Hi all! Happy first day of Spring - especially for we northerners!!! Record snowfalls, record days below zero, that's what we had here in CT. I'm anxious about my saucer garden, but still optimistic. I took the last pix yesterday - the last day of winter. I can't yet get any closer than that pix shows but from what I can see, it's only the Blue Star Creeper that looks iffy to me. The three pix below are from Jan 21, Feb 14, and Mar 19, 2014. I still have a frozen stream along the path. In anticipation of success for this saucer experiment, let me add a few notes and tips that I forgot to include above. On my second try I used a lot of local dirt over the base of potting soil. Seems happier - potting soil not earthy enough? This sled is made of aluminum. I don't know about plastic - might its chemicals leach into the dirt over time? Maybe a year or two would be okay? I don't know - anybody else? Since last summer I water (drizzle) with rain water only, and only when needed, concentrating on the drier perimeter, letting it soak to the center. All that said, I'll probably finish this thread with one more pix in early summer - with critters. As for the rest of my time in here - I'm still learning from everyone else - with very little expertise. Onward and upward for us all - flowers included! -- K

Gee, Kat, why didn't you just shovel it all onto your grass? LOL! Should I stop making "helpful" suggestions! Shoveling it ANYWHERE is hard enough! Sorry to hear yours all landed in the Wrong Place! MANY years ago (back in the early 70's!) I lived in a little house in far south Aurora, and we got a storm like this last one, but even more snow and even more wind, and the way it happened to blow between the neighbor houses it ALL seemed to wind up RIGHT in front of our garage! It went all the way up to the roof, and if the snow had been hard enough we could have walked up the Snow Mountain and walked straight onto the roof! When we first went out after the storm and saw it, it was hard to really believe there was THAT much snow there! So I do know where you're coming from! It was kinda like: Could we possibly dig a tunnel thru it to drive the car out of the garage--rather than having to shovel it ALL!!! As near as I can tell I wound up with about 15" total. When I finally got out to measure it today I was getting 14", but the sun had been shining on it for quite a while at that point, and there was no question that it was well into the process of "settling down!" But one thing I know for sure; there is a LOT of moisture in it, and it really is gonna do a great job of watering everything. When I looked out the front door last nite about 12:30, trying to figure out just how hard it was still snowing, I noticed some flashing lites at the end of the block, and then I heard, Beep, Beep, Beep! It took a minute to figure out what was going on in the middle of the nite, but there was a city plow out there plowing the residential streets. When I looked more closely--over the shoveled pile along my walk, I discovered they had already plowed the road in front of my house! I thought that was kinda nice of Thornton--even if I don't need to go anywhere! And with the sun today now the plowed part is bare and dry again. Lots of piles, still, along the edges where people have shoveled their walks and drives--and shoveled out their cars that were parked on the street! By the end of the week we're supposed to be well back up into the 40's and maybe even back up to the low 50's so I'm guessing that even most of the piles will be gone by next weekend if they're in the sun! That's the kind of snowstorms EVERYBODY should have! Shhhhh! Don't tell anybody else about out Miraculous Disappearing Snowstorms or everybody will be moving here! We need to keep this to ourselves! Do any of you remember the March Blizzard of 2003? Funny story! I was working in San Fran at the time, and commuting back and forth, and the Blizzard happened when I was on the west coast. Being in the Airline Business, needless to say I was hearing plenty of stories about how bad it was and about all the flites that were being cancelled. The total (official) snowfall was just short of three feet (in about 24 hours I think it was), and when I had days off and was able to come home again it was on the third day after the storm, and I REALLY wanted to come home so I just made up my mind that I'd shovel my car out of the parking lot--no matter how long it took, and find some way to get home! I got back to DIA and onto the parking lot bus, determined that I was just gonna change into my Survival Clothes that I had in the car and start shoveling, and then we got to the parking lot! Except for the humongous--and I DO mean humongous, piles of snow where it had been plowed, all the cars and roads in the parking lot were DRY! I almost fell over! When I got out onto the two-lane road I took home (for those of you who don't know, DIA is out on the plains, halfway to Kansas!) the road was completely dry--and there were huge 6-8' piles of snow ALL along the road--I couldn't see over the top ANYWHERE! It was like being in a maze where all you could do was to keep going the way you were going! I felt like I was in an hallucination of something! Got back more into the Metro area and, except for the piles along the streets, you could hardly tell there had been a blizzard. I've lived out here since '64, and I KNOW how fast it melts, but even I could hardly believe what I was seeing that time! This IS the place to live! Skybird

Mellen, The box from you arrived today. Wow! I was thinking it was like Christmas morning as I pulled one thing after another out of the box. The only bad part is that I am almost certain that I was here when the mail was delivered (probably around 1:30 or 2 p.m.) and the postal worker did not let me know. They usually beep the horn so you can walk out and get the box. Around 7:30 p.m. I said to my husband that maybe we should check the front porch in case the box came and there it was! My husband was a dear and helped me get the plants either in the ground of in pots for the night. You sent me so many plants that I love, I just hope they settle in okay. I put some water on them even though it was almost dark at that point. Anyway, I can't possibly list it all - Mary Ellen sent a beautiful Christmas ornament decorated with fancy lace that I will certainly keep from year to year. I also got a candle, memo pad, journal, angel plant poke and squirrel pot hanger (these two are so cute!) With the journal, I decided I will try to keep myself a little better organized with my plants and will write it what I received and who it came from. I completely lose track of that. Mary Ellen also was a true treasure as a friend because she had already prepared plant markers with the plants' names to stick alongside them. That is so good. I usually rush to put them in a pot or the ground and think I will remember and do a label later and I don't get around to it and forget the name. (I know no one else does that! LOL) Anyway, as for the plants, I got: Sweet Potato Vine 'Marguerita' (I have two sweet potato vines but didn't have this one), a Polka Weigela - it is a shrub - couldn't believe it when this came out of the box! - a cigar plant, a Sum and Substance Hosta that I have wanted for a few years now, a heuchera 'Chatterbox', two daylilies - Heron, and Custard Candy, and a flowering maple (also called Abutilon - I have a different variety that I bought at the Botanical Gardens plant sale this spring and it bloomed all summer and I love it so I am really happy to have another!) Does anyone grow these? I am wondering how to get more (root or save seeds)? I also wonder if they are winter hardy in our weather. Guess I will do a little research. Anyway, I know I did not list some of it. Thanks so much Mary Ellen. I know you weren't feeling well and I don't know how you put all this effort into the box that you sent. Thank you so much! Sandlapper

Hi Beth and everyone, Beth...thank you for your wishes. I too thought having my first-born go off to college 4+ hrs away was difficult but you are right...small potatoes compared to the long distance he has chosen to follow his career path. It is most important that he is happy wherever he may be. I have never seen the book but I am sure to be looking for it now. It sounds wonderful! Mickey is a most unusual blend. His mother was Chinese Sharpei and father Golden Retriever. Hard to believe, huh? He does have the wrinkly trait underneath all that fur and was the only black puppy in the litter so my daughter chose him! Julie...my daughter arrived home for Thanksgiving break tonight and she wants me to pass along her thank-you for thinking of her as well! She loves the angel and will be taking it with her when she goes back. :) To everyone...have a most wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!!! Blessings, Dee