We grew it some years ago (and this was when we were still spraying). It never got over 3 ft., here in Coastal SoCalif (which was OK) but that wasn't the problem. The PROBLEM was that as soon as new leaves opened, they began to rust. And where they were not rusted, they mildewed. It bloomed, but the plant always looked like the devil, and it is gone. I hope it is better somewhere else. Jeri

Hi Dan, Oh yum! That sounds good. The Acadian Bakery here makes them for Rouse's? I don't like fig Newtons--not enough fig in them for me--but a fresh-made fig tart, now that does sound like it would be delicious. I wonder if that bakery sells to the public. I'll have to find out. There is a Rouse's in Youngsville which is near Broussard and Lafayette and there's a rumor that one is going to be built in Lafayette, but I've not heard anything more about it. I can give Rouse's a call and they could tell me. Thanks for the info, Vivian

Lisa, Last week or maybe the week before, I read something on the NOAA website that was the first hint I'd seen that the current neutral period may not last long and that there was one tiny clue that another La Nina might be looming. It is not entirely unprecedented. I wouldn't panic yet. La Nina generally does mean drier than average and warmer than average weather for us, but many other factors are involved and we just have to wait and see how or if they all come together. Even if a La Nina pattern returns, La Nina can give us different degrees of hotter/drier weather, and certainly not all of them are as severe as what we've had this year. Still, I was rooting for an El Nino, although it seems unlikely we'll see a return to El Nino conditions this year. Chandra, At the present time I am not planning on much for fall. Maybe nothing at all. It depends on whether it rains or not. We just aren't getting rain here and it is too hot for irrigation to do a lot of good. Tracy, Technically La Nina ended it the spring and we are back in a neutral period. However, there are hints another La Nina may be developing. I'll try and find and link the NOAA article that I read that mentioned this. Erod, Down here, we broke the record for consecutive 100-degree and higher days either yesterday or the day before, and our forecast for the next 7 days features highs of 102-105, so I guess the streak will continue to grow. Last week, I would have said this year seems most like 2003 or 2006, but that's without doing any specific research. I think it has been like a blend of the two---with the heat of 2003 for our area and the dryness from 2006. Someone mentioned this year was most like 1998 for them, and I think that is likely for my area as well---but we didn't live here then. We just came up on weekends working to clear and fence the land before the builder started building the house in Aug. 1998. I do remember it was both very hot and very dry and I need to look back at the statistics and see what 1998 was like in our county. It was hot, dry and filled with grasshoppers in Texas. I measure all hot summers against 1980 as I experienced it in Fort Worth, and don't think this one will be as hot as that one, but it may be drier. At 10:30 a.m. it was 90 here with a heat index of 96. It sure seems early in the day for it to feel that hot. I am so 'over' summer and just hanging in there waiting for fall and some hopefully-more-moderate weather. OK, y'all, I went and found the most recent ENSO Diagnostic discussion, which is likely the one I read a couple of weeks ago when it just had been issued. It is linked below. Note in the second paragraph where they seem to be hinting that the neutral period may last at least through fall, but that perhaps La Nina is returning all the same....maybe in the winter months. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: NOAA ENSO Diagnostic Discussion

Couple suggestions as I have benefited from going just about everywhere to look, price, analyze, etc. Of course there is Pacific Sales - however they seemed to be somewhat pricier - however, they have free financing for a year which is nice. Also, B&C Plumbing in Irvine - great showroom with just about everything. In Anaheim on State College blvd., (home of tile/granite row), there are many places with wood vanities, stores are all along the blvd. right next to one another. Look for the ones that list vanities on their windows - there are many of them. I think I have been to just about every single store looking at granite and stone, etc. Also there is a place called Faucets & Fixtures in Orange on Tustin Avenue. Great place to look at tubs, toilets, fixtures, vanities, and lots of bath set ups. Hope this was helpful as these are the places I went to. Many places I just discovered what I wanted and then purchased items where I could get the best deals which usually meant on-line for faucets and knobs and pulls. Good luck.