Ya know, I must be getting old...or else I have already arrived. I don't know why I haven't even thought about putting out some of that shade fescue and try it where it's shady. Thanks guys, I might get some tomorrow. I still have a little time left here so I might be able to get some to come up. It kills me to walk over my lawn and see the damb soil, like I've never had grass here before. I mean it really pisses me off after the years of babying this friggin' lawn, and poof...gone. I have spent untold hundreds of dollars trying to get this place looking nice, and I have to start all over again. Geeessshhh!!

Tupersan costs the moon, so I wasn't going to bother. Since I've noticed that pre-emergents are at best semi-reliable, I'd rather use a cheap one or not at all. :-) I thought you don't see the dark green KBG color until its at least one year old. But your lawn is looking nice dark green. Since KBG spreads, are you not concerned that adding more seeds is going to create crowding problem? It seems to be darkening a lot faster than one year--if the change from Day 30 to Day 50 is any indication, this will be fantastically dark in another three growing months. Maybe that's the effect of organic fertilization and (now) very well-broken clay soil. Strangely, I looked in a blank area and noticed worm holes. An average of every three inches spread over 200 square feet. And those were just the ones I could see. I won't seed the areas that have sprout (and the back face finally has a lot of sprouting going on as temperatures and daylight hours adjust into fall). From the looks of it, I'll need about two pounds and no more, dropped here and there over 7,000 square feet. Possibly much less-even areas that didn't sprout are tillering in fast and there's still another month to go in the season.

I volunteered at The Huntington throughout the 80s and 90s propagating roses, working the plant sales and organizing, staffing, planning and working the Old Rose Symposiums and Rose Festivals. What is being complained about as "high ticket prices" are the lowest they have been in a very long time. The Symposiums cost in the hundreds to attend. The GROTW events had become rather expensive, more than the $50 minimum entry this year, until Clair deliberately worked it to reduce and maintain lower prices to permit more people to comfortably attend. Pulling something like this off is an outright b#@%ch. Someone is going to get bent out of shape for something. Guaranteed. I know. Been on both sides of that splintery fence many times. There are fixed costs which must be covered or the institution will not permit you to host the event again. Each of the honored guests have to flown in, driven around, fed and hoteled while there. Some require honorariums to come. Not all, but some do. There are security costs which are associated with the event, not to mention the loss of revenue from other events requiring the facilities this one occupies at this time. The price of the tickets far from covered the cost of hosting the event. A one day ticket wasn't offered because the heavier, more "meaty" talks were Sunday. How intelligent is it to potentially cut your revenue in half by making it possible to only pay for one day? Two days worth were offered to allow people to arrive in town, get settled and find their ways around as well as to sight see while there. Many of us took the opportunity to catch up with friends whom we don't frequently see and to check out old favorites on the grounds. I know of many, some local and many more from out of the area, who paid full price and were only able to attend the one day. You don't get a movie or play ticket for half price because you're only interested in half of the performance. You don't pay half of the restaurant price because you only want the desert. The admission price was posted for two days. Nothing was mentioned about one day pricing, so no expectations should be made they will exist. Saturday was the less formal day. It was also a fuller day for those of us who were there because we could wander around, see what we wanted to see, the people we wanted to talk to and go where we wanted to go. I wouldn't have enjoyed myself nearly as much had I only gone one day, though I DO understand not being able to attend both. Many times over the past twenty-five years, I've had to miss days of Symposiums, Festivals, etc. there because of work or prior commitments. But, I learned a long time ago, make the decision that if it's going to cost you full price for only a part of it, if it isn't worth it to you, don't go. If it is, enjoy. But, I never waste the gas and time getting there and then decide not to attend. If I'm going to make presumptions, they'll be that it will cost me full for part, and not that I won't stay unless they give me a break. That is YOUR choice and YOUR decision. No one wasted your time nor gas but you.

WOW! I got up so groggy today and had to rush out early to work and completley forgot about the potd! How could I do that on such a special day (50 pics!) and a pic of cats!! I love cats! I can't have any right now as I have two greyhounds, but I always used to have them and really miss them. Although my two girls are very special and I love them to pieces. congrats on your 50th POTD! :) gg FREEZING here and expecting a big storm tomorrow and another one on Sunday if the weatherman is right. :(