Where did you get that username?

Oh, Murmur...If I win the lottery I'll pay your airfare! LOL

Murmur, If you came, DH would have to take that cruise by himself!!!

There are some really cute Polymer Clay Corgi sculptures I came across looking for ideas for what my mom should make. If you're interested I could try to find them again.

Actually, Ceejay, it's quite likely I'd have to take the cruise to Victoria by myself anyway - he doesn't like to do much these days since there are so many places he can't smoke.

Oh - you don't know. I want desperately to go to the RU, but DH and I are booked on a Caribbean cruise on that date. So, my comment meant that if you were to come to the RU in College Station, my DH would definitely have to make that cruise by himself....

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww . . . you are an absolute sweetheart!!!!! (And we're both safe.)

Wow - a Caribbean Cruise . . . you'll be in seventh heaven (but what will you do without dg?).

I can't imagine!!!!

I've been on these cruises before. I'd rather do the RU!

I've never been on one, but feel like I could feel a bit trapped. My daughter and son-in-law want to take everyone on one and I started feeling a bit panicky!! (Of course, we're back to that dumb thing of me not wanting to leave my cats or my gardens.)

Me too, My dh and I are such homebodies. When we do leave I have to call and leave little messages to my cats, on the answering machine, like "I miss you guys, wish you were here, be home soon". How sad is that?

Thank you, Fly! When I was single (between husband #1 and husband #2), I would even call home during the day when I was at work and leave messages for the kitties. I gave it up when dh and I got married - he just DIDN'T understand!!! (He's not an animal lover, darn it.)

Murmur - I know exactly where your coming from on feeling panicky and lost going on a trip and leaving your cats and garden. I got to go to the UK twice over the last couple years, once for 35 days and once for 45 days. It was a great opportunity, and as a UK history major something I really felt I needed to do, but more than my family, friends, house, etc... the thing I worried about the most was leaving my cats. My cat sitters would get anxious emails every time I got online if there wasn't a recent update on my cats waiting in my inbox. I can't imagine going back to living without cats, going 45 days without one sleeping next to me was hard enough.

Zhinu, omigosh - 45 days? I admire you for doing it - and what a marvelous trip, but unless I could get the most perfect person on earth to kitty sit, I'd be unable to do it. Here's a funny for you - I have a friend who lives in Olympia and I love her to bits, but even have trouble leave the cats to go see her!!!

DH once had the chance to work in England. We refused the honor because we had just got our two Ragdolls, three months old, and they would have to go into quarantine for 6 months. No Way! I know it didn't look good on the old personnel file....

We turned down two wonderful opportunites this fall for travel - one to Italy, and the other cruising the British Virgin Isles on a trimarine (live aboard) after Christmas (invited by friends to join them - just had to get there). We are already committed to being with our daughter when she gives birth in September, and then there's the cruise with church friends at the first of November that is causing me to miss the RU. So any more absence was out. Otherwise I'd go in a heartbeat! I don't like to travel any in the summer, because the garden suffers. Winter is better....

I actually ended up with three sets of cat sitters. My roommate, who was living in the house, for just being there. My mother and father, to make sure the cats got fed and the litter changed. Then two of my friends to come over at least twice a week and play with them. Though I don't think anyone saw Koshka, my girl cat, while I was gone except when they went in search of her to make sure she was still there and ok. She was horribly skittish. I think introducing a 12 year old to the house for a couple months, and then a 5 year old, has actually been good for her, but before either of them came to live with me I had the stipulation that if Koshka was being negatively effected by them being there, that they would have to go. I'm not sure what caused it, but she's become way more friendly.

My relationship with my cats is a little different. I really enjoy hanging out with them, I miss them incredibly when they're not with me, but I accept that they do have their own life and can, within reason, take care of themselves if I'm not there. Which is part of the reason I have always had two cats, I'm out of the house too much to think it at all humane to only have one cat, especially because I don't believe in outdoor cats in my area. They seem to be fine with our relationship. Though through all of the people they've lived with, my roommate when I went to the UK, my brother, the 12 year old, my fiancé, my future step daughter, as well as regular guests, I have always been their chosen person. Though Nero adored the two girls. He's the perfect kid cat. He loves attention, doesn't mind getting picked up in weird holds (most of the time), doesn't mind screeching, being distributed from his sleep when someone wants to play with him (though my room is sanctuary for him), or even having bows tied around his neck. All of which, besides the attention, still manage to bother me when she does them to him, but I allow as long as Nero does protest and they don't do any of that to Koshka.

How far from Olympia is Greenbank?

I admit I'm happy that we can't really afford to travel at this time!! DH would undoubtedly like to, but I am just such a homebody.

Greenbank's on Whidbey Island - not far at all!!! A day trip is okay, of course, but overnights are tough for me (although I'll probably do it soon anyway - this friend and I went to high school together in Seattle and always have sooooo much chatting to do as well as garden strolling!).

