The "Florida Prince" variety of peach tree sets fruit, but my tree is still so small that the chickens jump up and eat all the fruit - usually the day before I want to pick it. It does go completely dormant and looks dead for about a month during the winter, so don't take it out while it is "dead". ( I almost did! ) One of my neighbors in the next camp over has a red apple tree that fruits every year. He doesn't know what type it is, but he gave me a seedling so in several years, we will know if it breeds true or not. I had several horseradish plants in a pot that just languished and did nothing for a year. I wanted to put something else in the pot and stuck the horseradish in the ground where it is now doing well. The asparagus is growing well, but it doesn't seem to want to make spears at the same time. If you want to eat one or two spears a week, then plant asparagus. I suppose I could freeze the spears, but now I just use the asparagus greens in my cut flower arrangements. Roses love it here, but the beetles eat the leaves terribly. I put Sevin dust in a shaker can and dust the roses whenever there's more holes than leaves. Same with the grapes. Iris (flags) don't seem to do well at all. I've tried wisteria and clemantis, but haven't gotten any to survive long enough to find out where they want to grow. Nasturiums thriving and reseeding all over the place. Green beans grow well but will die off after one "season" of harvest. Lima beans will last for several years of harvest. Indeterminate small fruited tomatoes (cherry, Roma, etc.) do real well and last for several seasons. Collard greens grow exceptionally well and will last for several years. Also other assorted greens do well. Sometimes the small green caterpillars attack the leaves, but the plant will usually survive.

Many boxes support "analog pass through", and this is useful for the moment. But after feb 2009, it will be far less useful because there will be very little analog left. I currently use a Channel Master CM-7000 CECB on my old Panasonic TV. It does not have analog pass-through. But I get away with it because the Panasonic has provisions for a "cable descrambler" box output and second antenna input. I connected the CM-7000 to the descrambler output and it works fine. (Though the signal is reduced a bit compared with a direct antenna connection.) Again, after Feb, there won't be any analog in my area. So I will then recable the antenna to feed directly into the converter box. The reason I chose the CM-7000 is that it has S-video output and reportedly the best picture quality of any of the CECBs. The Zenith DTT-901 also gets high ratings - with a decent picture and more features than the CM-7000, but does not support S-video. I also have had a Samsung SIR-T451 for several years on a newer HD-ready TV. This supports full HD capabilities (e.g., 480p/720p/1080i), numerous outputs (component, s-video, composite, VGA, etc), has analog pass-through, and a number of other features. It is a nice box, but not as sensitive to weak signals as the CM-7000. I would assume the newer Samsung boxes are better. ilmbg: I think your "local TV guy" misheard your question. If your TV is more than about 3-4 years old, it is unlikely that it has a digital tuner in it. You will need a converter box. And it sounds like you will also need a better antenna. BTW, do not confuse "digital" with "high definition". They are two different things. Everyone will need a digital tuner for over-the-air broadcasts. But not everyone wants or needs HD display capabilities. For many folks, 480i may be just fine.

Patti, think of it this way....the dark green stems are left on to protect the tender part from damage and dessication. I've heard some TV cooks remark about freezing those stems for use when making stock. I've not done that but it sounds like a good idea. I save shrimp shells for stock! I love plums and always look forward to seeing them in the markets. I agree that this 'lemon plum ' is special. Plums don't have a very long shelf life, sadly, and bruise so easily. They shouldn't be picked when they are still little hard because they don't continue to get sweet once picked. They'll soften up but taste mealy and bland. They are picked much too early to withstand the rigours of the commercial market. I haven't gone exploring in the right grocery stores (lately) to find something new to me. I taught a college course one year about exotic, tropical, and world foods and for a fun assignnent challenged the class to find, research, and prepare for eating something that fullfilled the assignnent. It was a night class, so conducive to sharing a little meal. What fun! I had never tasted starfruit until that night....delicious. Students sleuthed out really neat grains, spices, fruits and vegetables. Luckily, our little city was multi-cultural....and larger cities very close by.

Thanks! Oakley -yay for Aquage! That brush looks amazing. Funkyart which style do you think runs wider? My feet feel much better. My left foot doesn’t hurt at all anymore when I have them on. The right foot still does but I suspect it will take awhile for that foot to settle down. I really need a pair of comfortable (standard work with almost anything black) boots/booties but don’t really like their styles. Theres one that’s ok but I wish the toebox was shaped a little different. Going to order more sandals. Im going to look into some of the other sandals mentioned here too. Thanks Eld. Yeon -The small bottle (they have a large size too) has a dropper and I just put a drop on the applicator and run it along the top. Another drop for the bottom and drop right at the beginning of the spooly brush to use on my brows. It sounds like a lot but I have over half a bottle still. I don’t recommend brushing the oil on the lashes with the spooly brush (mascara wand) because the oil is so thick it just beads up. It’s kind of gunky feeling but doesn’t irritate the eyes at all. I do it right before bed and sleep with it on. In the morning I just rub my eyes. It seems some of its absorbed in because there’s less. ETA - Thanks for suggestions about exercises. I was thinking there was probably stretches or something I could do to help. I'll check it out. Justerrilynn -They look great! And nice ZZ plant too.