Thanks, all. It feels good to at least think I'm back in control again, LOL. mehitabel, most of the phals that were big enough did spike. I underwatered a bit and lost some flowers prematurely (WAAAH!) and lost a couple of my big box phals, which were hanging on by their fingernails anyway. No more big box phals from now on, phooey. The minicatts just will not bloom though. I'm going to move them under my T5's, hopefully that should do the trick. whitecat8, oh the joys of moving a MIL into assisted living - you have my heartfelt sympathy!! Let me know how you like the wonderlites. I had one or two a while back, not on the orchids though. They worked well but ran HOT and burned out sooner than I would have liked. I plan to stick with the HID and T5's from now on, at least until a better technology shows up. hort lvr, I don't know how old your kids or, or how good of a caretaker their dad is, but it is really essential to your mental health to get out on your own occasionally. I used to be a daycare teacher, then a SAHM, so I know what you're dealing with. If you can convince your boys that they'll be fine, it's no big deal, and you're not feeling guilty about it, it will be easier on all of you. If you feel conflicted and take forever to leave and say goodbye, they will pick up on that, and fuss and carry on a whole lot more. Just my .02. Let me know how you like your OS!

Thanks, Holiday-ers, for your comments & also for identifying the baby chicks as Lefton, Purplemoon & Jane! One chick had a tip broken off his toes & I just touched it up w/paint...but that's why the TS person told me that I get the pair for $3! :-O Big smile on my face when she said that! luvs...I've never heard about Jade plants & growing them outside before ... that was fun to hear you talk about them...amazing! frou...no wonder I liked that bulldog...you have great taste! magpie, slinkey, punk & nana...'dragonflies' remind me of summer & our little pond...so I hope I get a summer t'scape done to share sometime in June! DH & I are on overload right now trying to catch up (uncooperative weather) plus we do Farmer's Mrkt one morning each week...but we enjoy all of it! Jeanne S.

Redneck IQ Test From a buddy who grew up in West Virginia. He sent it with the comment, "I am sick and tired of hearing about how dumb people are in the South. I challenge any so-called smart Yankee to take this exam!" --- 1. Calculate the smallest limb diameter on a persimmon tree that will support a 10 pound possum. 2. Which of these cars will rust out the quickest when placed on blocks in your front yard? (A) '65 Ford Fairlane (B) '69 Chevrolet Chevelle, or (C) '64 Pontiac GTO. 3. If your uncle builds a still which operates at a capacity of 20 gallons of shine produced per hour, how many car radiators are required to condense the product? 4. A woodcutter has a chain saw which operates at 2700 RPM. The density of the pine trees in the plot to be harvested is 470 per acre. The plot is 2.3 acres in size. The average tree diameter is 14 inches. How many Budweisers will be drunk before the trees are cut down? 5. If every old refrigerator in the state vented a charge of R-12 simultaneously, what would be the percentage decrease in the ozone layer? 6. A front porch is constructed of 2x8 pine on 24-inch centers with a field rock foundation. The span is 8 feet and the porch length is 16 feet. The porch floor is 1-inch rough sawn pine. When the porch collapses, how many hound dogs will be killed? 7. A man owns a Tennessee house and 3.7 acres of land in a hollow with an average slope of 15%. The man has five children. Can each of his grown children place a mobile home on the man's land and still have enough property for their electric appliances to sit out front? 8. A 2-ton truck is overloaded and proceeding 900 yards down a steep slope on a secondary road at 45 MPH. The brakes fail. Given average traffic conditions on secondary roads, what is the probability that it will strike a vehicle with a muffler? 9. A coal mine operates a NFPA Class 1, Division 2 Hazardous Area. The mine employs 120 miners per shift. A gas warning is issued at the beginning of the 3rd shift. How many cartons of unfiltered Camels will be smoked during the shift? At a reduction in the gene pool variability rate of 7.5% per generation, how long will it take a town which has been bypassed by the Interstate to breed a country-western singer? --- I betcha thought that there test was gonna be an easy one, didn't ya? It's okay if'n ya didn't do all that well. Just goes to show ya...There's a hole heap of things that big city book-learning don't prepare ya for in this life. As an added bonus for taking the "Redneck IQ Test", here's some southerly advice that may come in handy down the road a piece: Next time you are too drunk to drive, walk to the nearest pizza shop and place an order. When they go to deliver it, catch a ride home with em.

Hi, Madonna, Glad to read you've had really great success with the bake sales at your church! Your summer tort sounds like a great idea--if you don't mind sharing the recipe, or pointing me to a website with a good T&T recipe, I'd appreciate it! While I'm picking your brain, do you have any sugar free recipes that taste good? One of my diabetic acquaintances used to make sugar free chocolate chip cookies every year for Christmas, and I'd try them but they were ghastly, so I always said I was going to save them for after dinner! The coffee cakes didn't seem to go over well. I think small cheesecakes would sell really well, but since we don't have refrigeration available, they'd have to be kept in an igloo on ice, and after the 5 PM Mass on Saturday, brought back again the next day for the Masses on Sunday. Here's a photo of the dog yummies I made last year--I didn't set the prices, but maybe they were priced too high? They were very very dry if a person wanted to munch on them! I used rubber stamps for the dog, the heart, and the paw print. Smiles, Sooz