Wayne, hate to break it to you, but hummers don't mate for life like cardinals and some other birds. They don't even stay together to raise their young. The female does it all ... nest building, incubating, and caring for the babies. The male will mate with any female that he can attract to his territory. We're fortunate to have hummers year round in our yard. Ruby-throateds in the spring through fall and western migrants like Rufous, Calliope, and Black-chinned in the fall through early spring. I grow a lot of hummer plants and keep 7-8 feeders up all the time.

you said: I had to start a new thread because my message was rejected when I tried to add to the original thread. I forgot the most important thing, adjusting the tree to Pa. I have it on the porch, wrapped with bubble wrap ( leaves , branches)and close to brick house, I am afraid it will get less attention in the barn. The porch has a roof and awning and being brick may help a couple degrees, it's between some furniture to slow winds. Ken or anyone else chime in. I want it to be cold but not to shock it. ====>>>> again.. i have no experience with this particular oak .... nor zone pushing oaks.. etc ... OK??? ===>>>> now to repeat.. you said: I have it on the porch, wrapped with bubble wrap ( leaves , branches)and close to brick house, I am afraid it will get less attention in the barn. ++>>>> it is my GUESS.. that everything is wrong with that statement ... starting from the end .... and yelling... WHAT ATTENTION DOES A DORMANT TREE NEED??? zip.. zero.. nada ... zilch ... put it in the barn.. with a little snow or ice cube.. and walk away ... bubblewrap ... WHY???? ... my fear isnt a few degrees of cold.. its that day it zooms up.. and the bubble wrap keeps it too hot.. all night long .... and.. TREES NEED AIR.. not plastic .... if its incredible loose ... maybe.. but IN THE BARN.. i probably wont need it .... YOU HAVE TO INSURE IT STAYS DORMANT.. and the wrap can screw that up .... [carp.. its evergreen isnt it???? .... man this is stumping me ... and i am admitting that.. so you dont take everything i say as gospel ... no attached garage huh????] i have one truism in the garden.. we kill more things with too much love.. than with benign neglect.. but for water ... you are going to love this thing to death ... try to avoid that .... i have to ruminate on this further .... ken

One day at a time Glenda I applaud you for all your get up and go and love reading about your many activities

When pressure cooking beef, you want something with a little fat in it like chuck; eye of round, for instance, might come out dry. Also, when pressure cooking beef, do NOT release the pressure with a valve or by putting the PC in the sink and running cold water over it; allow the PC's pressure to come down by itself after you turn off the heat. Releasing the pressure too quickly can make certain meats (especially beef) somewhat stringy. I posted this recipe in the past from Lorna Sass; it's a good starting point for timing for pressure cooking meats. It's for a curry, but if you leave out the curry paste you essentially have stewed beef. Here's a post for a great pressure cooker curry which uses Patak's curry paste. I find a equal parts of the mild and hot paste suits my palate just fine, but if I'm having a real yearning for hot-as-hades food I'll use all hot paste: CURRY IN A HURRY This recipe from Lorna Sass's Pressure Perfect is a quick and easy way to make a pretty tasty curry. You can make it with chicken, beef, lamb or pork, and vary the hotness by using mild or hot curry paste. 2 tablespoons of mild curry paste makes a pleasant-but-wimpy curry; 4 tablespoons of mild paste makes it pleasantly zingy; 4 tablespoons of hot curry paste makes it very hot, near my limit of tolerance (and I really like hot food). I generally use 2 tablespoons of hot and 2 tablespoons of mild curry paste. This is a recipe that's ridiculously easy yet produces delicious food. If you don't want to mess with the yogurt, peas and cilantro, don't bother--the dish will still be very tasty, but the sauce won't be as rich or velvety-smooth. ( I personally don't like cilantro, so I don't use it.) The recipe calls for 3 pounds of bone-in chicken; I find it easier to use about 2 or 2.5 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs. --Once you get the pressure cooker up to pressure, make a pot of rice. By the time the rice is done, so is this. 1 cup water 4 tablespoons Patak's Mild Curry Paste 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 3 pounds bone-in skinless chicken thighs or breasts, or 2-2.5 lbs boneless skinless thighs, or 2 lbs. other meat (see chart below) 1 cup plain yogurt 1 cup frozen peas 3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped (optional) Pour the water into a 4-qt or larger pressure cooker and blend in the curry paste. Place on high heat and add the onion and meat of your choice. Lock the lid in place. Over high heat bring up to high pressure. Reduce the heat just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for the time indicated in the chart. Turn off the heat. Allow the pressure to come down naturally. (If cooking chicken, release any remaining pressure after 4 minutes.) Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow steam to escape. If the chicken or meat isn't tender, cover again and simmer until done. If necessary, skim off the fat that rises to the surface or degrease the broth in a fat separator. Blend the yogurt into 1 cup of the broth. Stir the peas into the curry and simmer until they are defrosted, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and stir the yogurt mixture into the curry. Stir in the cilantro and salt to taste. Serve in bowls over rice. Meat choices Cooking times Chicken (see notes above) 8 minutes high pressure, 4 minutes of natural release, then quick release Beef (boneless chuck, 1" cubes) 8 minutes high pressure, then natural release Pork shoulder (1" cubes) 8 minutes high pressure, then natural release Lamb (boneless, 1" cubes) 12 minutes high pressure, then natural release