Love your picture of Poppy. My grandfather on my dad's side was locally know as Grandpa Billy Goat because he would huff & puff a lot but we all knew it was all for show. Underneath he was a big ball of mush. And the quote is one of those universal truths. I think we can all relate to how our parents miraculously became smarter as we got older.

I have never actually run into a real gardener who was selfish, rather the opposite. I have a neighbor friend who is the only real gardener (by which I mean personally hands on, and slightly obsessed) close to my house, and we are constantly giving each other plants - even though we both have the same problem, namely "no more space"! Large pots have been proliferating along the edges of our patios & driveways... Every time I try to root roses I have extras, but the most plants I seem to have to give away are Iris, every 4-5 years when I get around to separating them. I usually end up by throwing many of them on our green debris pile, where of course some of them root and grow happily! I have had some luck even with my non-gardening neighbors, getting them to get their "gardeners" to put in plants that are suitable to our climate, like Mediterranean bulbs like sparaxis, instead of tulips which do not return. I did notice that when we moved in and planted a large area (half a block long by about 10 feet wide) out by the street that had been gravel with ground cover roses, many of our neighbors' front gardens got a lot more planted and pretty over the next 12 months. It's catching! So, we can spread the joy of having pretty gardens by example sometimes, which is neat.

Thanks. Diane, I had already done it by the time you posted. The pieces my mother tea dyed way back in the 60âÂÂs look greatâ¦so I will not worry unnecessarily about this one. It is also purchased, not one my grandmother made, so not a family heirloom. I did one course with tea, it was not dark enough. The rest of the piece was also a more pinkish beige, whereas the tea dyed portion was a golden beige. So I did it over again using coffee and little beet juice mixed in (I had just happened to make boiled beets the day before!). It is now slightly darker than the rest. Were it to fade a bit now, it would match quite closely. When I guessed it would be dark enough I squeezed out all the water by putting it between two towels and sitting on it. An interesting thing happened though. The side that was bottommost is lighter than the side where I actually applied the tea/coffee. It is almost an exact match. Somehow the color was more squeezed out on the bottom surface. This gives me then a lighter side and a darker side! So with potential future fading, I have options for which side to lay uppermost. Lazygardens, does the vinegar and salt need to be any particular proportion? Because the dyed section is just a portion of the whole piece, I would be painting it on, just like I applied the tea, not soaking it.

What's a gorgeous suit! It does take time to make something like that but it's well worth the trouble to learn. I learned to do bound buttonholes by practicing on scrap fabric. This thread brought back such sweet memories of watching my Mother (born in 1908) get dressed in something like that. She was oh so slender snd fashionable. She always wore hat & gloves... even to the supermarket before she passed away in the late 60's. I have half dozen pair of her lovely gloves...one pair of soft white kid in elbow length with embroideried cutwork...they're still soft as butter. How I treasure them! My Dad, who was so proud of her, used to take her to St. Louis twice a year for shoes- she wore a size 4 (triple A with a AAAA heel.) Sample shoes were only ones that fit, and her favorite stores loved her visits 'cause she tried on so many pairs, they said she sold them by "modeling." Now I realize what a long trip it was from NE TX to St Louis before Interstate hwys. I can remember "petting" her fur coat and wondering what it must be like to be so beautiful. I have a nightgown (part of her trousseau) of pale yellow silk (bias cut in Harlow style) with silk flowers of darker yellow & pale green stems & leaves, all handmade. It is just exquisite, and such a treasure to me. Ladies always "dressed" for travel whether by car or train. Wish I could post the picture of her as a newlywed, all dressed up, standing with one foot on the running board of their Buick convertible with the spare tire tucked in the front fender. When my Dad gave me the picture after she dies he said "She sure was a sassy lil' thing, wasn't she?" as tears streamed down his face. Little girls were in awe of their Mothers & wanted so much to be like them. I thought it heavenly when given old clothes, purses, etc. to play dress-up in. Suzi