Auntmeanie

I'm with Ginger with the happy hellos... I'm still testing my wings here too. but this just a great place to be. Greetings!!!!! Cookie

Somehow Darlene I knew you'd have the entire Home-depot stock of fruit trees in your back yard. (LOL)(((((Darlene)))))))) I tend to kill off most indoor plants also. Uusally neglect due to a busy life. However, increasingly I find myself thinking of maybe a wee-window garden of VERY industructible herbs or a small fruit tree. The fruit tree idea can from thinking of some cool articles on them back eons ago in a magazine called Mother Earth. (this being a fluttering Neon flag announcing age..LOL). Also, a neighbor up in Sarasota had a small fruit bearing lemon tree in her living room I found simply lovely. Just curiousity... Cookie of the fruit tree quest

PS Did Darlene really just do a Martha Stewart...and that's a good thing quote? EEEKKKK! Cookie

Woohooooooooooooo Mountain Mom, Midnight hugger Mom and Our Darlene ( a woman I will now call MA'AM know that I know she is an expert with NRA...LOL!!!!!). Yes, you know...Maybe, we all need this kind of party perhaps? I mean I "thought" my life was difficult driving to Lauderdale on 95 everyday to work, but you have severely (flamingly, industrially, commercial strength)put this in perspective.Maybe I was meant to only find you now? Hmmmmmmmmm. *s* miami-in-da-houseeeee party.Shall we appreciate? I really think I should have started a *blessings* post seperate though. Becuase I want to hear something that makes you grin (beyond just a smile). LOL. I am so glad I have you giggling (specially Darlene!!!). Humor can be healing, ¿Si? Blessing 1. I love hearing Darlene woohoooo and laugh. 2. I love Mountain Mom's hehehe 3. I love knowing that even what I thought was a toooooo goofy question on stun-guns was viable. 4. I loved that I whipped into a perfect spot at Walmart before the rainstorm hit. 5. I appreciate kind friends. okay someone else pipe up before I over sugar everyone. LOL!! Le cookie undercooked dough

Westbrook wins again for the *way cool* ideas... *grin* yup, ready made quoting Westbrook's idea is the cool way to go! The point-and-munch rustic meal. *wink* Cookie

Or you can reduce it all into 5 words like Ed. *grin and blush* Cookie

GOOOOooOOOooo Twila! Well said. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm Darlene, humbled,unworthy...hmmm how about appreciated, needed,amazing, kind, considerate, welcoming...hmmmmmmm much better adverbs and adjectives. *grin* Grateful was nice (I'm not discounting how WWJD cool humble is! Don't worry, just worry when someone stresses over their justifiable tears and fears and all to mortal emotions and then apologises.) I guess a small piece of me hopes if I emotionally disinigrate over personal truamas I can open and release it here sometime too. You were so contrite and by gosh Chica! You have been through it!! as had some of your amazing gal-pals who felt for you and shared their troubles too (Cookie immediately thinking "I have NO troubles"). Gee, I hope I'm making sense and not sounding too pushy. Everyone's words did get me doing a *count your blessings* note to myself. I tried to include everything...even the rinky dink stuff like getting a shopping cart at publix supermarket without one twirly off-course wheel. *grin* Hmmm maybe we should do a *count your blessings thread* or is that TOO hokey? LOL warm hugs from cookie

Here I'll just put these oven warm cookies on the table, white chocolate chunk macadamia, double chocolate chip...hmmm now for space for the buttercookies. LOL cookie

What about hot wings? Lots of those come pre-sauced and packaged in the frozen section. Summer fruit kababs worked for one outdoor party I did- Apple slices, cherries, pineapple etc. lightly splashed with a touch of lemon juice to keep from turning brown and stuck into a cantalope for a bright colored display. Lots of carrot/broccoli etc. come prepared and you just have to put out dipping sauces. If you go over to the meat section in the grocery, you'll spot packages of ready to serve BBq beef, then put out some rolls and plenty of napkins..LOL. Maybe a tray of heat and serve potato skins? Just piping in. LOL Cookie

