Not much going on out here. Weather has been below freezing and into single digits since Nov 29. A few more and we will set a new record for the most days prior to the soltice. It did change a bit yesterday, temps a bit warmer (teens and 20s for the remainder of week), no much snow predicted though. Just doing the usual winter things. Taking care of changing tires, xmas shopping, shovel/blow snow when we do get any. We had about 6" almost two weeks ago, none since and all of that snow is still on the ground. Alma is fine. Had what was though to be an infection in the breast two weeks ago. Course of antibiotics but then they felt another lump in same spot. Had a biopsy done last Friday. Oncologist thinks it is probably scar tissue as that is way to fast for normal reoccurance. Will be getting the path report toward the end of the week. The leaf blower I refer to below was a result of a trip to the 'patch to burn brush. Very poor success. Took 1 1/2 hours to get one pile going and used an entire 5 gal diesel to do it. Someone suggested that a leaf blower works great for getting a fire going fast so I bought one. Then couldn't use it as the powers that be put us under a stagnant air advisory and banned outside burning. I wrote the following yesterday but didn't post it so make the mental adjustments for what day I am talking about. That activity was yesterdy. Still feeling like a kid with a new toy and can't play with it. No mention of a burn ban last night on the news so I decided to try again today. Up at 7:00 to see 8 degrees on the thermometer, calm, clear. Wx guessers have been in a tizzy as a few more days of below freezing temps will break a record for the most days in a row. I think they will lose out tho as they said temps up to 31 tomorrow, 25 today and it is already 28 here (2:30). Looks like the arctic express high that is hanging over use is departing. Temps coming up for the next week (still in the 20s but nights not bone chilling anymore). Breeze came up out of the south about 1:00 as I was preparing to leave the 'patch. That is a welcome sign and I see some clouds coming in from the west right now. I will have to hide the presents a bit better next year. I left enough sticking out so they could be spotted - too easily as it turned out. She found the last one last night already. After seeing the shiver factor, I changed my mind about burning but then the wx guy said snow tonight. I already have enough snow on those piles so loaded up and went. Couple hundred yards to hoof carrying buckets with kindling and another trip to bring in the diesel, leaf blower and a third for the necessities (Plasma most important). Set kindling/paper/diesel on the first big pile and lit it off. Gave it a second dose of diesel and off to the other pile. same procedure and now back to play with the leaf blower. HAH! I already have roaring fire going there. Okay, back to the other pile - same story. Thus I still haven't got to play pyromaniac with a leaf blower. Got one more pile to go, may do it tomorrow if the snow isn't too deep. Harry K

I hope he gets back on his feet, quite literally, soon! I know I'd end up with all the family pictures. At least on my mom's side. My dad, I'm less certain. He's been scanning some. I hope he's done a lot of them! The LF (little fella) (not so little any more. He's finally more than 100 pounds, and taller than 5 feet) is not doing anything. Hence, my disappointment. Boo on him! He did make and sell $100 worth of jewelry. He won't even do that anymore. He skipped out on selling discount books (those sell like hotcakes every year), local grocery cards, fruit, candy... all of it. All he has to do is show up with the jewelry, and my friends/family will buy it. The weirdest part of that is, he wanted to start his own "business" with it? He even had a leger he was keeping. He has supplies. He likes to do it. So what gives? Dunno. Haven't overcome that obstacle yet.

A year after DD was born, we were visiting the Dr for her checkup. The checking nearly completed, Doc looks at me and asks if I'd ever heard of ADHD. Nope. That was over 30 years ago, and to make a very long story short, DD was formally diagnosed as being ADHD, along with allergies to oranges and to artifical food colorants, with a [later confirmed] suspicion that the allergies themselves were contributors to the ADHD. Although medicants were available, the pediatrician was very much against using them, feeling that a careful diet and considerable training in self-control was more effective. The diagnosis was not made after a half-hour's observation, or even after a month. It tooks many months of careful record-keeping of her behavior and a strict observance of diet, along with many many visits to doctors before they determined that she showed consistent symptoms of ADHD, and that the ADHD was seriously aggravated with the intake of oranges and food items containing artificial colors of red and yellow. (And let me tell you, back then labels rarely carried much specific ingredient information and even less on food additives.) So, yes, I do understand that other folks are not very understanding. I'd like a dime for everytime someone -and family were often the worst- gave DD a cup of OJ, and for the next 30 hours *I* was the one trying to comfort and keep safe this small child suffering with literally non-stop movement, who alternated periods of running around the room with crying from the irritation caused by the allergic reaction. Once she got old enough to explain, she said it "feels like biting ants are running around under your skin." BTW, to this day she maintains that is a good description. Somewhat more is known about ADHD today than was known 40 years ago, but there is probably even more that is not known. No one can give advice on the care of a person they don't know. All I can tell you is that for DD (who has an IQ of 150+), I maintained a strict diet that contained little sugar, no citrus and no food that could possibly have a coloring additive. At that time it was known that hamburger and other meats might contain coloring, so even meat had to come from a trusted grower. We started yoga while she was a toddler -- and yes, I think it did help teach her body-control. She had to learn to take responsibility for herself, and I had to learn to let her do it. Until she learned to politely refuse [candy/koolaid/OJ/fruit punch/cocoa/soft drinks/etc] I did run interference, including explanations to relatives [repeated ad nauseum] that if she ate xxx, the food would make her very sick. Explaining isn't frustrating, but having gramma nod in agreement while handing DD an orange slice, used to raise my blood pressure. I finally accepted that gramma and a few others were not/never going to consider DD's needs. So it may have been unfamilial, but I taught DD to eat and drink absolutely nothing that I hadn't okayed first. Was it easy? No. Was it worth it? Yes. Did she ever take medicants? No. Did I consider medicines? Sure, especially if she had been up every two hours all