Thanks, Mr. B! I was wondering when you would dare to show your face here again! =) Joking aside, there are two paphs with mottled leaves in there, and neither one is new. The one in flower in the pics is the oldest, and there is also one behind it, on the higher level. That one is Paph. Dellaina, and it has not flowered yet. bada has the same one, and his hasn't flowered yet, either. You may remember us lamenting together on the orchids forum a few months ago. =) It has six leaves now, one has died in the past (lower one), and it is just now starting a new one. Very slow-growing, and I'm starting to wonder what the problem is, because it is blooming size (I would think). And it's getting enough light, because the other one is blooming just fine! That's it's third blooming, second time in the tank, and the flower is lasting a very long time this time, which makes me happy. =) To answer your other Q's, no, I didn't have a false bottom before, and I do now, which is why the waterfall works. I also put in a stronger pump for the waterfall (next size up), so that it is a stronger flow, which I wanted, and I also built it a little higher. I replaced the potting soil substrate with cedar bark mulch, which I think is working very well (though some of the selaginella had difficulty adjusting), and I built it up in the corners for a more interesting landscape. I'm going to get a crypt this Christmas when I'm down in Georgia, because they are ridiculously expensive here. Try $13. . . I think Black Jungle has them for $5, and I'll be ordering a couple other things from them too, because they don't ship to Canada. I won't be putting it by the stream though, I'll put it on the driftwood on the right side, by the T. cyanea, in between the fern and the fittonia. I took the persian shield away, remember? So now it's just all green on that side, and it needs some red or pink or purple. =) Still need to buy some driftwood for the back wall of the tank, and then I'll be able to order some mini orchids from Andy's (which I also hope to do this Christmas), and mount them back there. so it's really taking shape! I hope to get some PDFs next summer, but we'll see. I may be pregnant again by then and feeling too crappy to take care of some new pets, especially since it involves culturing the food myself. =P And yeah, I'm very pleased with the placement of the nep. I just kind of stuck it there, and then I realized, Hey, that looks really good! I love the way the pitchers can hang nicely, and of course it stays nice and moist and humid right next to the waterfall. BTW, I AM old enough to drive! You can get your licence when you're 16 here, so I could have been driving for YEARS by now. No interest in it though. My learner's expires next spring, and I don't even think I'll renew it until I actually start learning to drive. I find it far too involved. I prefer to just sit and look out the window. =) More pics will be forthcoming! I'm having my parents over this Friday, so I'll take a couple more then, showing what it looks like now (with the new plants and the bridge and all).

I think Duckie is on to something: this wedding is a year away, and a lot of the things you are trying to nail down probably will be best planned a little later. For example, you got a great buy on the flower girl dresses -- but who knows how much those girls will grow by next year? And I agree the moms will want to choose their own dresses, and might want to wait for next season. I know it's fun to do the planning, and you sound like a very organized person who will feel more comfortable having as much as possible crossed off your list. But some things are best done later, and believe it or not can even create problems if announced too far in advance. The things you want to do early are to get your date cleared at your location(s) (you did that; good for you) and get your music and photographer lined up (they can only do one wedding at a time). Also hotel space if you will have a lot of out of town guests. After that, food (not the menu, but if you are hiring an outside caterer, you want to book him/her before someone else does) and florist (they can sometimes do more than one wedding in a weekend). Then invitations and stationery. The rest you can really let go for a while. Your mother-in-law wears whatever color she wants. She DEFINITELY does not have to match your mom. Just let her know how dressy the wedding will be, and then it's up to her. She may ask about what length your mom's dress will be, and she may ask you what color you want her to wear. I strongly suggest you just say something like, "Any color you like. If you are concerned about clashing or anything, the bridesmaids are wearing periwinkle and I think my mom is considering wearing black."

I knew that was gonna happen--you getting married, I mean. As for the problems, well, I always say, the bigger the disaster, the better the stories. And you'll be telling those stories for the rest of your life. Friends of mine can brag that at THEIR wedding, someone dropped the cake! Unfort., not on the dance floor; that would have made a GREAT story, and in those "can you top this?" dinner-party conversations, they would have WON! (and so would I, bcs I'd be telling about THEIR wedding) I'm sorry yours went so well! ;-)

Virginia, I very much appreciate the article about the bats. I hadn't even thought about the mosquito problem, but I'm glad that in this case the interests of bats and people coincide. I've been very distressed to think about the wild animals that will be at peril in Florida and Houston, and this lifted my spirits. Lisa, I've had SdlM since 2009 and it's amazing to me that it hasn't really grown all that much, considering its age. I rarely trim it, and only lightly, so it must be the soil and climate that's keeping it relatively small. Considering its position at the front, that's actually a good thing. How nice of you to notice that the bare areas are filling in. It's a slow process without rain, but I'll take whatever I can get. Thank you all for your nice comments. Given the weather, I feel fortunate to have even this small area do relatively well. The rest of the garden is nothing to write home about at this time. Melissa and Carol, I'm glad the heat is less intense for you too. Rain would be even better, and I'm hoping that you'll have some soon.