Awwww..so sorry to hear of this. That storm came through my yard too, and took one of my Bradford Pears down. It landed across my driveway, and luckily did not hit the house or our basketball goal. Gosh, it came through really fast. If you are not seeing them back at the house at all, then they have abandoned the nest. You don't need to wait the 2 weeks to remove the nest. Give it a few days, and when you are sure that they have abandoned, go ahead and remove the nest. Maybe they will build there again. There is still plenty of time.~~Angie

First of all, she's going to college, not moving away. She'll probably be coming home for visits--holidays, summers, etc. Secondly--it's quite common these days--for children to 'boomerang'. The first 'leaving', from my experience, rarely takes. Most seem to pop back home for a shorter or longer time at some point. All my dd's friends have been back to live home for a while. Especially when they're starting their entry-level jobs, they need an economical place to stay--where better than Mom's Famous Boarding House, right? Second--as a teacher, you know that the whole point of teaching or raising a child is to give them the knowledge, confidence, self-sufficiency to get by on their own. So Kudos for doing your job well! My dd is 26--just this weekend she moved out for good. Oh, she went away to school for a semester, then returned home to finish her education and get her career started. Now, she's finally in a position to buy her own home. In all honesty, it was a lot tougher seeing her leave this weekend (to move 8 miles away), than it was when she was 18 and going about 600 miles away to school. Why? By the time you survive those teen years (and they talk about the terrible 2's?)--you're ready for a break. Even the BEST teen leaves drama and exhaustion in their wake, don't they? But now? At age 26, my dd has turned into a truly lovely person who I would enjoy spending time with even if we weren't related. I'm going to miss our nightly 'catch up' sessions, seeing her dashing around in the mornings trying to get to work on time (although, I'm planning on enjoying having the bathroom to myself then--YIPPPEEEEE!). But under it all? I'm just so thrilled that she was able to buy her own house, that she is doing a great job handling the financial details, setting it up, etc. And guess what? We're invited for lunch at her place today. I'm really curious about what she's going to serve--we don't all like the same foods, she doesn't cook, and has a complicated new range to figure out. But it's going to be an interesting experience. Point here? you're starting a whole new adventure with your daughter--sit back, relax and enjoy it as you both grow and achieve a new stage of life. Oh, understand, though, I spent a good bit of Sat. morning--first morning I woke up and she wasn't here--fighting back tears. We're entitled to that. It's a passage for us all. But a good one, in the end, I think, so we'll survive and be proud of them.

Juanital, our son, youngest of two, left for college about this time last Fall. Oh, that was not fun there for a while. No way to sugar coat it. But, things start coming around pretty soon. The rest of the story is that our daughter, who we thought it was terrible to "lose" to college a few years ago, graduated from college and moved home to a mgmt job last December and moved in with us to save money until she gets married next summer. The son was also back all this summer. So, life is funny about how that nest can change pretty quick. Hang in there!

Linda, I haven't heard back from my friend, so I googled the cooking light recipe - I would use real butter and rum instead of margarine, etc - but here it is: Jamaican Banana Bread Cooking spray 2 tablespoons stick margarine, softened 2 tablespoons tub light cream cheese, softened 1 cup sugar 1 large egg 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 cup mashed ripe banana 1/2 cup skim milk 2 tablespoons dark rum or 1/4 teaspoon imitation rum extract 1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind 2 teaspoons lime juice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted 1/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 2 teaspoons margarine 2 teaspoons lime juice 2 teaspoons dark rum or 1/8 teaspoon imitation rum extract 2 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted 2 tablespoons flaked sweetened coconut Preheat oven to 375�. Coat an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray; set aside. Beat 2 tablespoons margarine and cheese at medium speed of a mixer; add 1 cup sugar, beating well. Add egg; beat well. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; stir well. Combine banana and next 5 ingredients (banana through vanilla); stir well. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with banana mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix after each addition. Stir in 1/4 cup pecans and 1/4 cup coconut. Pour batter into prepared pan; bake at 375� for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan 10 minutes; remove from pan. Let cool slightly on a wire rack. Combine brown sugar and 2 teaspoons each margarine, lime juice, and rum in a saucepan; bring to a simmer. Cook 1 minute; stir constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons each pecans and coconut; spoon over loaf. Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 slice) NUTRITION PER SERVING CALORIES 187(26% from fat); FAT 5.4g (sat 1.5g,mono 2.3g,poly 1.2g); PROTEIN 2.9g; CHOLESTEROL 15mg; CALCIUM 55mg; SODIUM 105mg; FIBER 1.1g; IRON 1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 32.2g Cooking Light, MARCH 1997