Hi All,

Well, I did my introduction and a few posts thinking I'd be a regular around here, but there's just too much fun stuff going on outside of cyberland!

I hope everybody has had a good week and time to talk, visit, or write your sweetie-pies. The Yankee and I had a wonderful visit today. We celebrated the fact that we're about to become homeowners - a dream come true. So, if you don't see me around here much, I'll be sewing curtains, cutting grass, and fighting kudzu. If anybody outside of North Carolina needs me to send you some kudzu to plant in your yard, just give me a holler. Kudzu is the only thing in N.C. there's more of than Democrats! (My grandpa would be happy to export either one, and he won't charge a dime! Where else can you get that much stuff for free?) :D

Have a great week!

Bookgirl....
Good to see you again!! :) Congratulations on the house!!! I can relate to how much work it can be to keep one up.... I just came in from spending almost three hours in the yard and there is still LOTS to be done.... Can't wait til I can have some help from JD!!
One question.... what is KUDZU??? :)

But kudzu is used in ways which might

surprise you...
Kudzu's History:
Up and Down the Power Pole
Kudzu was introduced to the United States in 1876 at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Countries were invited to build exhibits to

celebrate the 100th birthday of the U.S. The Japanese government constructed a beautiful

garden filled with plants from their country. The large leaves and sweet-smelling blooms

of kudzu captured the imagination of American gardeners who used the plant for ornamental purposes.
Florida nursery operators, Charles and Lillie Pleas, discovered that animals would eat the plant and promoted its use for forage in the 1920s. Their Glen Arden

Nursery in Chipley sold kudzu plants through the mail. A historical marker there proudly

proclaims "Kudzu Developed Here."
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Soil Conservation Service promoted kudzu for erosion control. Hundreds of young men were given work planting kudzu

through the Civilian Conservation Corps. Farmers were paid as much as eight dollars an

acre as incentive to plant fields of the vines in the 1940s.



Common names for kudzu include:
mile-a-minute vine,
foot-a-night vine,
and the vine that ate the South.

Current research may lead to new medicines made from kudzu, but for now

only hamsters and mice can benefit from these drugs. Research with laboratory animals at

Harvard Medical School has revealed that a drug extracted from kudzu root may help in the

treatment of alcoholism. The drug is based on a 2,000 year old Chinese herbal medicine.

Several years of testing may be required before the drug can be made available for human

consumption.
In China and Japan, ground kudzu
root (called kuzu) has been a common

ingredient in foods and medications for centuries. Kudzu is respected and enjoyed there.

It's far more versatile than say, turnips. But kudzu grows better in the South than it

does in its native lands. Its natural insect enemies were not brought to the U.S. with it.

That's why visitors to the South are sometimes awe-struck by scenic vistas which reveal miles and miles of seemingly endless vines.
Southerners just close their windows at night to keep the

kudzu out.

Here's the scoop on Kudzu - it's made the Forest Service's 10 Least Wanted Fugitives List:

http://www.fs.fed.us/research/vmpr/Kudzu.htm

Check out these photos, and you'll see why kudzu scares us! :eek:

http://www.jjanthony.com/kudzu/

Those pictures remind me of here! We even have a radio station here called "Kudzu 102!"

Bookgirl....
Thanks for the kudzu education!! Guess I should be grateful we are kudzu-free up here in Illinois.... :)

and down here intexas

LOL :)