Westbrook and Debbie, Hi there! Thanks for the warm welcome and the freedom to make mistakes and ask goofy questions. *grin* To Westbrook's feelings on Midnight Jasmine... yes it is incredible and this one is something like 5 feet tall. I'm not kidding, lately though something has been munching on it's leaves. I love the scent and sometimes open my window to catch the breeze laden with jasmine. As for pollinating trees, You can hand pollinate which some people do with papaya trees down here.They rent bees for large scale orange growing. You must come down here sometime in spring along I-75 near Sarasota. You can literally get overwhelmed with the luscious orange blossom scent. As for my tiny fruit tree dreams, perhaps I could start with a key lime...something that's use to the area (and would be harder for me to mess up..LOL). Thanks again for the warm hellos...I'm so glad I found this place. Cookie

Hey there!!! Hola! I'm a new person and hope you will forgive both my heavy duty enthusiasm and goofy questions. Question A.: Do you know anything about minuature (how do we spell that? LOL) Trees? The kind that DO bear edible fruit? I live in the lower southeast where it can be perfect for citrus. however, this would be an inside plant pereferably, so any specie would be nice. hmmm apples perhaps? Any websites or ideas would be appreciated. I keep running into ornamental pretties that are basically useless or flavor-free. LOL I'm also willing to discuss local and south american edibles you might not know, like the (I hope I spell this right) sopato or mangoes, malanga etc. My 1940's building is surrounded by prayer banana trees, oranges, limes, sopatoes, night blooming jasmine (which is entoxicating) etc. SOMEONE had foresight here back then. Okay, I'm now blushing at my new-girl forwardness. hugs and cookie dough to all. Cookie

LOL!!!! Chicadita Darlene!(and new gal-pals) Amazing! LOOK! Another Miami girl (or grrrrrl as the teens I work with call us). I'm thrilled to be here and hearing you sound so much more positive. Not mention hearing Maggie's buddy talk about clueless-ness with the icons. Is there an icon forum to help us? LOL.(It's sad, apparently we need adult icon-supervision.*grin*). I have a billion preparedness questions and can't wait to swing in and ask...They are going to sound like goofy things like...are you familiar with minature (I cannot spell!!!) fruit trees with viable edible not ornamental fruit? Have you had any luck with them? Well...I'll take this same question to the gardens forum, of course. But Oye! Homegrrrrl, remember to cut yourself some slack. I don't think you really realize that some of us are simply thrilled to be here. To make connections and to ask questions that won't bring a sneer. (Otherwise know as the South Beach sneer of contempt for common folk such as me). Yes, I am still working on making Darlene openly laugh. So ocassionally, I might through out home terms like I have not seen Darlene on channel Seven (the local Jerry Springer style channel) so all cannot be that bad. *grin* She would not have had a fire on Channel Seven... it would have been a *blazing inferno*. I really want to connect and feel it's okay to say things like the economy, the globalization process, emergency preparedness ideas are topics that concern me but not be laughed at for it. if that makes sense? hugs all around, Cookieeeeee

Hey There, I've just found and joined this group for the first time. I'd been looking for a connection with other like minded women about *disaster preparedness* as it's okay in my part of Miami to call it. After all, your not being revolutionary or extremist as long as your thinking hurricanes (for some reason that makes it perfectly normal to have 55 cans of tuna and bottled water in your pantry). LOL. But then I read Darlene's note of apology and wigged out. ¿Que? Did this woman just apologise for health problems and *gasp* her house burning down for not providing us a forum to discuss preparedness? Should someone more familiar remind her we're thrilled she and her kin are alive??? Perhaps a few snaps of that wet noodle and creating a list of priorities for her? I'm saying all that tongue-in-cheek trying to get Darlene to smile and realize how important she is..even to a newcomer. I mean, well... I'm just a grateful woman who will watch the unfolding of this refurbished web site with pleasure and gratitude. Hugs and warm hello from Biscayne Bay. Cookie Jar (or just cookie)