Bob, my comment about Noisette being a proper name was partially prompted by some old references where the writer actually tried to say the class was so called because of its hazelnut-shaped buds. I'm not saying you would ever make that mistake, but since I can pull up GW threads using Google, I guess people who don't know what a Noisette is could also. Nik, that's interesting that the family name could mean 'noisy'. The only member of the family I've met had a fairly loud voice. An extremely nice person with a nice voice, but it did carry... And a good gardener, of course... Virginia

Who else is going to the grafting class on Jan. 26? I'm basicly looking for a reason to call in a favor from my staff, reschedule a bunch of people, and add a different day of work. Are any GW people going? Please enable me. Thanks, Dan

Thanks all, glad you enjoyed. Peggy - I usually start taking a few pics around May 17th - but seems most are from about mid-June thru the 3rd week of July. Lighting is important - If you take pics when it is bright and sunny - you get a lot of washed out color. Overcast or early and late in day when sun is lower are better in general. Habit is important too - if I'm not planting or weeding their is a good chance I have camera with me when I walk my gardens. Jodi - I try to leave enough room for when they will be mature. Blue Wedgwood will probably have to moved a foot or so as to get out from under Guacamole. When moving them, I take as much dirt with roots as I can comfortably handle. If they look too far apart try adding a groundcover like lamium until hosta fill out the space. Paul

When I worked as a personal financial advisor, I recommended that my clients have 3 - 6 months' worth of income available as an emergency fund, available in case of need. If they could survive for a year without any income ... so much the better. But ... I didn't have that, myself, and haven't for a number of years. And as my clients became more knowledgeable about how money works, I explained to some/most of them how I operate, with my reasons. For working people, they must continually be in sufficiently good physical, mental and emotionl health to go to their workplace and carry our their required tasks there ... or they don't qualify for that essential paycheque! Plus ... hope that their employer doesn't go broke, close the business, shift work offshore, or get amalgamated with another company, merging the employee's work into the other home office, etc. Now, as a senior, in receipt of two government pensions, one of them contributory, plus a private pension, plus a tax-deferred retirement account that requires an annual withdrawal amount of about 7% up to 10% or so, increasing with age to 20% at age 90), plus I can withdraw more, if I choose (but every dollar taxable) I do not have such a requirement. All that I need do to qualify to continue to receive my pensions ... ... is stay topside the grass! So - I have darn near a guaranteed income ... till the day of my death. Quite a comfortable position in which to operate, I figure. Sometimes I have some readily-available cash, sometimes not ... but that doesn't trouble me. I carry a credit card. If I have an emergency, I'll use the card to pay for whatever I need. I have a Line of Credit, fully secured by mutual fund and stock certificates, that sits unused, most of the time. There was no set-up fee, and there is no maintenance fee if I let it lie unused. Its main purpose is to use when it suits me to purchase investments, if I lack the cash at the time. If I were to use it for funds to be be used in an emergency, most of the uses being not deductible, I would set up a separate line of credit, having certificates issued as needed, to provide the security, so that I have one fund for deductible situations, one for non-deductible emergency use. When I receive my account next month from the credit card agency for the amount owing, I draw a sufficient amount from the non-deductible line of credit to pay that amount in full, thus avoiding interest cost re the credit card. Interest on the line of credit now is 5.25% ... and I'd try to pay it off from current income as quickly as possible. And leave the line of credit that I use for purchase of investments, making the interest cost deductible, uncontaminated by a loan used for non-deductible purposes. Also, I feel comfortable, as I approach age 80, at carrying 80% of my assets in equities. As you know, the stock markets are down, now. Suppose I have an emergency develop tomorrow that requires a substantial amount of expense. Would I sell some of my equities, probably at a lower price than they usually run? Sometimes some of the market is down and other parts are operating at approximately their usual levels. If there were some parts that I might consider to be not undervalued, I might liquidate some of them. But probably I would not. I might liquidate some mutual funds, as I have grown increasingly unhappy with them over recent years. If I sell some stocks, there's the commission to sell them. Then, if there's been a capital gain, I must pay the income tax people a portion of that gain, next year. Then, when I accumulate funds to purchase more stocks, there's commission to pay once more on my purchase. When one considers those costs, often its wiser just to initiate a temporary loan to deal with the emergency. Not only that ... it has been my experience that, after a period when stock markets were undervalued, when the recovery takes place, there is substantial increase in value within a year or two or three following that low market period. I would very likely make a loan, pay it off in part over the intervening period and liquidate some assets as needed after the recovery in order to discharge that loan. If I can make 25% more on an sale of an asset over a couple or three years ... I don't mind paying 5.25% annual interest. I don't have large worry over medical and hospital costs ... if I were a U.S. resident, with higher potential medical and hospital care costs, I might evaluate the situation differently: but possibly not much differently, even so. I hope that you've found this explanation understandable ... and interesting. I am interested to hear your comments. I hope that you are enjoying this beautiful spring weekend ... my multiple-trumpet daffodils are out! ole joyful P.S. If you use this idea and it earns you, say, $300. ... you owe me 10%, right? o j