It does look like Christmas is, the stats fit, although that is not one I have ever traded for. I like the wide open bloom it has though, really makes you want to look at it twice. Wonder which one I should mark off my list of haves now though. Guess I'll dig around the plant a little more, I really tried so hard last year to label all my daylilies. Thanks so much!

In November, 2009 I saw a bird hanging around with the House Sparrows that had a bit of yellow on it. Otherwise, it looked similar to the sparrows and fit in very well. I'm in Plymouth, MA. I finally got a few photos and after searching the guides and emailing Project FeederWatch I discovered it was a female Dickcissel. Apparently Massachusetts was part of their original range but they're not often seen here now. Here the Dickcissel (front and center with the rufous shoulder patch) is feeding with a bunch of House Sparrows. Since then I look a little suspiciously at the House Sparrows wondering what else is lurking there. I've never seen a male Dickcissel. Claire

Hi Plllog! "That is, I know it's possible, but might not be in your budget." See, there's the crux of it. This little beverage center idea of mine was not in the original budget. (Nor, alas, were new drywall in the livingroom and halls, the gorgeous walnut top on my used cabinet island, the matching gorgeous top that will soon be on the new media cabinet and the near full gut of the bathroom.) And we're still determined to get through remodeling our ugly duckling without taking out a loan or dipping into savings. Conventional wisdom says: Wait until the coffers are full again but that's so hard to do. First off, I'm a cheapskate. Even if the goose who laid the golden egg waddled up onto my deck and built a nest, I'm not sure I would willingly pay someone to mess up the walls I just paid to fix. Second, I'm not quite cheap enough. My new kitchen is starting to look pretty good but, gosh, it would look so much better if the microwave and coffee maker didn't take up so much room on that one counter. I'm willing to spend a little bit more to change that, especially since I'm going to have a piece of countertop leftover that should be just the right size. Still, it's nice to know that it's possible. Maybe when the coffers ARE full again I'll put a tile counter outside on my deck to shade the golden goose should she happen to wander by ;) Thanks for your help!

I see these pretty much every time I go to the thrift shop. I have one and one time my sister was in my kitchen and saw it and said "OH I need one of these, I can't find one anywhere" so I got her one from the thrift shop for a dollar. I have three. Linda is correct, they are for removing stuff when you are deep frying.