I have found this sight invaluable for figuring out how to plant things. I also have luck googling "Germinating (what ever plants name you are looking for)". It has a lot of plants listed in the germinating tables on this site and his philosophy of germinating is very simple. I am a girl who shies away from propagators and I fall sow and let the out doors do my cold stratifying. I do find a sanding of hard shells to be a good thing. Here is a link that might be useful: The Seed Site

I think you are so going in the correct direction. You may change paths but the direction is right on and correct. Correct meaning viable. Especially for a homesize easy maintenance, low cost vermicomposting system. One that should be in every home. So I support you 100% (and others) and thus took interest and commented extensively. Also I am a certified quality auditor. Give me a clipboard and I can tell you the most likely place for anything to fail, or is holding them back. And where they are doing very well, way above their competition. Anybody can cheer. But you don't want cheering, you want somebody to mention where the leak is in the boat so it can be handled. We are not as popular as those who cheer. :-) I think free is the way to go. I think flowthrough is the way to go. I am not convinced the purchased worm cans or factorys have any advantage (other than prettyness) over small homemade flow thrus. Especially once we all perfect them a bit more. I am also convinced it will beat the inns but they will be runner up due to their non durability only. I could be wrong. A newbie I would suggest the inn instead of the can or factory due to its ability to handle lots of waste and non shuffling of trays. I don't think they are engineered to last years or even a few years. But they have many things going for them that us small plastic flow thru designers should try to copy.

Hi melonwhelz, Sorry I didn't respond sooner, had a rough week taking my dog who has an incurable disease to all these different vets. He will be okay and I will just pray for the best as he is my bestest friend. Anyway, the day after I posted, I started to spot, thought I was going to get my period, but nope! It never happened. I have to make an app't to see my gyno. Yes, my body is very confused and sending mixed messages to my brain which I hate! At least when I had Lyme I knew all my symptoms including the mood swings and depression, but this is a whole new ballgame! I am feeling a different type of depression, almost like I am bored but too tired to do anything about it. I did receive the book "Awakening at Midlife" yesterday so I am going to start reading that. How is your sister? I help many people who have Lyme Disease because it is horrible and so misunderstood, especially by doctors because they don't know how to treat it. What helped me recover was following a book written by a brilliant doctor named Dr. David Jernigan (Beating Lyme Disease Using Alternative Medicine". I know so many people that are cured now because of Dr. Jernigan. Maybe your sister should buy the book? Anyway, I feel so drained, is that normal? I need to vacuum and do some laundry but I'm not doing it, LOL! I am laughing at your drumroll:::: THE CHANGE! Oh why oh why don't men get this? Yeah, I'm bad. Denise

Turkeytrott: There was a sentence in what I wrote that has been bothering me. It did not come out right and I want to re-word it, to express my thinking here. I wrote: "From what you have written, it sounds to be as if he is so bored, and unhappy, and yet he is still with you". I worded it wrong. What I am trying to say is that you are in a long term marriage. In a long term marriage, people can become bored by familiarity. The lack of newness. It does not necessarily mean that the people themselves are boring. It simply means while people may find comfort in the familiar, they can also become bored. It sounds to me as though you actually have a good marriage, as he says he is content, the snuggling, the kisses, but it sounds as though he is so restless, and yearning for new/different but could be staying because he knows what he has is good, and he doesn't trust himself enough, and fears that he may be totally blowing it and lose you in the process. I think of that song that sings about love... "You don't know what you've got till it's gone" and perhaps that is the fear that keeps him from really chasing after this elusive life he thinks is out there...somewhere. I think of the women that I have read about that have been unhappy in their marriage. Some had an affair and left their husband for the other man. We hear that once her ex-husband found a new love, and either married her or moved in with her, and her children started attaching to this new "mom figure" that she had serious regrets. Or her new marriage was not what she thought it would be and she realized the enormous mistake she had made. Perhaps you can talk to your husband and tell him you understand his restlessness. His boredom. His thoughts dancing with the possibilities of something/someone new. What can you two do that could shake some newness into this fragile time in your marriage as children go off to college and he sees the excitement in their eyes of youth, before reality like mortgages and responsibility weigh people down. And he yearns to feel like that again. Start with a great makeover. It will help you feel good about yourself, and he will see you in a new way. If you need to lose weight, do it. Whiten your teeth if they need it. It can take off years, and make your smile light up a room. Change your clothes style, and address your bedroom style, (bedding/drapes/paint color) to make it fresh and appealing. It will make you feel good every time you walk in your room, even if he leaves. I wish you and your children the best. Re-read my last post, and see if anything within helps in any way. Do not sit idle. If you can't get him interested, or if he has already left, start making the changes for yourself! Take a deep breath, and there are books on the market about women who have discovered gifts in the midst of the sorrow. I am sending a hug and encouragement your way. I wish you blessings in the midst of it all.