So I am sitting here looking out the window at snow. But it is getting to about 43 today so melting snow and tomorrow about 53 so it really should melt. I think about 3 inches here so really not bad. A teenage kid came around early this morning (8AM) asking if I need shoveling so I paid him $20 to shovel the driveway and my front from the porch to the street. So I am good. Southern NJ had 13 inches of snow, CT, 11 inches, out on Long Island in Suffolk county about 8 inches. Lots of new power outtages all around in NJ, Staten Island, NYC and Long Island. Apparenty Nassau County (us) again got the most new power outtages. Put this on top of all those people that are sitting in ice cold dark homes with no power still from last Monday.

I assume you're talking about planting when you visit at Thanksgiving, about two weeks from now. You'll probably still be able to dig to plant bulbs - The ground in southeast MA doesn't usually freeze until mid to late December (I just checked the UMass Landscape Message Archives which shows soil temperature). As far as transplanting small trees, I agree with Mad Gallica (who responded on your other thread) that you're better off waiting until Easter (or maybe even Memorial Day). The trees can stay where they are for now and won't be doing much growing until springtime so they won't suddenly be much taller and harder to move. If it's nice and warm on Thanksgiving and looks to stay that way for a while, then you can always go ahead and move the trees, but you should consider staking and/or protecting them from winter winds. They won't have had time to get rooted in and could easily be toppled if the ground isn't frozen. Water and mulch are essential. Since you're not sure what the trees are, it would be a good idea to just transplant a few of each kind, not all of them - that way you'll still have some left if the winter kills off the transplanted trees. Easter 2014 is on April 20; the ground should be thawed by then although possibly very wet and prone to compaction. You could check the long range (extended) forecast for the local area on Weather Underground (wunderground.com) to get an idea of what to expect as it gets closer to Thanksgiving. Claire

meek? OK. Last year there was a lovely woodpecker nest in a tree hollow in my yard not 50 feet from the back deck. We watched them feeding their babies hoping to see them finally take flight. The starlings found it. They would come in groups of ten or twenty and harass the woodpeckers literally harrying them dive bombing the nest to get the bird watching the nest to come out and defend. When it did others of the starlings would charge the nest. Eventually they had killed the baby woodpeckers and destroyed the nest and driven the parents away. They ate the baby woodpeckers. This is typical behavior for starlings. Starlings were imported by a deeply deranged man who was infatuated with Shakespeare and just absolutely had to import every bird mentioned in the bard's work to the new continent.

OW! I remember that kind of pain. I fell going down cement steps into the girls' locker room when I was in H.S. I remember that I almost fainted. That took some time to heal, even in a much younger body! Take it easy. Can someone else walk your dog for a while? You sure don't want to re-injure this now.