Hi Mike, congratulations on your beautiful orange tree. You certainly get results and you're one of the pillars of this citrus forum. I continue to learn a lot from you. Anyway, based on your recommendation, I have order Dyno gro Foliage Pro and will start to use on my citrus. Like you, I also plant my citrus as well as all my other houseplants in terra cotta pots... they work the best for me as I have a tendency to overwater. Mike, in another thread where you had pictures of your citrus protected in a small homemade greenhouse, there was a lime citrus on a standard and I wondered where you got it. I want to move from bush-shaped plants to small tree-shaped plants, which I think will work better in my small townhouse. Anyway you were going to check where you got that lime tree, but I haven't heard back from you. If you can recall where you ordered that citrus, that would be great. Also, I contacted Anna, one of the owners of Brite Leaf Nursery in Florida, to find out if the ban on shipping citrus plants out of Florida is ever going to be lifted. She said that hopefully this next spring citrus plants will be allowed to be shipped to customers who live east of the Mississippi River, which includes us. If that happens, I will definitely order from Brite Leaf as their prices seems quite reasonable. Jerry

Absolutely Lesser Goldfinch. By the way, I don't know how much time you spent looking at warbler pics, but you would have saved yourself that effort by noting the bill shape: warblers have much thinner bills. Bill shape and size is often a good clue to point you in the right direction; bright colour patterns you'll likely remember without trying, but the bill really needs to be looked at (unless we're talking about a toucan or spoonbill etc). Just a friendly hint. -O-

Jeanne, your bird pictures are beautiful. Snow pictures always look so pretty, but I know what a hassle it can be to have to shovel it. So good that you feed the birds, poor things, everything is all covered up! I have Berber carpeting too, Jeanne, we put it in when we moved here about eleven years ago. Mine is showing wear in the traffic areas like in front of the couch and love seat, and I found it harder to clean with my steam vac because it was so "textured"--but I loved the look and it was really the "in" thing at that time. Now I need to see about replacing mine too, probably with more carpet unless the flooring guys think they could "blend" new wood in with what's already in my entry and hallway. Wish I would have just put wood in there to start, but we thought it would feel too "cold". Now I realize we could have used an area rug! Live and learn, right? LOL On your new vinyl flooring--make sure you follow the directions for cleaning. Just a slightly damp mop and don't use any other products unless it's something reccommended by the mfg. I used one of those Swiffer wet pads on mine and it left a "film" so it doesn't shine like when new now. And remember, liquids are it's enemy! Other than that, it is almost indestrucible and easy to clean. Enjoy! Luvs

Thanks for looking and posting! We just love Hawaii and keep returning there. I'd like to live there, but can't convince my husband to move (yet). It is very expensive. Gas was about $3.70, and food is outrageous. I've thought about buying a vacation rental condo, but haven't moved on that either. DH is still kicking himself for not buying a condo when we first visited in 1993. Now those same condos that were $200,000 then are over $500,000 now. Jodi--We didn't go across Saddle Road, because it would have violated our rental car contract. Our friend who lives there said she drives it once in a while and it's quite an experience. She's really beaten up her new 4Runner on that road. We planned to snorkel at both Kahulu`u and Place of Refuge, but never did. Both times we were at Kahulu`u we were just too unmotivated and ended up just sitting on the beach. And at Place of Refuge, by the time we hiked the 1871 trail and walked around the historic site, we didn't feel like changing into our suits. DH doesn't really care if we snorkel; he says he sees the same fish every time. And I won't go in without him... We stayed at Hale Kona Kai, which is a small, 39-unit condo building between Kona Reef and Royal Kona. Got it thru VRBO. I highly recommend it if you just need a 1-bedroom unit and want to be able to walk to town. It was very convenient. We loved watching the turtles from the lanai. Cathyid--How lucky you were to have lived there! When was the last time you visited? flamingo--Yes, we did see whales from our condo and from other points on shore. We also saw a couple when we were on the dinner cruise. One was slapping his tail on the water, which I haven't seen in a long time. DH saw a couple breaching from our condo. When we were on Maui several years ago, we went on a whale watching boat trip. One whale and her baby swam right under the boat and hung out for a long time! It was spectacular and we will likely never have that experience again. So now we don't bother going on a boat to see whales. I'm glad you all enjoyed my photos! Kathy who woke up to snow this morning :(