Work can be. Tell me about it. Took me a lifetime to grasp that it isn't worth it, unfortunately; I wish it were. Hobby? Obsession? What's the difference? I guess the difference - for me - is that, I spend too much money, way beyond our means, on plants (not only on roses) so gardening has become an obsession, not a hobby any more. Gardening and rose forums I am obsessed with despite the fact that I should not lift, carry heavy stuff or band a lot nor should I spend too much time sitting in front of the computer. Or, when I was in high school and got money from my parents for a pair of shoes I spent on a book instead. Hobby is, in my interpretation, that enriches your life or makes it more interesting but does not destroy your health or make you financially bankrupt.

Ianna ~ I can certainly relate to your situation as I have been taking care of my dad in this old house for more than 7 years now. When my husband and I moved here we were only going to help him get the house ready for sale; max. 6 months.....And while having a huge yard to plant anything I wanted, I started many obsessions, I also had to deal with my siblings obsessions too! That was no where near fun! You will find it again when things settle down again. I have "new normals" almost every week around here now! :) With all the new shows coming out about crazy obsessions and strange addictions, I realize I am only a little obsessed! I have a thing for themed gardens, and just about every flower you can grow that isn't poisonous. Started a peony collection about 6 years ago when I put Dad's garden in. My mom's old peonies are still here in this yard and I have always had a love for those amazing huge blooms. She never had a pink one so I changed that first off. I now have 200ish peonies and lots of them are pink! More coming in the fall! I have since added irises, hostas, heucheras, lilies and daylilies. No official gardens yet. Rather just a yard for growing things......:) Love to hear about my fellow gardeners obsessions and fetishes. It could be Cabbage Patch kids! :) Ginny

I'm sorry that you're granddaughter's teacher sometimes calls her the wrong name. I'm a third grade teacher. I sometimes call students the wrong name, too. It's certainly not because I don't care or because I don't take the time to learn the students' names. Even when there aren't other students with the same or similar names in the class, I have taught hundreds of students in the past. I may be confusing their name with another name. I'm the youngest child in my family of five siblings. My mom frequently called me the wrong name and she's the one who named me! Teachers are, after all, human and we sometimes make mistakes. I am frequently surprised when I visit this forum that people are reluctant to talk to the teacher when there's a problem. It seems like teachers get a bad rap without just cause. (However, in the case of the original poster, I believe the teacher is erring too much on the side of caution.)

My husband says that it is the color of old copper. I am not getting the spelling right, but veridis or something like that. For those who don't know. My husband and I build furniture for other people. Very high end stuff. We can not afford our own stuff. we can't afford the materials . So normally we make do with out, or we scarf something from goodwill, the metal junkyard, or craigslist. We have furniture made of all sorts of junkyard trash that has been repurposed. It is a case of the cobblers kids without shoes. The chairs came from HEB while we make chairs for the Neiman Markus catalog. HEB is stepping up for us. This table came out well. I think I will pull up to that sea of reflection and mar that perfect surface by doing my bills out here today after coffee.The weather this morning is beautiful.