At the northern latitudes that both of us share; many varieties do not require shade. The sun is not as intense and the cooler nights and humidity are perfectfor their culture. At first you may notice some leaf scorch, but the plant will adapt and grow perfectly well. Almost all up the half and full hardy uprights are perfectly happy in the sun. With the basket varieties you have to experiment with exposure. Of course this is for us oldtimers who have been at it for years. Your advice should be followed for newbies with their first attempts at these lovelies. This year, I'm totally taken by the Encliandra cultivars, such a tiny surprise.

I, too, hate going to funerals but it is a necessary thing sometimes. When my wonderful father-in-law died we had so many people tell us they could tell we were a happy family by the laughter when the came to the viewing. My father-in-in-law was a happy man. We celebrated his life. When my oldest sister died 4 years ago we had so many people tell us wonderful things about her. She lived in a very small town. She loved the library. She was cripled up with Arty and her husband picked up books for her. The ladies kept track of what she had read and picked out books they knew she would love. By the time it was all said and done people had donated almost $10,000 dollars to the library in her memory. betty would have loved this. When I sent out my thank you notes I included a letter highlighting Betty life. She was always the first one to deliver food and send out thank yous and all to so many people. She fought so hard to stay alive but her body just simply gave out. She was at home and when we knew the time was near I packed my bags and told my hubby I would not be home when it was over. I am so glad I made the decision. It was sad but a wonderful time to share with her. she talked to all of us until about the last hour.. I miss her so.. Susie

I have mentioned the following pet peeve before on RP. I find it irritating when people, especially those in the media, substitute the word orientate for orient. The two words mean essentially the same thing, but the latter is shorter and more familiar. My Oxford Concise Dictionary has a whole paragraph listing the many uses of the word orient, including to "settle or find the bearings of". Yet only a few weeks ago I heard a reporter state that newly-arrived athletes were "orientating" themselves in Olympic Village. The word orientate is in no way an improvement in meaning to orient. In fact the former sounds awkward and affected (to me). In a backhanded way, the above reminds me of the slow death of the perfectly-acceptable noun quotation. You almost never hear someone under 45 use this word, unless they are referring to the title of a specific reference book. The word quote is now commonly used as a catch-all, to be used both as a verb and a noun. It is now commonplace to hear/read people say/write sentences like: "This is my favorite Shakespeare quote." I am old enough to remember when there were two specific words (quote, quotation) both of which had slightly different meanings and uses. Okay, I have to got to lighten up about things most people don't care about.

Yeah, menopause (and periomenopause...and post-menopause...) are really rough. I encourage you to check with your doctor, though, and make sure you don't have another issue like a thyroid imbalance.