If "Freddy" proves himself as a racehorse, he may be used as a stud. In general, only horses that were great runners get to stand at stud in KY, although there are exceptions, such as some horses that have great pedigrees but maybe got injured in training or something. Really, the fillies are lucky because they stand a much better chance at being used for breeding purposes than the boys do. The vet didn't seem to think that it was a genetic thing--more of a mutation. I guess if Freddy gets to be a dad we'll see if he passes that on to his kids. Barring any unforseeable accidents or injuries, he will start training in the fall of his yearling year (which will be fall 2006), and start racing in 2007. Most of them start racing as 2 year olds, although if they are not doing well in training some owners will turn them out a little longer and wait until they're 3. He is not officially named yet, so I guess I'll keep you posted when they get his papers done and then you can follow his career. On a related note, the organization that oversees the Thoroughbred registry in USA is the Jockey Club. To name a t-bred, we have to submit 3 choices of names to the JC. They then reply to us whether any of those names are acceptable. They have certain rules, such as no profainity, no famous or notorious people (withough their written permission), no company trademarks or copyrighted material. There's also a limit of 18 characters (letters & spaces), so a lot of times you'll see several words run together, such as "Factofthematteris" or "Justoneofthegirls". For the list of rules, click the link below. Another interesting fact is that offspring by the same sire are not considered "brothers and sisters." If I say I have a full sister to Smarty Jones, for example, that means that my horse has the same mother and father as Smarty. If I have a half-sister to Smarty, then my horse has the same mother, but different father. But if I have a horse by the same sire as Smarty, well, then I just have a horse by Elusive Quality (Smarty's dad). As for why they paint the fences black: the paint lasts longer. They mix it with creosote, and it gives a stain to the wood so that even when the paint peels off, it still looks black (or gray at least). The creosote helps protect the wood, and supposedly the horses won't eat the paint off the boards as bad. So, black paint is cheaper in the long run. Here is a link that might be useful: Jockey Club Naming Rules

