I finally went and bought a pair of Protector's from Bear Wallow site. I only had regular garden gloves from Walmart and leather ones I picked up at Lowes last year for $5. The leather ones were hard to feel anything in let alone make a cut, and the regular gloves are all tore up now. I'll see how these work on William Baffin, Westerland, and Maria Stern this spring. They are a little pricey, but look like they'll protect me well without hindering me. Here is a link that might be useful: Good Rose Gloves

Yikes, everyone! I have goofed up! Instead of saying this: "The gloves sized ranking are for thinner smaller-boned fingers I feel. Being very petite, the gloves were exactly the perfect fit, but I can see how many might need to order a size up... " I should have written simply, "order a size up from your normal size." I am beginning to realize that few people are going to be able to wear the original size ranking but will have to increase their size requirement instead. At the time I wrote I should have admitted that I was 5'2-1/2" and 97 lbs. and that way people could assess what I meant by smaller-boned. Ugggh! My doofus error, sigh...

LaHonda area is a gorgeous setting to live in, and on maps may appear as a shorter commute to Stanford, but the elevation and twisting roads and storms and fallen trees and mudslides can all make the regular commute a daily grind if you don't enjoy driving very twisty roads. It is also alot harder to find that great California winter sun while living in a redwood forest, which is dark, wet and cold all winter, while it can be quite pleasant in Palo Alto. One of the south peninsula area has any areas that could be considered reasonable rents or house prices compared to South Carolina, but East Palo Alto is an up and coming area that will only continue to improve over time, and is conveniently close. Crime and unemployment and a more racially mixed dynamic that is still somewhat weighted towards less Anglo prevails there, but there are lots of new homes and remodeling going on there, and it is gentrifying. If you want to be close to Stanford and keep your home purchase price as low as possible, it is really the only alternative. Also be warned that the further north you get away from Stanford, the less summery weather you will get. I grew up in nearby Burlingame, abit further north, and the summers are alot cooler there than in Menlo Park/Palo Alto. If you like cooler nights,(regular fog almost every evening off the coast cools things down), it is fine; but if you like wearing shorts and sandals and hanging out in the backyard after dark, you won't be doing this much if you live north of Redwood City, but the days are still very nice. If you move as far north as San Bruno/South San Francisco/Daly City/Pacifica, you may also be entering the daytime fog zone, and you should really prefer it cooler rather than hot summery. Alot of people who work in Silicone Valley/Palo Alto area also do commute from the East Bay, which is a long commute, but housing prices are still much more reasonable in Alameda County. I myself live in the alternative university town of Berkeley, after having grown up on the peninsula. I like it because it is much more diverse both racially and economically, as well as being closer to San Francisco for entertainment and employment. I do know people who commute from Berkeley/Alameda all the way down to Palo Alto/Mountain View for work, but I don't particularly recommend it, as it would be more than an hour each way with very heavy traffic during commute hours. Good luck with your decision, but get used to spending alot more money on housing, which will probably mean some lifestyle changes to make the budgeting work.

Outsmarting the tree rats (squirrels) around my house is a full time job. This past spring I hit on a new idea. When I plant a container I invert an empty wire hanging basket over the container and the plant gets sun and can be watered but the squirrels can't dig in it. Another idea: I bring in a lot of plants to "over winter" under lights in my garage. I have so many that it is hard to reach my hand under the lights (4 shop lights) to the middle for watering. So I bought a pump sprayer with a long wand and it works great! In late winter I add a little liquid Dawn detergent, few drops, to each gallon of water and not only does the soil get wet easier but the worms that are waiting to hatch into distructive pets just don't hatch. Don't know what it costs me to run those four shop lights all winter but I don't care. It is a small price to pay to be able to "garden" every weekend in the garage. Many people have mentioned that they mark their outdoor plants with a "permanent Sharpie". In my experience there isn't a "permanent Sharpie", they all fade and quickly too. A grease pencil/china marker or expensive "no fade" garden center marker are the only markers I have found that won't disappoint you by fading. Eight years ago I decided to learn about gardening so I tapped into my local library. I checked out nearly every book they had on gardening and learned so much. The Gardenweb forums are also a wealth of information and entertainment. There is always something new to learn and I appreciate all of you who take the time to write in your ideas. One last idea from me...I keep a small notebook on my computer table and jot down any idea I find that's new and I will want to try. Little pieces of paper get lost but I always know where my notebook is and also use it when I order "on line" so I will remember the name of the company and the order date. Tina or Trowelgal