I was figuring it was up in that area, and that is possible as a day trip, but you spend most of your time driving. Even Seattle is like that. My brother is going to the UW so I was going up to Seattle regularly. He just moved back down to Olympia, and is commuting when he needs to, because he needed the support network down here. I hated having to drive up there for just the day because you never got more than a couple hours there, and were in the car for longer.

Hey Zhinu, did I miss how your ID was chosen?

yes, but it was back on the 6th, to recap

"I was taking Chinese language when my last screen name became un-getable on one of the sites I was trying, so I went through the Chinese mythology. Zhi Nu is the Chinese goddess of spinning and crafts, is associated with the star Vega, and has a lover story attached to it. You can read more about her here [HYPERLINK@www.godchecker.com] I also use zhinu53, because 5 and 3 are my lucky numbers.

Other screen names I used a lot were Venatrix (Latin for huntress, my online gaming name), delirium, and wahnsinnig (I was taking German when delirium became un-getable, whansinnig is German for delirium, insanity, deliriously, etc...).

My real name is Laura."

Interesting, guess I missed it. Thanks for posting again.

Zhinu...I'm with you! I love my animals....but a trip to Europe (or wherever!!) is like an education! What an opportunity to learn so much! You will never--perhaps--get that opportunity again....go for it when you can! I left my children for 2 weeks, 2 times when they were babies to go to Europe..., but now that they are older and I take them on trips, they say they're glad I love traveling and will take them, as it's so broadening on one's perspective of the world.

I'm hoping to go back to the UK next summer for my honeymoon. I want to be able to share the areas I feel in love with with Sean, he's never gotten to go over there. I just hope we can get togather the money to do so.

The two trips were some of the times of biggest growth for me; personally, knowledge wise, etc... I'm so glad I went.

Zhinu, I think you have a very interesting life - glad you found a man you want to share your life with!!!! Also, glad you don't have to travel to Seattle to see your brother anymore. I'm about half an hour from the ferry, then a 15 minute ride, then another 30 minutes or so to my brother's place. Or my parents' place. I often stay overnight at my brother's place if I go over, then spend the following day with my folks.

Just wanted to say I think the PNW is more beautiful than the Virgin Islands. Lush, tropical, forresty, valleys and mountains, waterfalls, and just gorgeous. I'll be back to visit, hopefully next summer. Took my son to Mt.St.Helens (awesome) and traveled half way down the OR coast; just breath taking! Oh, to get back on topic :o) user name I wanted was taken -Bonbon - short for Bonnie - My great nephew calls me Aunt B so.....

That's a great screen name.....AuntB. One of my favorite shows is The Andy Griffith Show and loved aunt B.

PNW?

Pacific North West :) sorry

The Pacific NW is the ONLY area of the US of A I haven't travelled to...have asked DH to take me there...and he plans yet another trip for Boston....do "they" ever listen???? haha

It's a beautiful area, you should figure out a way to make it out here. We have a great assortment of plants, and we're in about the same zone as you, though different climate. What is your DH into maybe we can come up with something going on out here he just can't miss?

He's into fly fishing! He just returned from a trip to Idaho and Utah!! (I didn't want to go, as I dislike fishing.)

Come out this way then - he can go fishing and we can all meet somewhere and go look at gardens and/or nurseries!!!

I'd love that!! DH just said he fished that area once....and would like to return...

That would be absolutely great - when do you think it might happen? We need to start making plans - lol!!!

Equlibrium means balance.

Oddly enough, I have croc shoes and automatically assumed croclover was a lover of the same shoes. I sort of figured out fly_girl loved things with wings but I was thinking along the lines of her being a dragonfly lover not a butterfly lover. Some of the other user names are obvious and some I wouldn't have figured out in a million years but of all the user names, dogmansis is by far the best. Such a loving gesture.

This message was edited Apr 8, 2008 8:59 PM

Equil, love dragonflies too, I had chosen alot of names and I kept getting.....'name already taken'. Finally when fly_girl took I thought....oh great.....everyone's going to think I like flies! Which I don't, by the way.

The only way my dh will look at dg if there's a really cool bug pic.
I've heard Dave will change your username.

He will change the username once only, so make sure it is something you really want. .....forever lol!!
Oh and just so you know, when they change it, it is retro-active so to speak. All posts that you have, pictures, etc.; all reflect the new name. Cool huh?

He does such a fantastic job with this site!! Always thinking it all the way through, and ready to try something new, too....

My initials are LC. My hubby's initials are LC. Hence he is LC1 and I am LC2. When it came to a user name I just went with LC2sgarden. Works for me.

LC2, when I saw your name I thought it meant 'likes2garden', likes with a 'c'.
That's the only thing I could figure out, thanks for clearing it up for me ;)

I figured Licensed 2 garden, the 's' just didn't fit in. Hello LC!

Fun thread! I was garandausmom; (garrett and austins mom) but that was too long. I was getting tired of having differant screen names and log in names at every site, so "d" my first initital (Dayna) and Werland my last name. I figured I could remember this most of the time. This is fun!