This tree is only second year in the ground and is being trained as espalier so I thinned all but 2 fruits. The other is still in the footie and growing. This tree grew very vigorously and had to do some severe late summer pruning of all the vertical shoots that were growing out of the top horizontal branch. That is when I noticed this "prune" of a pear. Mike

Ken, Very funny! So many of these things have happened to us that it is like you have written our biography! Not only did Fido smash a G.E.,he left us a major deposit right in the middle of our driveway! I guess the visitors just figured the "heap" would break down overnight and just vanish. We were having a cookout for fathers day and these folks took down the chain and sign that says Hosta visits by appointment only ,please. at the gate , Asked if we minded if they just walked around while we ate. It wasn't 15 minutes later that they all had the call of nature and had to use the restroom. They all had those 44 ounce "Glug Jugs" as you described. As we all know it is difficult to enjoy a meal with your family when there are 5 complete strangers walking all over your property so Even though it was my day, I kept getting up to answer questions and keep them from wandering into the woods where the Poison Ivy thrives and the Hornets are angry. After about an hour and a half they meandered back to their van .They casually thanked me and told me that they were amazed by all of the Hostas but were really looking for a tree that day and the nursery that grows trees down the road was closed. I quietly wondered how the closed nursery had kept them out? Perhaps land mines or an 8 foot electrical fence? Thanks for the laugh and letting me know that there are others that feel my pain. Denny Denny

First off, lemon verbena won't survive zone 6 winters, so planting it in a pot is a good idea in case you want to bring it inside to overwinter. Thyme, as with sage, seems to survive anything and its growth habit depends on the type you bought. Do you have the cultivar name? Oregano generally survives my zone 6 winters, but seems to decline with old age. Mine needs replacing every 3 years or so. Also, its growth habit depends on the cultivar, but I would say in general it isn't too invasive to grow with pole beans, but you might not want to plant it with bush beans for two reasons: it probably wouldn't get the sun it needs and it might make it difficult to harvest the bush beans and also might overcompete with the beans a bit. I have grown herbs just about everywhere in my gardens but I seem to be happiest with them in 12 inch pots on my porches and deck. They are handier to harvest and you'll use them more and tend to take better care of them. That and bringing them in to overwinter, which can be done in an unheated garage for the most part. Don't give your herbs too rich a soil, deprive them a little of water and attention and they will do fine. There's some more people on this forum who'll be along in a little with more 'sage' advice for you, I'm sure. Marcy

sc kathy I will respond but say up front, I don't care for Lennox HPs. in general, these are the minimum specs you should consider for high eff HP systems. 15 SEER, 12.5+ EER, 9 HSPF best matching var speed air handler full BTUs in both cooling and heating for rated size R-410a refrigerant scroll compressor preferred electronic demand defrost preferred thermostat with "dehumidify on demand" feature staged backup heat strips The XP14 is a mid line Lennox HP that has some nice numbers. The air handler that you have been quoted has a conventional blower, not var speed. I would not have a conventional blower. What exactly does your quote include? Ductwork? Any other add-ons? You will have to ask your HVAC dealer about any applicable Lennox rebates. I do know that these systems do not qualify for the fed govt tax credit because they are part of new construction, not for improvement where you are replacing an existing older system. I personally would ask for a quote on Trane's XL15i(AmStd Heritage 15) and/or Carrier's Performance 15(Bryant Preferred 15) "H" model only. These are the top single stg high eff HPs IMO. You should request a load calculation in writing broken out for each floor. What do you plan for the basement-another system at a future date? I do question your dealer's sizing for each floor assuming good new home construction/insulation qualities. Let me know if you have any other questions. See Energy Star Link for info on tax credit. IMO Good Luck! Here is a link that might be useful: Energy Star HVAC Tax Credit Info