This year I grow a few black tomato, one I got from Territorial called Black. I also started one from seed call 'Black - Russian'. The one from Territorial is regular tomato leaf and the one I started from seeds is potato leaf. So is there 2 different type of 'Black'? *** There are many different varieties with Black as part of the name. For many years what you call Black-Russian may have been listed in the SSE Yearbook as Russian Black ( but please see the note below), foliage is regular and fruits ae small, oval to plum shaped and in the 2-4 oz area. Black is a also indet, leaves are regular, and fruits are somewhat round and range in the 8 oz to over about a pound. I'm not sure what your potato leaf one is b'c folks who list those varieties report the foliage to be regular leaf for both. The above info from the 2002 SSE Yearbook b'c it was nearest to me in the pile next to the computer. LOL So I picked up the 2007 SSE Yearbook and same info for Black and Russian Black and now there's a listing for Black Russian. Sigh. Black Russian is a recent listing and again, indet and regular foliage reported by those who lsit it and fruits in the 8-12 oz range, So Russian Black and Black Russian appear to be different based on fruit shape and size, and neither one is PL. So again, I don't know what your PL one is. What was the source of your Black-Russian one, as you wrote it, that is PL? Carolyn

whenever I hear people discussing ways to discourage the sparrow I have to ask myself why? As You can easily see from my photo's when there is an abundant supply of food the birds will all mingle well. From my observation it is only when the food is in short supply that they really begin to be territorial. The question then becomes, why is the seed in short supply? No doubt the answer here is simple economics. People don't care to spend a lot of money on expensive birdseed, only to have it consumed by the less desirable birds and they don't get to see the species they are really interested in. From my experience the solution here is to shop around for your wild bird seed. By example, we have a local store that caters specifically to feeding and attracting wild birds. They sell a general mix of wild bird seed for $15 for a 20lb bag. On the other hand, Walmart has 20lb bags of the same seed for $10, however at Walmart it is a seasonal item and by now you probably can't find it. How would you like to find a year around source that has a better selection at prices far below the average retail store prices? In almost every community there is a store that specializes in selling feed, grain and hay for horses or farm animals. When my sister goes to the feed mill to buy feed for her horses I tag along and buy 50# bags of premium wild bird seed (mixed seed & peanuts) for $12 plus I buy a 50# bag of black oilseed sunflower seed for another $13. I then mix the two together and I end up with a premium blend for an average of $.25/lb. If you cannot find a Feed & grain supply in your community check out TSC (Tractor Supply Co.) TSC is also a great place to find feeders of all types for prices far below what you find in the regular retail stores, but then feeders are so simple to build i don't see why anyone would pay the prices they ask in most stores. While we are on the subject of bird feed, you may be surprised at how much you throw away every month without realizing it. When you bake a ham or a roast trim off the excess fat and put that in your suet feeder, the birds love it. At my house we all love to eat acorn or butternut squash. When you hollow out the seeds put them out for the birds, here again, they love it. Making a salad? Save the carrot peelings of the birds and by all means, be sure to save your orange or grapefruit peelings. I have seen a Bluejay grab an entire half section grapefruit peel and fly it up into the pine tree. Stale popcorn, potato chips, pretzels, breakfast cereal and cookies all go over well with the birds and as silly as it may sound, even leftover porky beans, whole kernel corn or green beans will quickly disappear when the birds find them. As you can see, I have taken feeding the birds rather seriously however to tell the truth it is more an means to an end. Since I retired last June I have taken up nature photography as a hobby, and since it is a bit too cold to get out in the woods like i would like to do, this is a way i can bring nature to me while i comfortably sit in the house...LOL. Gein that the subject of this thread was how to attract cardinals I thought i might post a couple more Cardinal Picks, along with one of my favorite pics of a Bluejay.

I recently found a Heywood Wakefield table on Craig's list and fell in love with the shape and style. It needs refinishing, which will cost about $1000 (according to a local restorer's estimate...). I'm willing to do that cuz the table is a good price - however, my husband pointed out that it is a bit wobbly. Then, as I was researching Heywood Wakefield I noticed on their site that they manufacturer new copies of the old tables and they say the advantage of that is that they are more sturdy and less apt to be wobbly - so does that mean that the old H-W's have a tendency to wobble and it just comes with the territory? Question 2: Is this something that could be remedied in the restoration? Thanks all in advance for your advice! I really love this table, but the DH really has a pet peeve about wobbly tables.

akchicago, thanks - you're right. I let them meet today. First with the new kitten in a crate. I let the older cat smell him. She hissed and the kitten hissed. Then the older cat laid down and didnt look threatening at all. So, I opened the crate door and the kitten came out. The older cat ran under the table and got into a chair and stayed there. The kitten explored the house a little, ever so carefully, ........ The kitten and the dog, I think they're gonna be good friends after all! I kept the dog on the leash until I was sure he wouldn't rush at the kitten, then I took te leash off and he acted like the perfect gentleman.... After a bit, the kitten went back into the bedroom and has been under the bed the whole afternoon. I think we'll all be just fine!! Thanks so much for all the suggestions and input here.