The wild rose is probably Rosa multiflora and most often the blooms are white, although there's a naturally happening light pink sport that shows up every so often. (Rosa caninda, the dog rose, has larger pink blooms and can be a more elegant rose, holding itself up in a vase shape.) Can you talk your husband into bushhogging this weekend? IF your temperatures are not yet in the 70s, burn them (with proper permits). Multiflora isn't supposed to be red at this time of the year nor are you supposed to be able to see that something is wrong from a distance. Please read my e-book. Come back here with questions. And could you tell us which county you live in? Ann

I am using a Hitachi DVD camcorder. It writes directly to disk and then I can connect it to my pc and offload the videos to the hard drive. I try to keep them short to post them, since the files are very large, but I can also create still shots (albeit lower quality than with a regular digital camera). Best thing about my camcorder is the 18x Optical/500x digital zoom... I can be across the yard or at the base of a really tall tree and get a decent shot! I'm going to try to get closer to the preening hummer tho... --Jane

Donna, I'm new here in Tennessee, but I wouldn't be surprised if they could actually manage 4 nestings. In northern Indiana, I only had three years' experience with bluebirds, but one of those years my pair had three broods. We have about two more months of warm weather here than we did there. We're in a new house, very isolated, on top of a ridge, surrounded by woods and meadows -- lots of blues around. I saw 8 at a time on a winter birdbath! We've lived here two years, but this is the first year I've had boxes out. I thought this pair actually got a rather late start -- they fiddled around in all three boxes for more than two weeks before settling down to business, laying their first egg on April 13. That brood fledged on May 21 (I think) and they laid the first egg of the second brood on the 28th. We were supposed to leave for the weekend this morning, but DH got sick last night -- I would have missed this if we'd gone!

I was just glancing through the new KA catalog and found this recipe: County Fair Caramel Apple Bars Caramel and apple is always a winning combination. These bars, cut in 3" squares and topped with ice cream, make a delicious plated dessert. Cut smaller, they pack nicely in your lunchbox. Crust 1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) unsalted butter 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3/4 cup (5 5/8 ounces) brown sugar, firmly packed 1 cup (4 ounces) confectioners' sugar or glazing sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 3/4 cups (11 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 1 cup (3 1/4 ounces) nut flour* 1 large egg Filling 4 to 5 medium tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced, then chopped (about 5 cups, about 20 ounces prepared) 2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) brown sugar 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) boiled cider, or substitute an additional 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Topping** 1 cup (10 ounces) caramel, from a block, or about 30 caramel candies 2 1/2 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) milk or cream *Almond (toasted or plain), hazelnut flour (toasted or plain), and pecan meal are all good choices. Or grind 1 cup nuts in a food processor; be sure to stop before the mixture becomes pasty. **Or use our prepared caramel sauce. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan or 10" x 10" bun pan. To make the crust: Beat together the butter, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, sugars, and vanilla till smooth. Add the flours, mixing till crumbly. Set aside half the mixture (about 3 generous cups, 15 ounces); add the egg to the remainder, beating to combine. Press the crust with egg into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake the crust for 17 minutes, till it's barely starting to brown around the edges. While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. To make the filling: Slice the apples about 1/4" thick, then chop into 1/2" to 3/4" pieces. An apple peeler/corer/slicer gives you a great head start on this task. Combine the apples with the remaining filling ingredients, and distribute over the crust. Spread the reserved crust mixture over the apples. Bake the bars for 45 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and after 15 minutes cut them into squares, leaving them in the pan. Cool completely, then place the bars on a rack set over a piece of parchment. To make the topping: Place the caramel and milk in a microwave-safe measuring cup, and heat till the caramel is very soft. Stir (reheating if necessary) till the mixture is smooth and pourable. Drizzle it over the bars. Yield: 16 to 24 bars. Michelle