Here I am all showered, dressed, and ready to brave the pre-dawn chill and head to work at my preferred time. I have a small job to finish up this morning and then heaven knows what awaits me. ;) I am definitely "into" the whole house purge, you guys. Instead of continuing the protective measure of averting my eyes from areas of accumulated clutter I've embraced the "refuse to live in fear" motto and I've methodically made a list and begun chipping away at it. The place looks great and I feel great about it. The reaction from the helpmeet is mixed, he likes the cleanliness but is nervous about my ruthless approach to the many tomes that haven't been cracked in over 10 yrs. and my unwillingness to give him any more time to go through them himself. Time's up, baby! When I return from work this afternoon I'll throw some more clothing destined for the thrift into the washing machine and begin systematically going through the Lab.. I have lots of old fabric, items of abandonned clothing (the bane of dry cleaners and alterationists), and old notions that are taking up too much space. I wish some of you crafty types lived down the road, I'd send it your way happily. ;) I want it all pared down for the move across the driveway to the Salon. Idyll Camp has definitely kindled a fire under my hindquarters, you guys. This is one reason I'm not feeling housebound or winter weary, on the contrary, I'm wondering if there will be enough time to get it done before Idyll Camp. :) Wow, Marian, that orchid is just lovely. I smile every time I think of you puttering around with your plants. I've been meaning to ask you how you carry your wood indoors. Do you use a log carrier or do you just carry an armload? I'm trying to come up with a containment system for the Salon that is attractive and efficient. Eyed the log holder on the clearance page of the Sturbridge Yankee site Cynthia mentioned but was too cheap to spring for it, lol. There HAS to be something here that could be suitably repurposed... Its good that the puzzle is out for Nolon to pick at when the mood strikes him. You know, I never had the presence of mind to provide a puzzle for Mum, something I regret now. Loved the shots of Doobie and Ted, Kathy. Anyone who says cats aren't friendly has never known one that is much loved and fussed over. Our's like to chaperone us when we're outdoors, too. And there was a lot of getting into the boxes and bags destined for the thrift this weekend, too. Lots of Kodak moments. Well, time to get rolling so I may return home and continue the progress. Wanna place any bets on how much of the culled stuff actually makes it to the kerb this morning? ;) Cozy up, guys.

Hi Beck: I too hated waiting for the year 2 for my biennials to bloom,especially because I have limited room and nowhere for them to 'grow on' until the second year. I have somewhat of a solution but you're idea is quite novel. However, I am not sure that biennals actually go dormant in the winter because of my experience with my hollyhocks. I sow them in modified water bottles in late summer (late August), so that by the time the snow flies, they are still small seedlings. I then sink the containers in the ground and cover with some fallen leaves until spring. By then I have tossed out the old ones and replace them with the new seedlings which grow up and provide lovely blooms. Why I don't believe they go dormant is that when I remove the mulch in Spring, the leaves are still green - a little beat up but still green. We have not yet had snow, but freezing temperatures, and my seedlings from this year still have green leaves. Perhaps someone who knows why there is the requirement for surviving a winter before blooming can give you a more precise idea as to whether it will or won't work. It will be interesting to find out. I'll be waiting to see what happens.

I would upsize the pot before putting it in the ground; and be sure to put it out slowly. Inside to full shade; 2 weeks, then to partial shade; 2 more weeks to full sun. Reverse that in the Fall and you should avoid the defoliation.

nyssaman - check out the wintersowing forum here on Garden Web. You can skip the fridge step and simply sow outside starting Dec. 21st....really! (as an aside - does anyone else find these drop down/float across ads as annoying as I do - you go to click on something and all of a sudden the page shifts. If the advertisers are trying to get my attention all they are getting is my annoyance - especially because I do look at ads and click on the ones of interest)