I'm sorry but I still have serious reservations on the effectiveness of using nematodes. First, the larvae are generally nowhere near the soil. The adult fly lays eggs deep into the bulb foliage, sometimes actually tunneling under the paper sheath of the bulb itself to deposit her eggs. They hatch and the maggots immediately start working their way into the bulb itself, where they remain over winter. It is not until they begin to pupate in early spring that they move into the soil and by then it is far too late for nematodes to be of any value. Beneficial nematodes need warm soil temperatures to regenerate and start feeding, usually around 50F. This generally does not occur in the Puget Sound area until late May, so the timing of this control may be off slightly as well as questions about its effectiveness. And at $20 something a pop for the nematodes, it is kind of an expensive proposition that may or may not have any benefit. Again, after more than 30 minutes of online research, I didn't turn up a single hit that posed nematodes as a control agent for this problem. FWIW, the flies are typically present in this area in late spring. Promptly removing the dried, spent foliage, especially of early blooming narcissus, should go a long way to control bulb fly damage.

Here's one for ya - FETA ARTICHOKE BITES 1/3 cup butter, softened 1 large garlic clove, minced 6.5 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts 1 cup seeded, diced tomato (about 1 large) 1/3/ cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 green onions with tops, thinly sliced 1 tsp. Dried oregano 4 oz. Crumbled feta cheese 5 English muffins, split In a small bowl, blend butter and garlic; set aside. Drain artichoke hearts, reserving 1 Tblsp. Marinade. Chop artichokes and set aside. In medium bowl, combine chopped artichokes, tomato, 3 Tblsp. Parmesan cheese, green onions, oregano, and reserved marinade. Gently stir in feta cheese, set aside. Lightly toast English muffin halves; spread with garlic butter. Spoon artichoke mixture onto muffin halves, dividing evenly. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat until heated through, about 5 minutes. To serve, cut each muffin in half. Note: Garlic butter may be made several hours ahead, or as long as overnight. Store in refrigerator tightly covered. Makes 10 appetizer servings.

OK, maybe I'll scratch the picnic idea. I've only been "under" once and I don't remember much about it. I spent the night in the hospital so ate whatever they brought me. :-) Possibly do the picnic thing the next day for lunch...sans the wine and dessert. I think we're going out for Chinese the night before (Monday). And dinner on the day after (Wednesday) is the CF gathering....Japanese!! I just have the night OF the surgery (Tuesday) to worry about. I'll have a dozen of my fresh eggs on hand, bread for toast and some fruit (canned or fresh available). I can take some of my homemade chicken stock and do an egg drop or chicken/orzo type thing. Even if she doesn't want much of it that night, I can leave it for an easy meal in the next few days. DD and I can drink the wine!! LOL It's kind of a joke. Mom's a big dark chocolate fan and I'm the wine drinker! When I saw them "premixed" I bought it! Mom only likes really, really sweet drinks (cordials, kahlua, etc.) so I'm betting this stuff is sweet. I'll let ya know!! Thank you all for the advice. No point in going overboard if she isn't going to enjoy it anyway. Deanna

I have been on a chocolate making kick lately so I had milk chocolate and white chocolate wafers to melt. The white was a little too thick but I didn't feel like getting the stuff out to thin it out. I knew we would just polish it off with a spoon anyway. The caramel came from the supermarket. I love that stuff. Refecting on it now a few days later, I think I liked the caramel the best.