No Christie I don't have any verbena bonariensis, it's not hardy to my zone. I do have sedums and that was a favorite with the buckeyes. I also had some short orange cosmos last year and they liked those. I was going to plant some snapdragons this year and I forgot, I'm not sure what else is a host plant for them.

First I wanted to clarify that jam is in no way comparable to tomatoes. Jam is high-acid and high-sugar and is processed to extend shelf life not for safety reasons. So if Granny wants to open-kettle-can and then just invert the jars, that's fine. If something molds or a seal fails that's clearly visible and any jam like that can be discarded. Even so, the kinds of organisms that could grow in an unprocessed jam are not the kinds that will kill you. Tomatoes, on the other hand, do pose a risk of botulism depending upon their acidity. Tomatoes are inherently marginal and some tomatoes do tip into low-acid territory. Also, there seems to be a misapprehension about botulism. Botulism will thrive in a well-sealed jar because it doesn't like oxygen. An anaerobic environment is just fine for botulism spores. A sealed jar is no indicator of safety. However, it still isn't necessary to discard these jars because IF something has developed, 10 minutes of cooking at a rolling boil will kill any botulism toxins. (Not the spores, but the toxins.) Since tomatoes, as previously mentioned, are normally used in soups or things like spaghetti sauce, they're going to get lots of cooking. You're not using them in a salad, after all. However, that being said, if you're in any way uncomfortable, then do discard. If you're never going to look at those tomatoes without feeling queasy, then the best thing to do is just dump them, chalk it up to experience and move on. Believe me, every novice canner has some sort of memorable "oops" in his or her past. Carol

I had to chuckle to myself over the fact that you can have four or five in your kitchen--mine is so small that my DIL calls it a two butt kitchen! When we downsized so I could quit working, we bought a smaller, older home. The kitchen was just a little galley with really worn cabinets. We tore out everything and installed new oak cabinets and new appliances. Had to move a small window so it would be centered, then we installed the cabinets in a U shape. The kitchen is still small, but now I have lots more cabinets and counterspace at least. Really very convenient for just the two of us, everything is only a step or two away, and I really don't cook allot anymore. The biggest mistake I made was in not having my upper cabinets go all the way to the ceiling. Silly me, I wanted the space on top to display some of my knick knacks. Now as I'm getting older, the idea of climbing a step ladder to get up there to clean is less and less appealing! ;o( My neighbor is in the process of having her kitchen redone right now. They are doing new wiring, plumbing and cabinets too. Her floor plan is different from mine, but still a long galley style. She plans to extend her cabinets into the dining area for extra storage. I think it is so fun to see what a difference can be made. Luvs

I think it's being thrown at the wolves, we call it in our business. Dick Van Dyke One day in '61, I was looking in the Santa Monica phone book for a number, and there it was: Stan Laurel, Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica. I went over there and spent the afternoon with them. And pumped him with questions. I must have driven him crazy. I spent a lot of happy hours at Stan's house on Sundays just talking about comedy. Dick Van Dyke No, I did night clubs right here in Los Angeles. My partner, Phil Erickson, put me in the business, a guy from my home town, a dear friend who we just lost a couple of months ago. Dick Van Dyke I'm really in retirement. My career is over. I'm just playing now and having a great time. I like to keep busy, and I'm doing what's fun for me. Dick Van Dyke Pandering to the scandal hungry public is a total lack of responsible journalism. Dick Van Dyke I've retired so many times now it's getting to be a habit. Dick Van Dyke When I was a kid, I had ambitions for being a television announcer, which was before television took off, you know, in the late '40s. And just through necessity, going out looking for work, I was starting to sing, and dance, and act, and I never expected to do that, nor to have any success at it at least. Dick Van Dyke I have a lot of friends who say that one of the freedoms of being older is you don't care what other people think, which I don't think is right. You care what other people think, but if you're comfortable in your own skin, that doesn't bother you. Dick Van Dyke I was a 'Laurel and Hardy' nut. I got to know Laurel at the end of his life, and it was a great thrill for me. He left me his bow tie and derby and told me that if they ever made a movie about him, he'd want me to play him. Dick Van Dyke L I went from my mother to my wife. And to this day, I can't bear to be alone. Dick Van Dyke I'm always announcing my retirement. I'm still not retired. Dick Van Dyke Bob Hope, like Mark Twain, had a sense of humor that was uniquely American, and like Twain, we'll likely not see another like him. Dick Van Dyke So at 16 I got a job at the local radio station. And I was working after school and weekends. I did the news; I did everything. I did - played records. Dick Van Dyke I've always wanted to learn kick boxing. Dick Van Dyke Today, if you're not an alcoholic, you're nobody. Dick Van Dyke I think the saddest moment in my life just happened two months ago. My old nightclub partner passed away, Phil Erickson down in