night, and the teacher complained that she couldn't sit still for the whole lesson [ah, by that time *I* knew she could sit for almost an hour], and I had spent four hours at the grocery reading labels, and the dogs were trying hide under the sofa so she wouldn't chase them... Being the parent of an ADHD child is not easy. Being the child is more difficult. So, control the diet and provide plenty of opportunities for activity. Praise the child for every success in learning to sit still; and be prepared to explain [ad infinitum] to adults that: certain food/drinks are forbidden without exception; a 5-minute run should be allowed once an hour; swinging legs while sitting does not interfere with the brain's capability to learn; and that being active is far better for the child's development than watching TV or playing computer games. And be prepared for them to forget, not understand, or otherwise think/imply/say that you are wrong. Your reward will come in a decade as others see your intelligent, polite, considerate, responsible child mature into an adult that is a true pleasure to know.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, everyone! (I'm not actually a real "Christmasy" person, but just thought I'd make it clear where my allegiance lies.) :-) I'm in Central LA also, and I also have friends who live in Minden. It's a very nice town. I am so very proud of my "dirt"...everywhere in this yard I have sunk a shovel, so far, I've turned up beautiful dirt. I don't know how it got here, just God's blessing, I guess. This is the first house I've ever owned (45 yrs. old, been married 22 yrs.!), and I've always loved growing things, but you know how it is when you're renting, you don't want to invest a lot of money in things you are going to go off and leave. In my last place I planted a couple of things that I dug up and brought with me, and satisfied my itch somewhat with some annuals. We moved here in November a couple of years ago, and I spotted a pile of pine straw in a neighbor's yard. He said I could have it, and also pointed out his "yard mowing" pile...leaves and grass clippings mixed, and said to get all I wanted! I cleaned it out! I'm telling you, that stuff brought earthworms as big as ground rattlers, and made the fluffiest soil! My yard is fairly big, a little over an acre, and while it has some NICE old trees and shrubs, it had been a little neglected the last few years. The owners were old and hadn't even lived full time in the house for a long time...they were just keeping the "old home place" for sentimental reasons and stayed in it on weekends some. The man had plenty of money to keep it up and did for a long time, but the last few years his wife got Alzheimer's and then cancer, so I had (and still have!) some clearing out and cleaning up to do. If only I could just get Pallen to come do it all in one fell swoop! Doesn't he do the loveliest things? But that would be an impossibility on my budget (barring a miracle, which I always leave room for!). :-) The lady who lived here before me must have been a lot like me...all kinds of plans but not enough time to carry them out! She had pots of all kinds of stuff lying around, mostly daylilies, but also some irises and hostas. I dumped one supposedly empty pot out by the compost pile that first fall and found a hosta growing right on top of the ground the next spring! LOL Those irises I mentioned...they are very small, with white flowers. I thought they might have been so small because they were in a pot, but I have since had them in the ground a whole growing season and they are still small. Is there such a thing as a dwarf iris? Anyway, they went perfectly in my "white" garden in my "courtyard" (understand, since I haven't been at this long, most of this stuff is still in my dreams in my head!). Ceresone, I am so glad to hear that your husband is still with you...of course, I don't know the whole story, but I'm assuming he has cancer or something. Makes me feel very grateful for my family's health! Christie, I sympathize with you on the soil thing. My mom and I have planted a few things at the cabin, and I was just amazed. I don't see how ANYTHING grows in the mountains! LOL She hauled in some topsoil to make a few little beds right next to the cabin, and I told her we were just going to have to find native or mountain plants for the bigger places. We won't be planting a lot, just close to the cabin, because the natural scenery is pretty enough. There is a little branch in the back that needs no adornment (it even has a beautiful old stone wall built on the other side of it!), and a little spot across the "road" that faces the front porch and has a little bit of "level" spot before it goes up the mountain...we are going to try to put some stuff there to look at when we're on the porch. Has to be drought tolerant, as we won't be there to baby it. We are going Chrismas shopping today, and I dread it. Today and tomorrow are "state tax-free" shopping days, and I figure it will be crazy. When the kids are grown, I am literally going to be a hermit. My dream would be to live at the cabin and hardly ever have to go to a mall again. Well, as long as I'm dreaming, let's make that never! I never did get an answer from the person who found that 'Autumn Moon' Japanese maple at the nursery in Fayetteville. I can't remember what their name was, but the thread subject was "Look what I found!" Does anyone know that person and what may be going on with them? I've been preparing a spot for one of those nearly ever since I moved here, breaking up the soil, digging deep, mounding the soil, putting in leaf mold (it never really did get to the compost stage), horse manure. I really, really want one of those. I hope I picked a good spot. Does anyone know if they are hard to move? I mean, I know it wouldn't be hard, but I'm wondering if they don't like to be moved once they're planted, like peonies. I have a peony in my "courtyard"...I know they are not supposed to grow well here, but since my courtyard stays cooler, I thought it might do. It didn't do well this summer (I'm thinking because of the soil), but it is still alive. I moved it to a "nursery" bed this fall because I am digging hardpan out of the ground, and going to put it back...it may sulk and die. Oh yeah, that is the only place I've found terrible dirt is right next to the house in my courtyard. There used to be some back porch steps there, I think, and it looks like some bricks literally decomposed in the soil or something. I spent three days on one part of the beds this fall, digging out that stuff to about a foot down and adding my "compost" to the good soil that was left. Whew! That's the only thing about all this, I'm about to be too old to do the kind of work it takes! Well, you guys must think all I do is talk, but really not, it's just that I don't have anyone "in person" to talk about gardening with! I've got to go now and get lunch for the kiddos, then make the dreaded trek to the shrines of excess and commercialism. :-) Bye for now!