Saucy, I agree you should go to the PC information gathering. I am not aware of how the PC operates very well since 1966! But I would like to add that there was great caution about health with removal of all molars whether they needed removal or not, experimental inoculations with explanations only afterwards, etc. I somewhat understand this, and expect you do too from your navy experiences, BUT...!!!!Also they were big on psychological evaluations and causing grief by trying to remove quite competent people from the program. (DH was one of those!) Also there was much treating us like children, surprise checkups, holiday and travel restrictions, etc. Personally I would rather do the work I dream of independently of an organization. I'd prefer to teach abroad, or work on bridge development, or whatever without the mothering. Certainly there are advantages too: quick evacuation, housing, sometimes doctors and vehicles. Money is NOT one of the advantages, though at the time (age 23) there was little to spend on. As an older person with children (they don't accept these kind of folks I believe unless the children are beyond school age) I'd be more concerned about income and so on. Just some of my morning thoughts. Photos: Saucy, this should remind you of photos you posted earlier. These are decorative tombstones in the Efik area of Eastern Nigeria. The faces and hands are painted pink or white oddly enough. Here are photos of the children of DH's school principal, Mr Nsofor. This is sports Day, 1965. DH played guitar with the Tex Dandies in town on a number of occasions. The child, Okereke, skillfully danced along in front. The tall man to the left was a PC man as well, and he was well loved by PC volunteers as well as locals. And here is yours truly with (now) DH November 7th, 1966 at our send-off party. (We were married in '68)The man to the right is DH's friend from Cornell University who taught at the same school. The Nigerian lady is Cecelia Ahaonu, also a teacher at the school. Ndeewo (Greetings/Thank you/Goodbye in Igbo)

My secret? No secret, really... I do spend a lot of time caring for them... my recipe is as follows, though... I use nothing but unglazed clay pots, my medium is a mix of cocopeat, vermiculite, and a bit of Miracle Gro potting soil, with a layer of charcoal pieces on the pot bottom for drainage... I alternate between Miracle Gro liquid houseplant fertilizer and Schultz's Bloom Plus, both used rather dilute... every once in a while, I add a few drops of Superthrive to the fertilizer water... I also use fish emulsion fertilizer every once in a while... I sort of alternate fertilizers, since I can't seem to find the proper NPK numbers in any one type... I think the 2 things that have proven to show better growth for me are the Superthrive and the cocopeat, or coco coir, used as the medium base. Cocopeat, or coco coir, as it's called, can be found online at most Hydroponic type stores... a while back, there was a thread containing information and links about coco coir. I bought a whole bale of the stuff, and it'll take me quite a while to use it all... I just had it shipped right to my door! I made sure to get the kind that has been pre-washed to get rid of excess salts... I don't think there's any one secret to growing nice plants, per se... I think it's a combination of using good products, plus keeping a close eye on things... I tend to hover! I am definitely going to try adding a little sand to my mix, though... it sounds like it would aid in better drainage, and give the mix a better "feel" to it... What do you consider your best gardening secret? Do tell! :-)

You can review a store or internet retailer at Yelp--they pretty much leave all reviews up unless they violate the terms of service. As a third party, they don't care if the review is good or bad. Twitter's another good third party. And retailers editing/deleting reviews is another reason I usually check out Epinions as well as the reviews at the retailer's website. Again, because they are a third party, which advertises that they are unbiased, it's in their interest to keep both good and bad reviews. What I always like to do is try to spot the "planted" reviews on-line. Sometimes there is a review that's so well-written and so complimentary that I suspect that someone connected with the retailer has posted that review. Especially when the other reviews are mediocre.

Well I know that I buy them...plus they are always gone the next time I go. I also see many MANY venders at the flea market selling Avon bottles. If they didn't sell them, they wouldn't be bothering with them! Sure they aren't the latest greatest fad, but that doesn't mean that "Aunt Louise" wouldn't love to buy them! Just because Elmer doesn't like to collect Avon Bottles doesn't mean they are just trash. Where I see them all the time is at our Habitat For Humanity Restore shop and they even put some in the "Antique" section and ask a big old price for the nicer ones.