I've had a fabulous turnout of migrating warblers, etc this fall! Or maybe because I'm too pooped to do anything but sit at the window and stare, I'm seeing more this year. I still have hummers, even a few males although it's mostly females and younguns. Around here they say to leave your feeders up until end of November, that it won't keep the ruby-throats from migrating and there are more and more sightings of west coast hummers who end up on the east coast in late fall and early winter. There was an Anna and a rufous hummer in Ohio in the last two years. One showed up in December and stayed until the middle of January. Nobody is quite sure why there is an increase of these hummers but there are more and more reports each year. It would be fun to see a hummer in December but I'm afraid I would worry myself sick! Most of my summer birds are still here. The wood thrush no longer sings (sniff, sniff) but I still hear his little "Pip, pip, pip". I've seen both the summer and scarlet tanagers in the last week - both had molted into their winter colors -why can't they show themselves in their pretty summer attire? I've added two new yard birds this fall - a warbling vireo and a yellow-bellied flycatcher which is one of my rarest yard birds. I've had a nice variety of warblers so far - american redstarts, bay breasted, black-throated green, black-and-white, blackburnian, black poll, blue-winged, canada, cape may, chestnut-sided, magnolia, ovenbird, prairie and tennesee and vireos - red-eyed, warbling, white-eyed, and yellow-throated and a swainsons thrush. I also had a juvenile rose-breasted grosbeak, not sure if it's a migrant or from the pair that I saw this summer. I do love see the fall migrants but I am really going to miss summer ... and the mosquitos and the heat and the drought ....

Juniperus media x Dandelight Published 2010 Mesterházy & al. in Conifer Treasury of NZL & AUS Breeder/Found 1989 Noeline Sampson, Cedar Lodge Nursery NZL Introduced 1987 Cedar Lodge Nursery NZL Description A brand new bronzy golden wonder of Cedar Lodge. This is the first cultivar of the Rimu veil stonecypress (Dacrydium cupressinum). Description later. Cedar Lodge text. Photo documentation Photo author Cedar Lodge Nurs. Juniperus media x Tiverton Published 2010 Mesterházy & al. in Conifer Treasury of NZL & AUS Breeder/Found Cedar Lodge Nursery NZL Introduced 1999 Cedar Lodge Nursery NZL Description A sport from Juniperus x media Pfitzeriana Glauca found in New Plymouth and proudly developed by Cedar Lodge. Tiverton is very adaptable and will perform well in any free draining position. Full sun or partial shade is desirable. Bright lemon-yellow during all seasons. Compact, low spreading ground cover, ideally suited to the very small garden. Very hardy. Released to the N.Z. market in 1999. 40 cm high x 1 metre wide in 10 years in our Nursery/Garden. Cedar Lodge text. Photo documentation Photo author Cedar Lodge Nurs. Juniperus scopulorum Blue Sabre Published 2010 Mesterházy & al. in Conifer Treasury of NZL & AUS Breeder/Found 2009 Cedar Lodge Nursery NZL Introduced 2009 Cedar Lodge Nursery NZL Description. Another very nice tall narrow blue column. Seems more suitable to N.Z. conditions. 2.5 metres high x 80 cm wide in 10 years in our Nursery/Garden. Zone 3. Cedar Lodge text. Photo documentation Photo author Cedar Lodge Nurs. Juniperus scopulorum Hilborns Silver Globe Published 2010 Mesterházy & al. in Conifer Treasury of NZL & AUS Breeder/Found 2009 Cedar Lodge Nursery NZL Introduced 2009 Cedar Lodge Nursery NZL Description Slow growing shrub. Blue in colour. Ideal for the smaller garden. Conical shape. 7 - 10 cm growth per year. 80 cm high x 80 cm wide in 10 years in our Nursery/Garden. Zone 3. Cedar Lodge text. Photo documentation Photo author Cedar Lodge Nurs. Phyllocladus asplenifolius var. alpinus Cockaynes Blue Published 2010 Mesterházy & al. in Conifer Treasury of NZL & AUS Breeder/Found 1992 Noeline Sampson, Cedar Lodge Nursery NZL, 1992 Omahanui Nurs. NZL Introduced Cedar Lodge Nursery NZL Description Photo documentation Photo author Cedar Lodge Nurs. Picea smithiana Skardu Published 2010 Mesterházy & al. in Conifer Treasury of NZL & AUS Breeder/Found 1985 Cedar Lodge Nursery NZL Introduced Cedar Lodge Nursery NZL Description Picea smithiana 'Skardu' - This plant was discovered at Cedar Lodge Nurseries in a seed batch of Picea smithiana in 1985. We have grown the parent plant on for many years to realise its true potential as a dwarf garden conifer. Doing very well in free draining volcanic loam. Colour is the same as the species. The plant is a neat, compact round ball. 35 cm high x 50 cm wide in 10 years in our Nursery/Garden. Cedar Lodge text. Photo documentation Photo author Cedar Lodge Nurs. Pinus halepensis Cedars Lemon Published 2010 Mesterházy & al. in Conifer Treasury of NZL & AUS Breeder/Found 1983 Cedar Lodge Nursery NZL Introduced 2009 Cedar Lodge Nursery NZL Description Found in a batch of seedlings grown at our nursery in 1983. Lemon stripe on needles. Colour stronger in a cooler climate. A very attractive pine that would be a talking point in any garden. Conditions for growth same as the species. Salt wind hardy. Approx. 3 metres high x 1.5 metres wide in 10 years in our Nursery/Garden. Round to oval bush. Zone 8 - 9. Cedar Lodge text. Photo documentation Photo author Cedar Lodge Nurs. Pinus nigra Pinnacle Published 2010 Mesterházy & al. in Conifer Treasury of NZL & AUS Breeder/Found 2009 Cedar Lodge Nursery NZL Introduced 2009 Cedar Lodge Nursery NZL Description A specially selected narrow form of Pinus nigra ssp. pallasiana var. pyramidata - Crimean Pine. Native of Turkey. Seeds of species taken from uniform stands in 1955 and introduced into cultivation from West Germany. Similar to Cupressus sempervirens in shape. Well worth planting for vertical accent in any garden. Windy hardy, narrow, an excellent vertical accent tree. 3 metres high x 1 metre wide in 10 years in our Nursery/Garden. Zone 4. Cedar Lodge text. Photo documentation Photo author Cedar Lodge Nurs. Pinus nigra pallasiana pyramidata Pinnacle Platycladus orientalis Kaitake Published 2010 Mesterházy & al. in Conifer Treasury of NZL & AUS Breeder/Found 2009 Cedar Lodge Nursery NZL Introduced 2009 Cedar Lodge Nursery NZL Description A new Platycladus (Thuja) discovered by a staff member at Cedar Lodge. Beautiful pyramidal shape. Foliage bright yellow in sun, lime green in shade. Foliage held in compact upright planes. This conifer looks to have great promise in adding to the range for average size garden plants. 1.6 metres high x 70 cm wide in 5 years in our Nursery/Garden. Cedar Lodge text. Photo documentation Photo author Cedar Lodge Nurs. Podocarpus totara Pouakani Published 2010 Mesterházy & al. in Conifer Treasury of NZL & AUS Breeder/Found 2009 Cedar Lodge Nursery NZL Introduced 2009 Cedar Lodge Nursery NZL Description Podocarpus totara �Pouakani� - Cuttings from Giant Totara tree in Pureora Forest. A very definite blue colour. 1.5 metres high x 80 cm wide in 2 years in our Nursery/Garden. "Pouakani" is by general consensus the biggest totara in New Zealand, situated in a small reserve west of Lake Taupo. The tree was discovered in 1947 by Forest Service rangers. When measured in about 1978 its diameter at breast height was 363 cm and its height was 39 metres. No doubt it has continued to add girth. Cedar Lodge texts. Photo documentation Photo author Cedar Lodge Nurs. Taxodium distichum Cascade Falls Published 2010 Mesterházy & al. in Conifer Treasury of NZL & AUS Breeder/Found Cedar Lodge Nursery NZL Introduced 2009 Cedar Lodge Nursery NZL Description A weeping swamp cypress developed by Cedar Lodge. Cascade Falls can be trained up a stake to the desired height and then left to arch downward to the ground. Beautiful soft green cascading foliage in early spring - Autumn colour before leaf fall in winter. (Does not need to grow near water.) Cedar Lodge text. Photo documentation Photo author Cedar Lodge Nurs. Zsolt

