That was a really interesting article. I have some info that you will find pertinent in regard to the subject of shovels. Because I have so much bamboo, I have always tried to figure out the best tools for digging to keep my groves under control. I have actually found a shovel that is better than the King of Spades (although I own one of those, too). The shovel is available from only one vendor in the U. S. as far as I know, and it's expensive...over $200 with shipping. This shovel is called the "Bamboo Spade" and it is made exclusively for MidAlantic Bamboo nursery by W. W. Manufacturing Company, the maker of the King of Spades. It's saved me hours of work, and it's incredibly useful not only for bamboo, but for transplanting everything from large pampas grasses to lilies and irises, as well as for dividing root balls quickly and cleanly. The Bamboo Spade is all-steel, like the King of spades, and has the same blade. However, it has an important design difference: it incorporates a very heavy cylindrical steel weight that moves up and down on the shaft, like a slide hammer. No digging is required to do the job. You simply set the tip of the shovel down on the ground and then raise and smash down the weight a few times: it drives the shovel into the ground and through any roots. I can now take out a bamboo division in 1-2 minutes that would have taken me half an hour before. Usually I can get out a bamboo with 4 "cuts," although bigger ones may require a few more if the perimeter is large. Typically it's not necessary to pry much at all to pop out the root ball. I think the shovel could stand a lot of prying, but I keep a 5' demolition bar handy to use instead if there is substantial resistance. The only damage the shovel has sustained in several years is that the edge has been dented a little when I drove it down repeatedly on a rock below the surface. Below is a link to MidAtlantic Bamboo's web site that has a sequence of photos showing the tool in use. Here is a link that might be useful: Bamboo spade

RE: Vietnamese coriander (perennial cilantro) If you can ID it I think I can provide it. I've been weeding out what I think is Rau Ram, Vietnamese cilantro all summer from my Seattle P-Patch plot. I also have another Vietnamese herb (little water lily like leaves) that is very invasive and haven't ID it yet. I've seen it eaten fresh in Vietnamese lettuce wraps on a TV program. Other P-patch gardeners say it is edible. Are you interested in Houttuynia  Chameleon Plant, aka "fish mint"? I use this in some salads. Borage seedlings are available. I have Greek (white flowered) oregano, and a I can provide cuttings from a couple of sages. I'm looking for lots of Garlic chive plants for the P-Patch Giving Garden and can always use manure!

Tom, I think the answer is it depends on the airport, but usually, yes airports are colder. The main reason is that airports are invariably on flat land and frequently on valley bottoms which are frost pockets. Some of them (i.e. Sea-Tac) are on plateaus which aren't as cold as valley floors but still have inferior drainage to sides of hills and any kind of sloping land. Some people live on flat land but a lot of people live on slopes and hillsides especially closer to the water (it would be fun to study what percentage of residences are on slopes of, say, 5% or more). But certain airports should be considered as exceptions because there is so much development around them - including Sea-Tac, Boeing, and Paine Field. All of them are in the middle of concrete jungles and thus probably aren't any colder than the surrounding areas. By contrast you have airports like Olympia and Spokane which are relatively undeveloped themselves, not surrounded by a concrete jungle and definitely much colder in winter (verified by locals, temperature readings and indicator plants) than the cities they represent. I have some support for this idea. If you plot a running average of the lowest temperature every winter for Sea-Tac there is an abrupt rise during the 1950's-60's that is much greater than that of other weather stations in the region. This can only be attributable to the amount of development in and around the airport during that period. I provide the raw data for that here (although the article is actually about something else): http://www.desertnorthwest.com/articles/enso_effects.html That's interesting that Port Townsend records at the fire station - it's about 170' up and 1/3 mile inland, on top of the bluff; meaning that downtown itself, and places like Fort Worden, are probably even milder. Is there a list online somewhere that tells you where each weather station records? I'd love to see it. Here's a quick survey of the coldest temperature during the December 2008 freeze in a few Port Townsend Locations: Jefferson Co. Courthouse 19F Madison St. and Foster 17F Port Townsend Paper (right on the water) 22F Woodland Dr. (near airport) 13F Far Reaches Farm, Hastings Ave. 8F (says them)

Linda B - I'm in Brooksville, FL, but this is the beginning of strawberry season all over Central FL. The place near us is charging 2 dollars a pound U-pick. We had to work harder to find them, people had already been in the field for 2 days picking and there had been some rain which ruined a lot of the ripened berries. Kate and Mary C - yes I understand because I am somewhat that way, too, I get frustrated and stressed quickly when it's not controlled, and that's why I was wondering if there is a way to do it stress-free. Calliope, when you make the log cabins - one of my favorites to make - do you use all the same width strips or different widths? I have a lot of different widths. I suppose I could do a foundation-pieced string quilt with those, I've made one before. The only thing I won't do is purposefully wonky blocks of any kind, that drives me nuts.