Some flowers are very hard to start from seed and others are easy. I start most of my flowers from seed inside under lights in about the same way I start veggie seed. Unlike most veggie seeds, though, flower seeds vary widely in conditions needed to induce germination. Some are easy to grow from seed but many are challenging. Some flower seeds are exceptionally tiny and must be surface sown and this includes begonia, coleus and penta seed. Also, some of these--like begonias and pentas sprout into very tiny plants that can take up to 5 months to get large enough to transplant outside. (sigh) With seeds which are that tiny and which take so long to grow to a manageable size, I tend to just buy transplants instead of dealing with them. Then there are a the flower varieties whose seed require cold scarification--exposure to cold temperatures for a certain period of time (which varies per type) before they will sprout. Cleome, Kiss-Me-Over-The-Garden-Gate and echinacea are examples of this type of seed. For them, I usually put the seed packets inside zip-lock bags and write the date on the bag, so I can keep track of how long the seeds have been inside the fridge. Some of these WILL eventually sprout without cold scarification, but at low rates. Then there are the seeds whose seed coats are VERY hard, like bluebonnets and moonvine flowers, for example. For many of these, you can have trouble getting them to germinate unless you use one of several methods to break through that seed coat. Sometimes all you have to do is pre-soak the seed. For others, though, you have to cut through the seed coat with a knife or sandpaper or a nail file. And, for a few, pre-soaking them in a specific form of acid is the preferred way to break through that seed coat. Some flowers are exceptionally easy to start from seed, including zinnias, cosmos, salvias, nasturiums, sunflowers, salvias, black-eyed Susan vine, cypress vine, morning glories, cardinal climber vine, Mexican sunflowers (Tithonia), celosias, globe amaranth and hollyhocks. There are some seeds that do best when direct-sown, mostly because they dislike being transplanted OR need alternating periods of cold and hot temperatures to induce germination. These include poppies, Calfornia poppies, larkspur and most wildflowers. This year I have started many flowers from seed and most of these plants are either already in the ground or are being transplanted into the ground this week. These include "Queeny Purple", "Queeny Mix", "Summer Carnival" and "Old-Fashioned Single" hollyhocks, agastache, "Red Shield" Hibiscus, Dahlia "Bishop's Children", "Summer Pastels" and "Summer Berries" yarrow, Salvia "Whopper Lighthouse", and several other red-flower salvias (for the hummers) whose varieties I don't remember, rose mallow, gazania daisies, QIS mix globe amaranth, "Caribbean Crush" and "Caribbean Cocktail" nasturtiums, cassia alata, butterfly weed, ipomopsis, ipomoea palmata, a red-flowered Texas Bluebonnet called "Alamo Fire", the heat-loving "Laura Bush" and "Laura Bush Pink" petunias, and several kinds of daturas, including white-flowered single and double flowered ones, double yellow, double lavender and a single pink one that I think is not actually a datura but a brugmansia. There are probably others but I can't think of them at the moment. I still need to start others from seed, probably this week or next--zinnias, cosmos, Mexican sunflowers, morning glories, moonvine, purple hyacinth bean vine, and some plants that are grown for their foliage, like striped ornamental corn and castor beans. I keep raising flowers from seed and transplanting them outside over a long period of time. I usually get the last ones in the ground just before Memorial Day. (When you grow as many as I do, it can take a long time to get them all "done" and in the ground.) A lot of the flowers I have grown to transplant outside this year are either perennials or self-sowing annuals that reseed very reliably. I have grown a lot more than usual this year because the last 3 years have been hard on my exising flowers.....last year's rainy weather got a lot of them, and prior to that, the 2 years of severe drought were hard on them....so I have planted tons of stuff to revitalize several beds. Some flowers reseed so reliably, like poppies, larkspur, verbena bonariensis, daura metel and 4 o'clocks, that once you have them, you'll have them forever. Some herbs--chamomile is one that comes to mind and chives is another--reseed so freely they can become "weedy". As you can tell, I love raising flowers from seed--I just don't talk about them as much as I talk about veggies--because each one is different from the others--and I'd have to write forever to discuss each one's unique germination needs and growing methods. Sometimes you have to start your own from seed to have them at the right planting time in our climate. For me, this is especially true of cool-season flowers that I can start from seed in the summer and transplant into the ground in late summer for fall and winter blooms. This includes pansies, snapdragons and ornamental cabbage and kale. And, sometimes, you have to start your own flowers from seed in order to get something that is regionally adapted, weather-wise, and which is shunned by the nursery industry in general. The "Laura Bush" petunia varieties fall into this category. They are heat-loving varieties that often bloom, on and off, all summer long. They outlast the more commonly grown Wave petunias by a mile. Yet, they are almost impossible to find. So, I grow my own. I think it can be much harder to start flowers from seed, as opposed to how easy it is to start veggies. It has been trial-and-error for me over a couple of decades. I love doing it, though, as it gives me many flowers you can't even find as transplants. Do I still buy transplants? A few. When we bought our first home in Texas in 1984, I planted virtually everything from purchased transplants. Nowadays, it is the opposite--I grow almost everything from seed, but it took me a long time to get from buying all my flower transplants to growing them instead, and it evolved from my desire to have flowers I couldn't find as transplants. If, for example, you want to grow cosmos from transplants, you'll usually only find a limited number of varieties as transplants--Sonata and Double Click are two that come to mind. Last year, I purchased a Cosmos collection from Wildseed Farms that had 16 packets of different cosmos varieties in it. So, that's one example of how growing your own from seed gives you more options. Zinnias are the same way. There must be 40 to 50 types of zinnias you can grow from seed, but when you purchase transplants, you are limited to less than a double different varieties. If you have questions about specific varieties, let me know, and I'll try to answer them. Dawn

Yes, Bunny, it is clematis. The reason is youcan plant the tiniest roots. First year no show second year no show and then the third year Bam all the color, flowers and show just for being patient. The plant needs time to set roots so that it can grow stronger and provide a better top show. Which the top likes to shine yet the roots need to be shaded and hide in the background, so while the top growth is getting all the praise, it's really the roots who are the powerhouse. ok one more for me.. I will be up forever a night making these. here's an easy one.. If you have already won please let someone else have a chance. My parents have been married for many years, and they were blessed with how many children?

Thank you all for the many responses! I was out all yesterday, but didn’t make it to the library. I thought I'd get there today, but the weather is keeping me home. Adellabedella, they had children, and I was able to track the two sons. But the other five were all girls. Thanks so much for the Chronicling America link. I used that a lot years ago, but had lost the bookmark in a computer change. I love that site, even if I’m not looking for anything specific. Those newspapers have numerous references to my grandparents, opera singers who performed all over the country. Rusty, it’s true that the Ellis Island site starts a year later than what I was looking for, but it’s a great site and I’m glad to know about it—thanks! I discovered FamilySearch recently, which is where I found the Census reports. I remember years ago not many of these were available. Lindsey, I'm always interested in the knowledge you share. I had no clue about Italian and German names. Seniorgal, our local Historical Society has a nice genealogy section, but all my family came from NYC. I'm sure the city has excellent resources, but it's a little vast. (That must be an oxymoron.) lol I haven't lived there in years. As some of you know, I’m a volunteer gravestone photographer for FindAGrave. Yesterday I happened upon FAG memorial pages for two of my children’s ancestors, and asked that management of the pages be transferred to me. I was happy to send the links to my kids and granddaughter. It’s funny that my 26-year-old granddaughter has a strong interest in family history that I thought she wouldn’t develop until much later. Thanks again!