Good thread, Lynn. And good timing since I was having a few similar thoughts bumbling around in my head. I really like some of the suggestions the other gals made for you. Even tho I love your Easter tree, OA's idea for it sounds like a good one that would work in your home. As for your art work...boy do i understand the problems of temporarily storing it. I have to move several pieces for Christmas, but that is the only time I do. Small table displays (like your Asian one) are not that hard to change out, but I hate moving large pictures. I've never tried "gift wrapping" one, tho have seen photos of other folk's and it can be nice looking. Just not something I've wanted to do. What I have done, is take a print that is appropriate to the Holiday or season (you can get them enlarged to size you need at many copy places) and place them OVER the glass of your framed art. If you don't have glass, you can sometimes easily slip them inside the frame over your painting. Its almost impossible to tell you haven't really framed them! Otherwise, a garland or a swag across the top of the frame (or one of those corner swags on it) can make it a bit more holiday appropriate. I would think Old World or Primitive, or handcrafted decor would work good for you. I can see where "cutesy" or too vivid colors wouldn't. Which is the problem I'm having at the moment. I like cute on some Holiday stuff. But my house decor doesn't seem to work for that easily. I recently bought a corner metal shelf unit to put by my front door. My thought being it would make a neat little Holiday vignette area. Yet looking at the regular stuff in my entry way, now I just can't see doing that afterall. (Except for Christmas when I do everything.) For the upcoming Holidays, till Thanksgiving, I usually just decorate my front porch a bit and the family-room mantel. And what I can around the bay window while keeping it "cat friendly". They love to lay there so I have to share it with them and my decorating. Oh, and my stacked plates on the kitchen table and cloche on the bathroom counter! Those 2 are the main things, LOL. Lately I've been thinking I'd like to use the large end table in my family-room for holiday vignettes. I just keeping having doubts that it work without looking like a fish out of water in there. Plus I'm not sure I want to put away the lamp and floral that normally is there. They won't work with ANY holiday stuff either. So today I'm pulling out my Val stuff and trying to figure out what the heck I want to do with it. hugs, Karen

Well, Diana, you've just broken the poor "teddy bear"'s heart! See how dejected she is? Actually that's her usual pose, in the middle of the kitchen floor with her legs folded up underneath her like a camel. She is a goofball! And she's also as fat as a toad thanks to all of the treats that she's been getting lately (the vet says that she isn't...SHE insists that she isn't but I know the truth). She was delighted enough to give the box a big "snoof", that was treat enough for her. Plus she helped my son play with all of the bubblewrap :-). But thank you. She is very cute and very goofy and she makes us laugh a lot. She's a rescue rottie. Nina