Patron Saint of Gardeners

They are much better able to diagnose it now. Early intervention helps a lot, but some are just so bad that they don't respond. It's awful and I do wish there was a silver bullet.

Children MUST be treated before the age of three. Parents have to learn all the signals so the children can be helped: far too many parents are either uneducated about it or haven't been made aware of how common it is.

there are so many -- is ailments the right word? conditions? that are epidemic now that were rare 50 years ago. Asthma? Autism? Etc? Is it something in the food or air or pollution? Is it that we're better at diagnosing them? Kids that 25 years ago were just weird or antisocial or 'retarded' are now being diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum... I have no official opinion, I'm sorry.

xx, Carrie

I hope I'm doing this right...The garden center I worked at over the summer had a pretty extensive inventory of stoneware/garden urns, pots, statuary...from a company called Campania. The garden center has/had a statue of St. Fiacre. If it is still there, I will be taking him home with me in the spring. Here is the link:

http://www.campaniainternational.com/large_jpegs/339.jpg

I want one! . . . . and I'm not even Catholic! How much does something like that cost?

I found it here http://www.windandweather.com/product.asp?section_id=2006&department=1404&search_type=category&search_value=9331&cm_val=&cm_pos=&cur_index=&cm_type=&pcode=168 for $129

I can buy a lot of nice plants for the price of one dead saint statue!

How true! Statues made of cement or resin also age much faster if left outside all year so it's one more heavy thing to bring inside for the winter months.

My sister lives in Italy - I can ask her to check into this Saint Fiacre character. Maybe all we need is a fetish from the Native Americans which you can weat on yoour keychain or something. x, C

From what I've read, St. Fiacre is very popular in France. All those years growing up Catholic, and I never once heard of St. Fiacre. (He sounds much more interesting than St. Polycarp !) LOL

I'll take a saint over a Native American fetish anytime! I truly don't see any comparison.

I believe that he is more popular in France. It seems that I recall reading something like that when I was looking for a graphic

Pirl, I was only saying that a Native American fetish could be ascribed the same powers as St. Fiacre and would take up a lot less space and fewer scarce gardening funds - I was speaking to Victor's complaint at 12/26/07 12:26 pm. Not trying to come down one way or the other on any theological or aesthetic concerns, please understand.
xxx, Carrie