Atlanta. He - I owe him everything. He put me in the business and taught me about everything I know. Dick Van Dyke No, no, it was the relationships. That was that group. People believed that Rob and Laura were really married in real life. You know, a lot of people believed that. Dick Van Dyke Oh, I had an idea for a pilot of my own at the time, and then Carl sent me about eight scripts and simply I threw my idea out the window because the writing was just so good. Dick Van Dyke We had all week to rehearse. An audience would come in at the end of the week and we'd our little show. Most of the ad- libbing happened during the week on the show. Dick Van Dyke I can't work with my brother without laughing. Dick Van Dyke I asked Fred Astaire once when he was about my age if he still danced, and he said 'Yes, but it hurts now.' That's exactly it. I can still dance, too, but it hurts now! Dick Van Dyke Somebody asked what I wanted on my gravestone. I'm just going to put: 'Glad I Could Help.' Dick Van Dyke I think, the 'Van Dyke Show' and 'Mary Poppins' are two of the best periods of my life. I had so much fun, I didn't want it to end. Dick Van Dyke Put me on solid ground and I'll start tapping! At my age they say to keep moving. Dick Van Dyke When I was a kid, I loved all the silent comedians - Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, Chaplin. And I used to imitate them. I'd go to see a Buster Keaton movie and come home and try things out I'd seen. I learned to do pratfalls when I was very young. Dick Van Dyke I love musicals, but I find it's just so deadening. You know, 30 takes, you do a little piece here and a little piece there. There's hours and hours of waiting. And to me, that's as far away from real performance as you can get. Dick Van Dyke The years have been just full of surprises for me, and a lot of fun. Dick Van Dyke But once we got on the air, everybody except Morey Amsterdam pretty much stuck to the script. Dick Van Dyke I don't think we've got much of a chance to tell you the truth. But our main problem is our audience skews a little older than most shows, and I don't think our people can stay up that late. I certainly can't. Dick Van Dyke Probably one of the happiest moments, outside the birth of all of my kids, was the first time we won an Emmy, that the show won an Emmy. That was a big night. Dick Van Dyke So I think we're kind of an alternate choice for people who have had it with sex and violence. Dick Van Dyke I have four kids, seven grandkids, and four great-grandkids. Maybe I can become a great-great-grandfather if I hang on! Dick Van Dyke They did ask me to do 'Dancing With The Stars;' I said I can do one show, but on that show you have to come up with a new number every week, and I told them that I think I'm a little past that stage. Dick Van Dyke I sing and dance. That's my job. Dick Van Dyke All of us involved say 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' was the best five years of our lives. We were like otters at play. Dick Van Dyke There's a lot of very funny people I'd love to work with that I've never met, of course. I love Steve Martin and Jim Carrey. Dick Van Dyke Jon Stewart kills me. I love him. And Bill Maher. He does an hour on HBO. But entirely political. It is awfully rough, but he does make me laugh. Dick Van Dyke It's more in my nature to be optimistic, I think. I'm one of those people who gets up on the right side of the bed in the morning. Dick Van Dyke I have a beautiful, young wife who sings and dances, so there's a lot of duetting going on at my house. Dick Van Dyke Once you're dead, your worries are over. Dick Van Dyke Working with my son was like falling off a log. I had so much fun doing it. Dick Van Dyke The thing I'm most proud of is my family, the way they've turned out. Dick Van Dyke I'm kind of proud of being a love child. Dick Van Dyke My wife didn't like Hollywood or its stars, but she made an exception when, in 1972, we were invited to dinner - cooked by Frank Sinatra. Dick Van Dyke When I was a kid, I had ambitions for being a television announcer, which was before television took off, you know, in the late '40s. Dick Van Dyke I'm an old, white-haired guy. If I'm not recognized, I'm treated pretty much like every other elderly. But if people recognize me, it's a whole different thing. Dick Van Dyke I learned everything that I know about comedy and about show business and a lot about life from Carl. Dick Van Dyke A lot of violence, a lot of gore in it, and I just didn't want to do that kind of thing. Dick Van Dyke I cannot tell you what it means when children recognize. This is about the third generation for me. And when kids that small recognize me, it really pleases me, very gratifying. Dick Van Dyke I don't have any children; I have four middle-aged people. Dick Van Dyke I grew up in Danville, Illinois, right in the middle of the state. Dick Van Dyke I have four children and I have seven grandkids. Dick Van Dyke I loved to fall down. Dick Van Dyke I never made a good movie. Dick Van Dyke I think most people will tell you that. They can go along and, while they're denying that they are addicted, say it's stress this, it's this, it's that. But I - it's - I think - I really believe there is a gene. Some people become addicted and others don't. Dick Van Dyke I turned down some movies that were quite good. mainly on the basis of taste. Dick Van Dyke I wanted to be a radio announcer. Dick Van Dyke I was always in show business but in many ways was not really of show business. I didn't move in show business circles, particularly, still don't do it. Dick Van Dyke My kids are so much better parent than I was. Dick