to any of you who have dealt with RRD. If anyone wants to respond to her request for feedback, send me a private e-mail and I'll forward hers to you, rather than posting it in this forum where it might attract spammers. ----------------- Unfortunately, you are probably right about the rosette disease. We have been removing and replacing roses on an ongoing basis in Grant Park for a few years. We are actively seeking replacements that are resistant to the disease and can deal with all of the stresses of being in an open area (not to mention the bunnies) in a busy urban environment. The list below contains some of the replacements going in this year. Please let me know if you have had any luck with any particular cultivars that we might consider. Rosa 'Bonica'- pink Rosa 'My Hero'- Red Rosa 'Golden Eye'- orange Rosa 'Yellow Submarine'-yellow Rosa ÂSunrise SunsetÂ- fuchsia to apricot

Thanks, Sandy. It's true. Teachers are the WORST audience EVER! (eyes rolling...BIG time) Think of the worst kids ever and the teachers are those kids x ten. The books you mentioned are some of my faves to read to my kids, particularly for the errors! It's funny to have little Kindergartners point out the 'mistakes' as I read now (interrupting, no less) and how "it's okay because everyone makes mistakes" but then again, how sad that SO many people learn from these mistakes and don't realize that these errors exist. Think of how many people assume that all butterflies make a cocoon...or that caterpillars have millions of legs...or that all caterpillars form a J when they pupate...the number of body parts a butterfly has...the number of legs as butterfly has...etc. It truly is horrific to me all the inconsistencies that exist. I just recently purchased the Dr. Seuss (well, one of the Beginner Books series) butterfly book and almost keeled over from the errors in the illustrations alone. I ended up NOT reading it to my students but just shared the pictures and discussed them. The kids were able to spot the 'mistakes' pretty quickly. Then again, I guess my expectations are such that I EXPECT that teachers will attempt to have accurate information. I EXPECT authors and illustrators to do their best to show information that is true to form. In my little Pollyanna world this would all be... But it isn't that way, is it? Oh well. We do our best and by sharing our knowledge, limited as it is, we can provide a service. YOU provided a great service today and are to be commended. What you did will spread. The enthusiasm with which you shared your experiences and knowledge will spread. That's what counts. :) Keep it up. I truly believe we need to share this type of information. It is why I returned to teaching in the classroom and why I chose to go to Kindergarten instead of back to middle school mathematics. Let's spread the news, like the fluff from a Milkweed seed pod flies through the sky...

No- certainly don't feel that any ideas would be offending!! Not at all!! Some won't work- the way my house is designed I just can't section off a room. It is an unusual house to say the least. I might be able to appeal with LIEAP- I have a call in to a 'higher up' person. Because what heat source I have is not able to be used by myself someone said 'it is not adaquate- so they are supposed to make it adaquate'. Cross your fingers and toes. For those of you who are trying to 'prepare' for the possibility of Work Comp/SSI/SSD....there are either 5 or 7 states that do not use the Federal Work Comp(AIG Insurance), these states have much less support and you may end up with alot less Work Comp settlement/payments. SSD highest payment is $600/month. If you have worked steadily for 20 quarters, you can apply for SSI, which the monthly payments are dependent upon what your income was. You don't get both- you get one or the other- depending what you qualify for. Something I have learned the past 3 days of being on the phone solid...Salvation Army, United Way, do not serve all areas. There is a chapter in Billings, Montana, but they do not cross county/state lines. Here, where I live, there is neither. As Patches said- there is very little help available in Wyoming. People do not seem to be in the mind frame to help others 'for free'. Whatever they do, they want to be paid for it. If you and/or a sig. other are considering moving, retiring to another state, check out beforehand what services are available in case you get sick/hurt. In Billings, there seems to be ALOT of help- in Wyoming-zip. Patches- you say your cousin may be needing more surgery. If she is close to me (Cody), maybe there would be something that I could do for her when the time comes. If so, I think you can email or pm me. I can imagine how hard it must be to be a single mom with kids and need surgery/recover, without help. Right now it seems to be a waiting game for phone calls to be returned... pris- maybe I forgot to say, but I have already been on SSI for 10 years. As I mentioned above, you don't get Work Comp and SSI. Even when you get a settlement, say for example, you get $25,000- it is doled(sp), out over a 3 year period- so you never get a 'chunk' of cash. You must live off it each month. You can never get anywhere with the Wyoming system. cynic- it is good you are preparing also. I LOVE electric mattress pad!! I try not to use space heaters, as they are 10 times more expensive to run than a regular electric system. I give in though in the bathroom- you just can't take a bath in a 45* room! Well, I guess you can- our anscestors did it.... cynic- have you thought about an electric bed? I slept in one when I 'dog sat' at a friends- it was a foam type- a little warm, but I could get fairly comfortable in it! I have an electric bed on my wish-list.... Maybe I will hear from someone tomorrow. Oh- I talked to someone with the Wyoming Energy today. About solar energy. It would give me all my electric for spring/summer/fall....but Wyoming only gives a maximum of $5,000 grant- leaving a cost of about $20,000 for a small system. Well, I guess THAT won't be even a little dream... The government needs to make solar available if they want us to use it so we use less fossil fuel... So far, it isn't even near to being available to a low income person. Later...

Another factor to consider in treatment is diet. I have to be careful with what I eat, or I can have some bipolar symptoms, although this was more the case when I was much younger. Also, it can be dangerous for bipolar people to be around each other, as this can exacerbate the symptoms because they reinforce them with each other. Here is a list of some writers who were bipolar, but it is a short list. I frequently identify with writers who are bipolar and feel that they express my thoughts and feelings, which makes my thoughts feel vindicated and more normal. I particularly identified with Kafka, but also with Kierkegaard, whom many regard to have been manic-depressive. I think Dostoevsky may have been also. Reading these authors may help you understand bipolar experiences. I went through extensive psychotherapy in college and a few years afterwards. It was difficult learn which drugs would help me, but for me, Librium was the most helpful. However, my doctors have told me that I should no longer take it, but I think also that I seem to have grown out of my need for it, and so I am pretty much okay. The worst thing I have now is nightmares and difficulty sleeping. Gabapentin helps me with that. My nephew was diagnosed as a psychopath, which is much worse, and he refuses to take his medications. He also believes that he can heal people by laying his hands on them. Chemicals can definitely affect personalities, which is one of the reasons that diet is important. Certain medications, such as erythromycin and Claritin can cause me to have paranoid delusions and to appear borderline psychotic, except that I can realize what is causing the delusions and stop taking whatever is causing them. My doctor said that Claritin is not supposed to cause this, but I am not the only person who has this reaction to it.