I'm back again, giving serious test to Mary's comment about absent idyllers being welcomed back. I'm so happy that this group is always here waiting for me. Marian, I second your comment about liking all of the people here despite many differences. If you and I lived in the same town, chances are great we would never get to know each other. But I enjoy your different perspective and your stories from your life, even if you do think it's not very exciting. Perspective is a funny thing. I had dinner with a group of women last week, and one of them is one of the best-known dairy farmers in the state. She has done tons of work in support of ag in our state, not to mention those 260 dairy cows that need to be milked every once in a while. But she looked at me and another woman who works in the perennial business and told us we had such wonderful jobs that helped make people happy. Hmm, feed the world or make people happy? Isn't it funny how "the grass is always greener"? Honey, I liked the therapist's comment about eggs in the hardware store. Martie, I was talking plants with a customer the other day and she mentioned an herb that she can only get at Logee's - had I ever heard of Logee's? Well, of course, because Martie has raved about it! So have you grown Greek columnar basil? And are you still pushing dibbles in your neighborhood? LOL! Shh! I have four coleus cuttings that are out and out thriving! Funny thing is that I filled three pots with potting soil, stuck the cuttings and then put them all together on my kitchen counter. Two pots (same coleus) did great and the other pot (different variety) shriveled and died. But the two pots are still doing well. This evening, I switched hats and would have done Clik and Clak proud as I diagnosed a car problem over the phone. DD's car has sprung a leak in the cooling system. The complication is that she is supposed to drive home Friday night. DH thinks she should put in some StopLeak and come on home, but I think that there are too many miles of nothing between here and there. There are several exits on the interstate that don't even have gas stations within a couple of miles, and I don't want to worry about her getting stranded. So she will take the car in tomorrow and see how fast it can be fixed. She can get other transportation home, but then she wouldn't have a car to drive over break. Well, that wouldn't be the end of the world! Honey, smart move to call the police. In our old neighborhood, a couple of guys were going door to door ringing bells, and when someone answered they had a goofy reason why they were at the door. Finally someone called the police, and these two were caught trying to break in to a home where no one answered. We were on vacation at the time, and came home to find our sliding patio door slightly off kilter. It was the kind that you could lift off the track from the outside, but we had put screws in the track to prevent that. Those screws did their job! Mary, the teacup and longhouse are simply awesome! Glad to hear we will be discussing Michael Pollan's book. I'm looking forward to revisiting it and discussing it with this crew. I'm in the middle of his latest book, "The Omnivore's Dilemna", right now. Chelone, you talked about becoming a more adventuresome eater. I have always hated olives. Just 11 days ago in Napa, I had this little epiphany and discovered I love little balck olives. Like, I ate every single one I could get my hands on! Anyone hiding any olives around here? Okay, time to let the West Coast crew take over as I head to bed with a warm dog and a good book. V.

Sure wish I was, but I am on the other side of the state, in the northwestern cornor. It would really be great if there was one closer. I think there is one in Greensboro, too, but the only time I get to Greensbaoro is just going through to Goldsboro to visit DS and his family. My Dh is usurally in to big a rush to get home to hunt for it. Janet

We quit buying for my sisters and their families when no one seem to need anything. I guess we had everything we wanted/needed. When I married for the second time it was down right ridiculous. He had 3 kids, I had two, we each had 3 siblings and their kids. We decided to have a drawing, a different drawing than most have heard about. My husband and I bought enough gifts for the people we expected for our Christmas gathering. They ranged in price from $3 to $20., very few of the $20 price. Most were gag gifts and the most fun the first time was some frogs, we bought at the flea market, on a band stand that played music and they sang. Every Christmas there after the kids, adults and kids would ask, "are we going to have the drawing this year". It was more fun than regular Christmas gifts of the past. We had everyone put their name in the hat and the first name drawn got their pick of the gifts. We quit birthdays after they turned 18. We gave graduates $100.

Your garlands are beautiful, Kevin!And you have the best red, white and blue tree I have ever seen, usually those colors give a patriotic, non-Christmassy look to a tree, but yours looks very seasonal and festive. Nice job! We did the white wood trees, sleigh and reindeer on top of an armoire in the blue bedroom this year. Those tags around the reindeers' necks belonged to dogs we owned over the years who are now gone. Close ups of the blue room tree: . Brass bowl on the entry table filled with 50 shades of green glass ornaments, lol! Vase in the LR--- filled with tall holly and big branches with pinecones dusted with "snow," and hung two metal holly leaves around it's neck gives this a whole new look: The Irish tree in DS2's room: More to come, if you can stand it!