Hey ChickaDDD, I know what you mean about Chicklet's story. He sounds super natural or something. Sleeping on roof, resetting his own arm, Typhoon or something and his birthday. WOW. But like you said if it is true your are surely helping them and thats all that matters. I must have missed it when the unwelcoming committee killed a catbird chick. That is awful!!! And it is not FUN to get rid of HOSP. I dont know why they would say that and it makes me sick. I cant believe they said it was fun, that is disgusting and shows how stupid they are. I hope you dont dislike ME for it but I have seen them with my own eyes terrorize my other birds and not just the cavity nesters, but i dont enjoy it. I just want to save my other birds. They were after Braveheart today when he and Scardycat would try to feed their babies AND they are building two nests in two of my boxes right now :-( When papa tries to bring food they jump him and fall to the ground. It is just pure harassment and today i noticed his right eye was closed up. I dont think it was the HOSP because he was fighting two mockers today too and they probably got fed up with him getting in the middle and decided to kick him around awhile. My blue is insane they are twice his size. But now he will be at risk of hawk attack because he cant see from that side. Ahhhhhhh SIGH. I am having such stress this year with the bluebirds. I love them and all the birds except the HOSP and it is hard on me because I worry so about the birds. My other little sparrows are building in my holly bush that the robins used three times this year ( they were busy ), you know the little ones that i keep blowing there little babies out of the bush. So at least i know where they are this time and wont blow them out. Birds are so funny. She fusses at me every time i go out there but then builds her nest right in my back steps. Go figure :-) Why would they kill a catbird? I dont understand that, it must have been before i joined because i dont remember seeing it. Do you know what month and maybe i can go back and find that post. That is very disturbing, maybe they are just animal killers? Maybe they do enjoy it. They almost had me convinced that the house wrens were evil till Bet got on there. Maybe they kill all birds except bluebirds. That's sick :-( Well im glad you didn't have any little jets get confused and end up in your house today :-) Maybe they realized that outside is where they belong. Hopefully for you and your families sake. All summer without air conditioning is a horrible thought for me. You are a very strong and sweet person to sacrifice your comfort for the little jets. I bet Daisy was hot too with all that hair. My Mary is very hairy like that ( 4 layers of fur ) and she doesn't even like to be outside in the summer. We are very spoiled. Im glad your kitties got bored with the swifts, i know you were blaming yourself for the deaths but you didn't know they were coming so im glad all is good now :-) I better go because this is long but i know i could talk a lot more!!! LOL. She who is to long winded~~~~~~~Bonnie

Will see if there's a significant difference **** Glad you're going to do the comparison in the same year b'c I don't consider different DTM's to be significant for a couple of reasons, one being that commercial folks don't grow out new stock all in the same year and second, I've always considered DTM's to be sheer guesstimates. LOL other than that they're both largish red cherries and fruit size can also be a bit off especially if it's been a wet year or even if there's been too much irrigation in any given year. For what it's worth, in the SSE Yearbook all who list Camp Joy list it as a 70-75 variety and Chadwick's is listed by someone in Canada as 80 days, from HI as 70-75 days, from OH as 70 days. And Tania at her data base also equates Chadwick Cherry with Camp Joy and says that Camp Joy is the organic Farm maintained by Bountiful Gardens( where Alan Chadwick spent some time), and CJM says no doubt growing his variety at that organic farm. Carolyn, who I think first got her info about the two names being the same from Bountiful Gardens and the fact that they were the same. It's been so long ago and I'm so old that the memory is fleeting, but is there. LOL

About 2 years ago, i met a local fellow who is about 25 years younger than me, and he has a hard side camping trailer, the kind with the canvas covered front bunk. He allowed that he was going out west to Arizona, for his vacation trip. He bought a GMC Sport-utility to tow with. and installed an auxiliary tranny cooler, and was worried about maybe having car trouble out there on the big old hiway! He asked me if, in our many years of hauling campers and stand-up trailers, if i worried about having a break-down on the road. Gee! When i think of the used cars i'd get to tow with, and how far we'd usually go on a trip, Maybe we were fat, dumb, and happy! But--we never had a new car or truck. Never could afford one, and didn't think it was very smart to tie up a pile of money in car payments. I'd get home from work, the boys would have every thing hooked up and ready to go. We''d grab a bite, and clean up and go! Sometimes to Hickory Hills Camp in Ohio, or our Bluegrass Park, north of Kittanning, Pa. Usually if ya do break down on the hiway, a cop will come along fairly soon and get ya some help. When he heard of how we'd just "go", and not worry about the tow vehicle' he just shook his head.

I live in Alberta and I think the nices campsite I have ever been to is Spray Lakes. It is up a mountain just outside of Canmore, Alberta. The camping is beside the lake with mountains on the other side of the lake and is like a post card. It is a bit of a drive down a narrow road but well worth it. Canmore is just outside of Banff National Park which is also a wonderful place to visit.