Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you all have a nice day with family and friends. Waiting for my son (28), husband, and 84 year old Mom to wake up and come looking for Santa. Thought I'd check in to wish my garden family happy holidays while I wait. Could be hours before anyone emerges from their sleep. Things sure have changed since my son was little and would waken us at 5 a.m.to go see what Santa brought. Now I have to vibrate the walls with Christmas tunes on the surround sound system to wake him. Karen

Shot -- Was not on GW much at all during the holidays, so missed your post. I am more of a newbie than the rest of the talented gardeners on this forum, but I've gotten lots of great advice (careful not to give TOO much of it myself though, lest mine be not very good! LOL) and I've enjoyed lots of great pix...a lot of them yours! :) They inspire me as I sit around in the cold winter and think about what I want to do in the spring. I'll be thinking good thoughts for you that you will get over the chemo-sick quickly and get back out in the garden! P.S. We grill for Christmas dinner every year, in our family. We like it so much! (This is SO off-topic, but maybe it will make you laugh.) The first year we did it, Christmas fell on a Sunday and I was probably about...5 or 6 I guess. We always grilled on Sundays after church, 'cause...well, we live in the South and thats what we do! LOL Anyway, my Mom knew that it would be a LITTLE bit of a bummer for me, at that young age, to open all my gifts, then have to go get dressed up for church without any "play" time. So, she thought she would let ME choose what we would have for Christmas dinner as sort of a consolation prize. LOL The way she tells it now, when she asked me what I wanted, she says my lower lip started to tremble and I teared up real quick-like and stammered, "Y-y-y-you mean we can't have HAMBURGERS this Sunday EITHER?" LOL As in, you mean to tell me that now I have to dress up and go to church and not get to play with my presents and then I don't even get my usual Sunday burger? LOLOLOL So, now, even though I'm married and all grown up...me and hubby (and whoever else is there for Christmas) still grill every year! It's great 'cause nobody has to spend all day in the kitchen and we can all hang out and enjoy each other (and play with our toys)! ;-) Glad you had a great b-day!

Wishing all of you a blessed Christmas and the very best New Year ever....with all of the hoyas you have your hearts set on, lots of blooms, and zero mealybugs...none, zilch, nada!! Fondly, Patrick

Bestest of Xmas wishes to you all! I went and got some groceries yesterday so I'm hunkered down to "weather" out the storm. Probably about 6" here so far and this is just the intro. Since I can't shovel or use the blower right now, I'll be relaxing until I get a plow to come around. But no big deal. Don't have to go back to work until next week so I'll be curling up with the internet, TV, a few phone calls and a fuzzball that enjoys a lap.