Thank you for all the compliments and help! As for soil, it does include some bark components, but is not a specific recipe or anything and does contain some regular soil. Now that I know of some good soil recipes from the forum, I was going to amend it with either the coco-husk or 5:1:1 recipes. Although, it does seem to be doing great in what it is in. Yeah, the only huge lemon I know of is Ponderosa also, so I assume it can or is a Ponderosa. But since every Ponderosa I have seen or grew always fruited when young, I often have wondered if it is not, and maybe some weird Italian native that I do not know of? Mgk65, Thank you! I have learned something new again from you! I really have to find some info about leaf node #s and counts. Hopefully there is a thread here explaining it here in more detail on the forum? So, are the # of leaf nodes to fruit numbers pretty much the the same within one variety? Or, does the # of nodes before fruiting vary greatly even within the same variety? Does the leaf node count apply to just fruiting, or does it apply to when it starts to blossom also? Does a tree have to have a certain amount of leaf nodes before it just blossoms also? Thanks again for all the help! I will be back soon! Christy

You don't need to go to the trouble of hooking up your car to a varmit tunnel. Small smoke bombs are available in garden centers. I found these effective in driving out groundhogs. These will either kill the varmit in their den or drive them out their alternate entryway. Moles are an entirely different matter. They make a complex network of tunnels, but the mound of dirt is over their nest. Moles are nearly blind but cringe in bright light. They are extremely sensitive to sound and ground vibration. They hear/feel your approach long before you get to their lairs. Many years ago when I lived on a farm and our family depended on a garden. We found the most effective deterrent was the old fashioned mole trap. Its not humane nor elegant, but properly applied, it works. Locate the nest mound. Go a short distance away on the main tunnel and set the trap. Press the tunnel down to almost close the tunnel over a short distance, say 6 to 8 inches, and set the trap with the treddle on top of the collasped part of the tunnel. The trap is tripped when a mole passes through this tunnel again. If you must try engine exhaust, try a lawn mower engine, the bigger the better, maybe an old 2 cycle Lawn Boy. Don't use a motorcycle. Many motorcycle engines depend on motion through the air to cool the cylinders and heads. The air cooked ones overheat if left standing too long.

You will have to do many expensive modifications to make a car and a motorcycle legal in the US. Headlights, emissions, gauges, etc. More so in California. I would sell your car and bike and buy something different when you get here.

There have been quite a few studies done showing that certain breeds are sensitive to ivermectin which is used in heartworm meds. Ivermectin toxicity affect certain breeds that may carry a genetic mutation. They were starting to see this first in collies and later other herding breeds, the Aussie is included in those susceptible breeds. I remember discussing this with my vet when we had a Sheltie/Aussie mix. Apparently they have a test for the genetic mutation these days. I live in an area where heartworm is simply not a problem. My dog is not on heartworm meds at all. I have discussed this with my vet and he sees no reason for me to put her on it unless we plan to take her to areas where it is a greater risk. Then I would be happy to have her tested and put on medication for the time period necessary. I have no fleas either but if she is out in parks and places where she meets others dogs I do use a dose of Frontline at the start of flea season. No reason to do flea treat in the dead of winter. A lot of things are pushed on clients by vets for one simple reason. They know people get lax in the care of their animals. If they say recommend something for the season the client may forget next year so it's easier to put the dogs on heart worm year round. Of course this doesn't apply to people who travel a lot with their dogs or live in mosquito zones year round. By advocating for yearly vaccines they know they will at least see the dog once a year since people bring them in for annual health check ups or worse wait until they are extremely ill. Here is a link that may be informative: http://www.cliniciansbrief.com/sites/default/files/attachments/Ivermectin%20Toxicosis.pdf