Dear All, My husband and I are leaving today for South Africa. We will be attending the Bulb and Corm Symposium sponsored by the Indigenous Bulb Association of South Africa and are looking forward to visiting with some of the members of this list who will be attending too. After the driest winter in 100 years which means a lot of things will be under ground not up, in honor of our arrival the weather pattern has recently changed and it has been raining and snowing! So please everyone focus on rain for when we have the talks not when we are looking at plants in the field. If you need help with the list please contact Arnold while I am gone. If you need help with the wiki please contact Mark McDonough. Although I said there wouldn't be any topics of the week while I am gone, I came up with a plan remembering that our list member, Robert Parker, brainstormed last Thanksgiving and came up with some suggestions of topics. All of the PBS officers have picked one so each week one of them will be announcing one of Robert's suggestions. I hope if any of you can, you will participate. I won't announce what they will be so there will be some anticipation. Thanks Robert and the PBS officers for helping me out. Mary Sue