Janie, I was reading your post and laughing so hard that I was crying. I know exactly what you mean about being afraid of snakes. I know my snakes, but I don't care! I hate snakes, the good and the bad. We have so many snakes down here and with all of the development taking place, we are seeing more and more. My neighbor killed a copperhead Saturday, and my other neighbor saw a rattler up near her house. Last year I killed two coral snakes up close to my front door. I don't bother snakes unless they come into my yard and house. Yes, I have had ribbon snakes get into my house on 3 separate occasions, and one time a garter snake got in and the cats found it and took care of it. Scary! Finally my DH got me a little pump 4-10 with snake shot. Well he was the first one to use it to kill, what he thought was a water moccasin, out on the pier. He killed the snake and left a few marks on the pier from the pellets. And yes Janie, keep us informed on your future antics!

Oh Jane!!!!!! That is exquisite!!! You are so very very talented. How in the world did you finish that beauty so quickly?? Did you have an idea in mind for a long time?? Are all of the bubbles glass gems?? See, all the hard work and decisions on picking out the right glass!!! You were right on.. so gorgeous.. I would love to try one of those some day when i get up enough nerve. For some reason, GOG seems more daunting .. Oh and the peacock!! fantastic. I love it.. I bet you are mighty proud . it would be a hard to pick out a favorite of yours' they are all beautiful!!

Sorry - not sure why I got a double post. This one is partial so please ignore it. It won't let me edit it or I would.

Powdery mildew spores do NOT overwinter in the soil. They only survive on plant tissue and even then seldom overwinter successfully. PM is a cultural and climatic condition and can be controlled effectively if you can alter the conditions conducive to its development. It tends to be most prevalent when plants are crowded or lack good air movement, in too much shade or with dry soils and high atmospheric humidity. Which is why it tends to show up most frequently in mid to late summer, when these conditions are most likely to exist. With a deciduous tree that is going to drop its leaves in a few months, I wouldn't bother to treat. And it's a bit late for that anyway - most fungicides are only prophylactic: they can only prevent the disease from occurring but will not cure it. So you have to apply before you see any visual signs of the disease. And PM can be controlled without a heavy duty fungicide - baking soda, potassium bicarbonate or even milk will alter the surface pH of the foliage and make it inhospitable for the development of PM spores. Neem oil will also curtail the development of PM.