Van Dyke My son Barry, of course, has been on from the beginning. And his son Shane is playing now a med student regularly on the show. And at one point or another, I've had all four of his kids on the show. Dick Van Dyke Oh, well, my first love is comedy or singing and dancing. Dick Van Dyke So as my kids will tell you, they had a pretty normal life. Dick Van Dyke Stan said he used to keep Hardy late, make him miss his golf game, and really get him mad. Dick Van Dyke You know, I'm almost out of the habit of watching episodic television now. Dick Van Dyke I like 'The Office.' I particularly like the British version with Ricky Gervais. Of course, I liked the 'Seinfeld' show a lot. I thought that was an awfully good show. Dick Van Dyke I did a 'Golden Girls' once, which shot in front of an audience, and that went well. I had a good time. But I need an audience, for comedy at least. Dick Van Dyke When I started having kids, I thought, 'I don't want to do anything they can't watch.' Dick Van Dyke I've had a lot of writers, in particular, who said they got into writing because of the 'Van Dyke Show.' They said it looked like fun. Dick Van Dyke I played a killer twice. Once on 'Matlock,' on Andy Griffith's show, I got to play the killer. Dick Van Dyke I've won several Emmys, a Tony and a Grammy, so maybe somebody will let me have an Oscar, and then I'll have a full set. Dick Van Dyke My favorite unknown movie is 'The Comic.' Dick Van Dyke I was the worst game show host that ever lived, and I knew it. Dick Van Dyke When I auditioned for 'Bye Bye Birdie' on Broadway, Gower Champion said, 'You've got the job!' I said, 'Mr. Champion, I can't dance.' He said, 'We'll teach you what you need to know.' Dick Van Dyke I do miss the rhythms of comedy. And I've never been able to perform very well without an audience. The sitcoms I've done had them. It was like doing a little play. Dick Van Dyke Rob Petrie is who I really am - in personality and general ineffectiveness. Dick Van Dyke I worked nightclubs all through my 20s, and I was a teetotaler. Dick Van Dyke When I get some budding young comic who'll come up to me and say, 'What was it like to do it in those days?' I try to be as gracious to him as Stan Laurel was to me. Dick Van Dyke Do you know that I was the anchor on the 'CBS Morning Show?' And my newsman was Walter Cronkite. Dick Van Dyke I watch 'Al Jazeera.' They have news that you can't find anywhere else. They do great documentaries, too. Dick Van Dyke I get little kids who recognize me from 'Mary Poppins,' and it just delights me because it's our third generation. Dick Van Dyke I don't play golf. I have more fun singing and dancing. Dick Van Dyke My wife, as proud as she was of me, hated show business for good reasons. There was something about the spouse always being pushed out of the way, shoved aside. She wanted to get away from it. Dick Van Dyke I got into a Broadway show before I ever sang and danced. I learned how after I got in the show. Dick Van Dyke I married somebody half my age, and everybody thought I was crazy, but she is just an absolute angel. Dick Van Dyke Emotionally, I'm about 13. Dick Van Dyke My career is over. I'm just playing now and having a great time. I like to keep busy, and I'm doing what's fun for me. Dick Van Dyke In the best of all worlds, the producers would take some responsibility for the kinds of things they're putting out. Unfortunately, they don't. Dick Van Dyke I didn't even start dancing until I was in my thirties, and it was like flying. Dick Van Dyke Everyone should dance. And everyone should sing. People say, 'Well, I can't sing.' Everybody can sing. That you do it badly is no reason not to sing. Dick Van Dyke A lot of actors seem to dislike typecasting these days. The funny thing is, that's a fairly recent development. It used to be that actors wanted to be typecast so audiences could remember them and identify with them. Dick Van Dyke I cannot live alone. Dick Van Dyke All that nipping and tucking doesn't make you look younger - only stranger. Dick Van Dyke If I'd known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself. Dick Van Dyke Unfortunately, the spouses of performers have a terrible, terrible life. They get shunted aside, pushed aside, ignored. Dick Van Dyke I'm a very neat person. Dick Van Dyke My memory's not too good. Dick Van Dyke I'm the Steven Spielberg of Malibu. Dick Van Dyke I swim, go to the gym, and do a little dancing every day and a little singing. Dick Van Dyke I never had a lot of confidence in myself. Dick Van Dyke I don't think parents can protect their kids in this media-nut culture. Dick Van Dyke There are no more Walt Disneys anymore. Dick Van Dyke Dick Martin was a good buddy, and he was always a lot of fun to have around. Dick Van Dyke I've always thought if I could pick my interviewer, it'd be Charlie Rose, who I think is the best. Dick Van Dyke I'm not cantankerous. Dick Van Dyke I was born in the Coolidge administration. Can you believe that? So I've seen a lot of politics. Dick Van Dyke My father made about $25 a week. We always lived just on the edge. Dick Van Dyke The first time I met Mary Tyler Moore, I thought she was just beautiful, but I thought she was a little young. Dick Van Dyke That rule about having to act one's age? I just don't buy it. Dick Van Dyke Every morning I have something to do, I'm better off. It's bad to get up and not have something to do. Dick Van Dyke My maternal grandfather owned a grocery store that also sold kosher meat. He did well. Dick Van Dyke I love to harmonize. Dick Van Dyke It's quite hard to act yourself all the time. Dick Van Dyke I'm crazy about Judi Dench. Dick Van Dyke