Hi Coralbelle, Here is a bit of advice about witches brooms. First don't collect them in summer. We won't get into all the technical aspects but the broom harvest doesn't start around here until usually December. I actually just finished grafting a new broom yesterday. I received a call from a lady a couple days ago about witches broom growing on Cham. obtusa Gracilis that I have to pick up on Monday. This is the tail end of the conifer grafting season. The only specimens I would collect this summer are photos of them. It's tough to tell how the brooms turn out but they generally do replicate the mutation in the tree. I just graft them and use a wait and see attitude. Propagating them or other cultivars is technically easy enough but the after care has about 50 variables. A friend of mine had 1200 live out of 7000 Blue spruce grafts this year. His worst take in over 25 years and he can't figure out exactly what went wrong. A bitter dissapointment and huge financial loss as these plants were all sold. The opposite was nearly true last year with me. This year touch wood, I should be around the 90% or more mark this year depending on the species of tree. Certain species are more difficult than others and certain cultivars within that species are more difficult than others. If you do stop this summer (if that happens), I can show you exactly how it's done. As for the greenhouse in Inuvik, just some trivia I picked up from somewhere. I wouldn't want to pay that heating bill. How long did you live in Inuvik? Darren

My dad had a Dodge van he made into a mini camper in the late 70's and took the rear seats out to do that. He stored them in the basement of the house, and while the van is long gone today, those seats are still in his basement in almost perfect condition! I can't imagine you having much success building something that would protect the seat outside. I also don't see where having the seat will make any real difference in the resale value. Basically its bite the bullet and keep it in the house, as an odd piece of furniture as my dad did, or simply drop it off at an auto wrecker.

floridajane...as you are in FL, and the last time I checked, as of yet the profession is not yet licensed. However, that does not mean that much in the long run...as few states seem to have anything in place that effectively prevents the unlicensed from practicing...or even enforcing the regulations with those whom are licensed. That said...the first step is that one should familiarize themselves with their state regulations (if any) for HI'sor absent that...the standards of practice of the major HI organizations...ASHI, NAHI, NACHI are the most well known. That way, you will at least know what the HI should doand what is beyond the scope of a home inspection, and be in an informed position from which to make a selection. Then, you should ask friends and family for referrals. Within those referrals, find out how long the HI spends in the home....as an average sized home, in average condition should take a good two and half hours...make sure that is INSPECTION time...friends recently had an inspection in CT (where HIs' are licensed) by a very well known firm...and half the time (3 hours, 5300 SF house) spent in the home the HI was writing the checklist report and explaining the "few" findings. As far as the report is concerned......eliminate immediately anyone who gives a check list. They will try to convince you that this is to your benefit.as you can have it same day...its BS. It is for their benefit only as it allows them to maximize the number of homes that can be "inspected" in a day. Most are so basic and generic, that it is almost impossible for a buyer to really know anything meaningful about the house. The next level of report might as well be checklistand that is one that appears to be a narrativebut it is really a bunch of boiler plate about houses in general.. and information about the systems of homesbut NOT about the specific house that has been inspected. It is therefore a glorified checklist in disguise. Some franchise firms actually put it in a nice folderwith a CD.but it is about 85% show15% substance. The best bet is to hire the HI who provides a full, descriptive, narrative report about the house inspected..with specificsas well as digital photos, clearly depicting the items of concern. Such reports can run 50 pages or moreand are not instantas they require timeand actual thought (what a concept!). And..as such, the inspection may cost a bit moreand rightfully sobecause a meaningless report even at the most bargain price is money down the drain. Check references..and try to find an HI who carries errors and omissions insurance, in order that you have recourse in case he does miss something. Many HIs I know carried E&O even before they were required to do so by law.so, even though you are in FL, I am sure the same is true for at least some of the HIs thereand, as such, speaks to the HIs level of professionalism and responsibility. You should also get to see the pre-inspection agreement up front and NOT the day of inspectionin order to determine if indeed the terms and conditions are suitable..and to have time to discuss them if there are any questions or concerns. Last not least, one should start looking for an HI as soon as they deicide its time to house hunt. That way, they have the time to perform their due diligenceand have the HI all lined up as soon as they find the home they wish to buy, instead of finding the homeand at the 11th house settling for whomeversimply because there is no time to do anything further. Last but not leastfor those who live in states where the profession is licensedmake sure the HI who will come to inspect has the licenseit is illegal in NJ..and other states as well.. for the HI company to send an unlicensed HI out to inspect, but they do it nonetheless, due to non-existent enforcement. Get the nameget the license numberand check with the state to make sure they are one and the sameand ask to see the HI license upon arrival. Hope this helps.

Some photos: Us on the river, we're the three canoes in the front and the orange kayak in the middle. Us chowing down and toasting Prof. Larry Levine, who was killed Thursday in Umpqua. If you don't know much about him, check out his obituary, he was a heck of a writer and very colorful character. Lawrence Levine had simple needs and a passion for writing. Below, Larry's awesome, poignant essay that I read, in its entirety. Friday, June 07, 2013 An artist friend and I drove the river highway late in the morning, stopping occasionally along the way. He needed to inventory his paintings at The Inn upriver, and I needed to get my drinking water from the spring where watercress grows, but actually,anything done on the river is done to be on the river. Along the highway, the Scotch Broom was invasively yellow, and the wild Sweet Peas painted with watercolors. We've both lived here for decades; we're in our sixties; we've got experienced perspectives. We've done this a bunch. I learn from him; he sees more than I do; he's got artist eyes; I've got writer eyes. If memory serves me well, I can't recall a time that we both, in a rush of deep appreciation, didn't proclaim the North Fork to be the most beautiful river in the world and the watershed paradise. This claim can and should be disputed by anyone who lives on a beautiful river, or on a moderately beautiful river, even on a pretty or cute little river, because learning the lessons the river teaches is gratifying, and if a place makes you feel as if you're in paradise, you are. Why wait. The lessons can be comforting or terrifying, but, if the learner survives, they're meaningful currently, and, over the course of memory, I can appreciate the progression of my education. The education is ongoing, never complete. A headstone will be my diploma. When my artist friend can look out at the river and say, "I remember when..." and I'm on the same memory page, that's the essence of sharing. When I stand in a spot where I have stood a hundred times and am still awe inspired, that's way cool, because I've got this personal theory about how awe has the power to transform, however temporarily and however permanently. I see the scene, simultaneously remembering its many manifestations over time, remembering the man viewing it twenty/thirty years ago, and, for too fleeting a moment, the old awe adds intensity to the present. Obviously, the river can also make a person a bit strange and esoteric, but its a fine madness. Here's how I came to this eccentricity: Over a period of time, an eon ago, the river whispered to me so softly as to be inaudible. Little by little, its voice grew louder, until I could decipher the message. Much akin to the lyrics of The Band's song, "The River Hymn," it called, "Son, you ain't never seen yourself / No crystal mirror can show it clear, come over here instead." It made me an offer to which I put up no resistance, and I've been here ever since. I like that when it addresses me--and address me it does--it always does so as "Son." It parents; it taught me to walk its rocky, slippery bottom, taught me to walk its banks; it taught me a language I work to understand, and it gave me hope that eventually my voice would be accepted into the choir that sang the language that I alone could not. I wasn't born to it; I'm adopted, and being here only gets better the more here I become.