Oh, way in the back. That is a pile of wood chips that I didn't need when mulching around my CPs. This coming year those chips will be added to the paths in my vegetable garden and around the CPs. Every 3-4 years I have a load (4-5 yards) of wood chips delivered so I can renew my garden paths, etc... Last TONS longer than 'real' mulch. Kris P.S. kinda bogus that I have to wait so long to post an answer when the conversation is flowing right alongÂ. Hey, time for another emoticon. :-(

Squirrels are a possibility. They repeatedly exposed the roots of a large hosta "fragrant boquet" that I planted a couple of years ago. Last year it came back in the spring but as a very reduced plant. it was so badly damaged I dug it up, divided it and re-potted it in 5 different small pots and am nursing them back to health on my screen porch. Back in the 90's I was planting a large order of various spring bulbs. I had placed the bags of bulbs where I wanted them and had started back at the beginning of the line and started planting. I came to a spot where a bag of crocus bulbs was missing. I looked all over and couldn't find it. I finally gave up looking. Later, around Christmas, I happened to notice something about 50 feet off the ground in a crotch in a large Red Oak. It was the very distinctive color of the bags of bulbs that I had planted in the fall. A squirrel had apparently carried it into the tree and left the bag there. As I think more about it the neatness you describe doesn't sound like squirrels which I've observed to be very messy when digging among my plants, throwing the dirt everywhere. It sounds more like a cat or a raccoon and my money would be on a Raccoon looking for grubs or worms. If you have outside water and food bowls for a cat or dog they will take pet food or things they've dug up and wash them in the water bowl. Makes a big mess but is a sure sign they are working your yard.

A suggestion and a question: Suggestion Obviously, most users of Incrudimail like to include little images (or animations) and emoticons occasionally -- or a lot -- and it's possible they don't know how to include such things using a 'regular' offline email client. Maybe those of you who know people using "that" email client could suggest that they instead snag some forum emoticons (I myself like the ones at the Opera forums), save them in their own folder in Pictures (Windows) and use them in their emails when the mood strikes. ?? Question A very minor, slightly off-topic query: I noticed in the article that ravencajun linked to that the poster (PeeCee) was a 'plain text purist' [my term], i.e. someone who believes that people should just send emails in plain text and avoid rich text/html emails altogether, including pics as attachments. I tend to think that's overkill (I mean, who doesn't include some italics or underlining once in a while ?), but I thought I'd ask here, as long as that article broached the subject: do you think there is any advantage in limiting one's emails to the plain text variety ?

I'm in the Spotty Club too. Freckles were cute, the bigger splotches, not so much. I did the laser -- worked, but that summer (even with sunscreen) everything came right back. I have one particular spot that bugs me. It's about the size of a fingertip, on my cheek. The dr. tried the nitrogen thing and it didn't work at all! Hydroquinone (which you can buy at Amazon!) definitely fades the spots but it's not a "once and done" solution. You have to keep at it. I also get microdermabrasion facials now, and that seems to help a bit in combination with the hydroquinone and I also use Retin A (Rx) a few nights a week. I hate wearing a lot of makeup so I'm one who'd prefer to get rid of the spots rather than cover them up! Glad to know I'm not alone, at least. I have exactly one friend who has spotty skin like me. Everyone else's skin seems to look flawless!