I think it's wise to wait until the construction dust has settled to invest in a new personal computer. When you do finally look into getting one, a thought is to look into getting a laptop with a wireless connection. Personally, I think business machines and personal machines should be kept separate. The only thing you can do right now, is to keep your machines covered when not in use, and to unplug everything and vacuum to keep the dust at a minimum. Larry periodically takes our machines to the basement, and uses a compressor to blow the dust out. We keep our machines plugged in through Blackout Buster surge protectors. They're probably the best on the market. Even though I don't have ADD or OCD, I still manage to overdo collecting! I began with 2 bulbs last fall, and now, I have over 60! I'm not sure what the exact count is... I haven't counted in a while! I also began collecting orchids last winter, and I now have 7! I've pretty much abandoned collecting regular types of houseplants, which I used to have lots of... I've gotten more specialized, I guess you could say. I like the challenge that orchids present, and reblooming all my bulbs! Getting back to computers... when you do decide to look into new systems, Larry would be pleased to help you in any way you need. He's a perfectionist when it comes building machines and programming technology... he always says that a machine will never beat him, and he will work at a problem until it is solved. His tagline is: "God made me simple... technology made me a god!" So, if you need any assistance, like choosing the best machine for the best price, figuring out what components are best, where to go for the items you need, or any type of programming help, he said he'd be more than happy to lend a hand. He just headed north this morning to help my son with the electric in his house, and to help a few friends with their computers! Like you, he has so many things going on! He's always busy, and sometimes, he doesn't know where to start! The ADD doesn't let him rest, and while most of us are sleeping, he's busy with technology! I don't know about you night owls! I like to sleep at night, and if my insomnia lets me, I'm out from around 11 pm to at least 5 or 6 am! I'd stay up and keep Larry company, but gardening is best done during daylight hours!

From what I understand, the oil-based sealers discussed here are made of the same basic ingredients, mostly linseed oil with resins to form the binder, along with pigments, solvents, and mildewcides. Alkyd seems to be popular for the resin component. One of the key ingredients in these is the mildewcide. I don't know if they use different chemicals for this purpose or if they all use the same. If the manufacturers listed what they used, and how much, maybe we could start making sense of all this, but I have not seen that published anywhere. I also wonder if these mildewcides last as long as the finish, or if they leach out before the finish is gone. I also wonder if they settle out in the can - if so, stirring would become very important. But I really have no idea. Regarding TWP being resin-based, it comes in different series. The 100 series is an oil finish, with resins in it. The words "positive drying" and "no free oils" in the 300 sereis description lead me to think it is a varnish. Several conversations w/ Amteco mostly confirmed this, although they weren't too easy-going about talking about chemistry. They also didn't think it was a good idea to use on a deck, mainly becasuse it would be very difficult to remove. A varnish is a combination of oils and resins that is then reacted under heat to form a product that is neither resin nor oil, but varnish. This can then be mixed (by the manufacturer) with raw oil to form oil-varnish blends. If you want to understand wood finishes, the best reference I have seen is a book called Understanding Wood Finishes by Bob Flexner. It strips a lot of the mystery away. Unfortunately, it does not adress the specifics of outdoor wood finishes, being geared more to the furniture finishes. Also useful is the Forestry Products website. They are a department of the US Government that does a lot of research into wood products and finishes.

Hi Giacamo, those little green citrus sound like the 'calamansi' here in the Philippines. They are picked small and green, but if left on the tree they will go yellow inside, and eventually the skin will go orange - but Filipinos prefer most of their fruits under-ripened, or totally green! I've not been to Cambodia, but have been to Thailand a few times, and the climate here is very much the same. Minimum temperature I've experienced here was +24 C, and it felt really cold!! We do have lemon trees that grow here, but nobody knows what variety they are. I'll be buying one when I come back from Australia in February or March. I'd be happy to send you a few cuttings if your are up to grafting? Or some seeds, but there is a great risk they won't fruit to type, and you'll have to wait several years for them to bear fruit. As others have commented, for rootstock use local species grown from seed. e.g. Kaffir Lime. Seedlings of local species are the best in my opinion.

>>the species at risk in the wild should be preserved within the general locality in which they are endangered as the genotypes and the associated genetic variability is suited to that region I agree that it SHOULD be that way.... but having accepted the reality that plants often are not adequately protected in their native habitat (especially in third world countries.... but extinctions may occur even in some first world countries) I think that cultivating threatened plants is a legitimate means of protecting them, whether it's halfway around the world or not. What about the highlands of Peru and Bolivia? What about all those New Caledonian endemics that are still being whacked down and burned indiscriminately by landowners? How about your own Eucalyptus recurva which is known from only four wild plants... a bushfire could come along, the regrowth could be grazed and the plants could be lost. This plant is now being preserved at Currency Creek Arboretum but it could just as well have been lost forever if it had not been brought into cultivation, and something happened to the original plants. Plants are inevitably vulnerable in the wild, often due to human influence but sometimes not... so isn't it better if as many people as possible have them in their gardens? Wattleblossom... your example is just about foolish people who are trying to make a profit and do not really have a clue what they are talking about, not people responsibly collecting plants to preserve them. It is one thing to harvest trunks of relatively common D. antarctica (and C. australis) from the wild.... this is unnecessary as it is unlikely to go extinct no matter what anyone does. Nothing wrong with growing D. antarctica in England but personally I think it would be better if they were spore raised plants. Now if someone were to collect spore from a very rare species of treefern (rather than harvest a whole plant) and disseminate the plants to help preserve them... is there anything wrong with that? I don't think so. I also think that when possible a variety of genetic material should be used for each species cultivated.