Nope, I trust them both equally, good advice but never good enough to overide repeated experience. Every man is in love with her or his anecdotal experience. No one has done a controlled study of carefully installed and cared for home blueberries. I wouldn't even consider waiting 4 years to taste my first fruit or requiring it of a customer. But I have sometimes had plants I've installed get off to an excessively slow start- flowers never removed and plants not watered during drought. If I was growing acres of blueberries I couldn't give them them maximum attention. However, I don't see why anyone should take my word on it. Best to run with the research. At least now you can run with Cornell's (hey they're Ivy League) But maybe it will coax an experiment by someone out there and I will be happy to hear results. Buy some extra plants and remove flowers at different intervals. I am greatful for the information I've gotten because of this thread.

I can safely say I will never bring a gift that has anything to do with cooking. I wish everyone would restrict their gift donations to gardening items. Books on gardening are good items, garden tools, garden hats, gloves, aprons, clogs, lotions, trugs, soaps, seed containers, garden accoutrements such as a garden totem would be nice. Food items are acceptable, but they should be substantial, for example a pie or a pan of brownies would be great, one or two slices of pie or brownies would not. Normally we save food items just for sharing though, so consider whether you would want to get a pie as a door prize. ( I think I would, but if I had a choice I might go for the garden tools first.) Anyway, use your imagination when selecting a door prize to bring and before you bring some old, dated, tattered item that you haven't been able to sell at your last three garage sales, remember that it will likely be the last item left on the table after everyone has chosen the "good stuff" and you may actually overhear the comment, "what a cheesy door prize" from the picker-upper. Personally, I like to bring something that everyone says, "Ooh, I want that!" IMHO-Cheryl

In Central Illinois- usually only see a few towhees the whole summer and have never seen them in the winter. There must have been a small flock of them that spent their days under the feeders in the yard this past weekend. Really enjoying all the photos.

The hawk in Menifee, CA can only be a Cooper's Hawk but it is an oddly-colored one. Something going on with the feathers, such as a heavy molt or missing feathers for some other reason. If you have other photos please post.