Hi I haven't visited the forum since last winter. Now spring has come and so do I:) I left 2 brug plants outside and I'm afraid they might not be able to come back. No sign. fortunatly I've taking cuttings and I was even able to share some with my friends. Also maybe half of the cuttings that Branda sent me last fall are doing OK. I'm waiting for the weather to warm up so I can put them outside Happy gardening! Changsong

Hello staceyneil, I am on the southern coast of Maine and I am thinking of the same thing. I was just admiring my bumper crop of tomatoes. THe FIRST time I ever had a bumper crop of tomatoes! And I have been trying to figure out someway to protect them from the wind and rain but I can't think of anything short of building a shed around them that would be strong enough. SO I guess my only solution is to pick all the tomtoes even the green ones and say goodbye to all the tomatoes plants. If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear what has worked for you in saving your tomatoe plants during a hurricane. Blake

You should always flip your master switch/breaker on your electric panel off and disconnect your house from the grid when there is a power outage. Flip it back on after the power is back. � There are basically three types of electrical load connected to the power grid, i.e. capacitive (electronic equipment), inductive (electric motors) and resistive (regular light bulbs). Each type of load presents a different counteraction to the power supply system. Some draw power down, some send back with a high instantaneous spike/surge. Most people do not disconnect their houses when power is out. Therefore when power is back on, all kind of strange power surge/dip can happen, depending on where you are on the grid. � From your list of equipment that got fried, it does not appear that the above caused it. More likely they were fried by thunder/lightning. Damages from lightning are very difficult to prevent. The typical surge protectors are not useful. As a matter of fact, the so-called lightning protectors are very questionable of their usefulness. (How do they test them for effectiveness?). Without going into the complex occurrence of a lightning strike ( which BTW, does not have to be a direct hit), it is best to have all electronic equipment unplugged, not just turned off. Or have a properly designed and installed lightning protection/grounding system. Now back to cooking: The cheese cake looks good. I will top it with vanilla ice cream. :-) For me, I just cooked normal stuff the past few days. Didn't do any long sous vide cooking because of not very sure of the power situation. dcarch

I feel like c&#* but it's not the flu - just my chronic respiratory problems being made worse by my GERD. My meds are no longer working except to get rid of the acid. Doctor first said there was a new surgical treatment - now not enthusiastic about it. Pulmonologist is saying that it's not the GERD - that it's "idiopathic". Well, when one can taste it in the back of ones mouth, it sure ain't "idiopathic". I need to call my old pulmonologist who moved to Cleveland - just haven't felt well enough to fight with anyone. I guess this is how old people die- they just don't feel well enough to fight the medical system anymore. And no, my children will not do it for me - they never question what a doctor says. I guess I did a bit of too much teaching them "respect for authority"!