Last year, my first trading, I did over 80 trades, including many SASBEs. After a couple of round robins I had some seeds to trade and would offer to trade when I responded to the SASBE. Most did not want more seeds but some responded turning the SASBE into a regular trade. With encouragement from other posters I started collecting seeds which enlarged my exchange list. This year I have done only 20 trades as now have more seeds than I can ever use in my own gardens and share with family, friends and neighbors. I have also responded to a couple of SASBEs for specific seeds that I wanted. Occasionally I will initiate a trade after reading a posting regarding seeds that I would like. Bakeman, though I did not get seeds from your Newbie project, (I was no longer a newbie by the time I found out about trading) I do admire you for all the time and efforts that you spend in the Newbie Seed Project. Thanks to those of you who share your bounty through SASBEs. I have not offered general SASBE but have privately responded to those in need/Newbies to share, passing it on.

It really depends a lot on the variety. Some peaches keep pushing new green wood all over the tree for a very long time and others get real sprawling and gangly in 10 years. I have a Madison peach that is about 20 years old and still fairly compact with plenty of fresh wood throughout the tree while I cut down a Harrow Diamond a year ago that was only 10 years old because it had become inefficiently sprawling with living shoots only at the end of branches. Too bad I haven't found a better early peach yet because Harrow Diamond has a lousy growth habit. It also has a lot to do with how you prune. Summer pruning helps keep young wood where you want it by bringing light lower in the tree, for example, and it also helps to keep pruning the tree for compactness.

I am in Il. and we don't have hardly any hummers. What we do see go to the flowers and pass the feeders by. Does anyone else find this true. Miss them very much. Vema

i lost my senior great dane girl 5 weeks ago to bone cancer. it was sudden and shocking and i still look for her. my remaining dane girl and eden were joined at the hip, pip took the loss very hard and had been grieving so much, it broke my heart. i contacted pip's breeder and one of her former co-owners and asked that they keep an eye out for any adults that any breeder friends might be considering a new home for (retired show dogs, etc.). the co-owner gave me the contact information for one of her people who had a dane boy she had been looking for just the right home for and the rest is history. meet "flighty foto my way", call name "frank". frank will be 4 years old on 5/31. he is a very sweet boy and he and pippin hit it off immediately at our meet 'n' greet friday. they do zoomies numerous times a day, sleep curled up together and are just a perfect pair. pippin is so much happier and that makes me happier. even though i miss eden terribly, i am beginning to heal now that pip is feeling better. frank is a bit on the thin side because he lived the last 4 weeks with a female dane who was going through a heat cycle and when that's going on, intact males ignore food, do a lot of pacing and fretting and routinely lose weight. he's eating like a horse so i'm confident he will gain and be back to his normal weight soon. i'm giving him a few weeks to settle in and then i'll make an appointment to have him neutered.