Karyn...hi, we certainly hope this one doesn't get blown away this time..mind you the last one wasn't expected to either! No, there is no access to the g'h from the garage as this would take up valuable plant space I thought...plus I'd rather look at plants than a door...haha. Lauri, thanks for the email, will have a go at that coffee recipe, yummy! The greenhouse bascically faces south-east, I guess. It gets sun all day except for the last bit in the evening as the sun then disappears to the right of the fir tree you can see in our neighbours garden. The temps inside it have been hovering around 75-80F on sunny days, but we have chilly nights at present and I have some bedding plant seeds sown so the fan heater is on during the night to keep it above 40F. Today, I left the door shut while I went to work, the sun was particularly strong for the time of year and it topped out at 104F!! We have had to ensure plenty of ventilation so have spaces all along the roof line left open both at the front edge and back, but at the moment they are filled with foam rubber else the heat from the fan heater just escapes. Shade cloth is also a necessity even in our climate in the UK!. The garage wall seems to be acting like a giant storage heater as you can feel it's warmth even when the sun has gone. Will keep you posted on it's progress. Regards, Gill.

Greetings from Virginia Beach! Here are the details about the upcoming 2006 Southeast Citrus Expo. It should be a great time and all those in the surrounding areas are encouraged to attend. SOUTHEAST CITRUS EXPO 2006 The Southeast Citrus Exposition is now into its fourth year. Its purpose is to encourage citrus growing outside the commercial citrus belt for both the home gardener and the serious enthusiast. This years Expo will feature expert speakers who will provide information on growing cold-hardy citrus in the Southeast United States. Topics that will be discussed will be: in ground or container culture, advice on choosing citrus, cold protection, grafting and selection of root stock, as well as other topics. The Expo will include a citrus fruit contest, plant sale, and tours of citrus trees growing in Virginia Beach, Virginia. When: Saturday November 18th 2006 from 10:00AM to 4:30PM (entries of fruit for the contest must be received between 9:00AM and 10:00AM ( NO LATER) Where: Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center Virginia Beach, VA. 717 General Booth Blvd. Virginia Beach, VA. 23451 (757) 425-FISH www.virginiaaquarium.com Directions: From I-95 North 11 miles above the VA./NC. State Line take RT# 58 East to Norfolk/Virginia Beach. Stay on RT#58 until Bowers Hill Intersection. At Bowers Hill, bear right onto I-64 East. Take a right on to I-264 East, stay on I-264 until Atlantic Ave at the Virginia Beach Ocean Front. Take a right on Atlantic Ave, go over the Rudee Inlet Bridge, continue approximately ¾ miles and you will see the Virginia Aquarium on the right. 2006 Expo Agenda 7:30  9:00AM Early Bird Plant Sale at Pungo Palms Nursery Plant Sale promptly ends at 9:00AM ( Note: Vendors can setup at 7:00AM) 9:00  10:00AM Registration and Admission ( Make sure you participate in the drawing for afternoon tour groups A or B) Admission to the Citrus Expo will be FREE for those attending. Admission to the Aquarium will be at a reduced group rate. Raffle tickets for the Expo plant giveaway will be available before the lectures and during the display of the fruit in the competition. Tickets will be $1.00 and will benefit the Citrus Expo. Plants for Raffle will be donated by the Expo coordinators & vendors. These will include: cold-hardy citrus, cold-hardy palms, and other rare plants. 10:00  1045AM Presentation by Bob Koch, "Citrus Grown in Containers", Located in the March Pavilion Auditorium. 11:00  11:45AM Presentation by Stan McKenzie and Ned Rahn, " In Ground Citrus Culture", Located in the Marsh Pavilion Auditorium. 12:00  1:00PM Fruit Competition Awards, Fruit Display, and Raffle in the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean PavilionÂs Promenade Room Note: all fruit entered in the competition will be on display 1:15  2:15PM (Lunch on your own) a list and location of restaurants within three miles Of the Aquarium will be provided. Expo Afternoon Tours and Plant Sale For afternoon tours, all participants will be gathered into two groups. Group A Group B 2:20  3:15PM Group A Will tour Robert MotycaÂs Citrus located in his back yard Robert will give a talk on approach grafting. 3:15  4:00PM Group B Will tour Robert MotycaÂs Citrus located in his back yard Robert will give a talk on approach grafting. 3:40  4:30PM+?? "ALL" End of the day plant sale at Pungo Palms Nursery and tour Of in ground citrus The Southeast Citrus Expo is sponsored by: *GaryÂs Nursery, New Bern, North Carolina Wholesale and retail grower of cold hardy palms, Bananas, citrus, and other plants in eastern North Carolina since 1975. Gary will have plants available for purchase at the Plant sale. Visit GaryÂs Nursery online at www.garysnursery.com *McKenzie Farms Nursery, Scranton, South Carolina Stan "The Citrusman" McKenzie sells many varieties of cold hardy citrus trees, palms, traditional fruit trees, vegetables and other plants. Stan will bring citrus for the plant sale. Visit McKenzie Farms online at www.mckenzie-farms.com or email at citrusman99@hotmail.com *RahnÂs Plant Connection, Port Royal, South Carolina Ned and Faye Rahn sell a large variety of citrus trees and other rare plants and flowers not found at garden centers. They will bring plants for the plant sale. Email Ned and Faye at plantfolks@yahoo.com *Virginia Greenhouse Association, Hampton Roads Chapter Members are greenhouse owners, who love plants and want to share their knowledge and experiences with other plant lovers. *The Southeastern Palm Society The Southeast Palm Society is a chapter of the International Palm Society, Members are devoted to growing hardy palms and other extraordinary plants, including hardy citrus. Visit the Southeastern Palm Society online at www.sepalms.org. *Southern Fruit Fellowship The Southern Fruit Fellowship is an informal organization of amateur fruit growing enthusiasts throughout the Southern United States. Membership is open to all interested parties. The fellowship has a quarterly newsletter and has meetings at different locations In the Southeast. Membership and dues: contact Retta Davis (318)686-4249 or email: DAVISD_R@Hotmail.com *Flying Dragon Citrus Nursery, Jacksonville, FL. Flying Dragon Citrus Nursery specializes in many varieties of citrus which are grafted on Flying Dragon rootstock. Any questions or requests, call: (904)880-5026 or email: www.flyingdragoncitrusnursery.com *The Artist in the Garden, Virginia Beach, VA. Scott Dilatash is the artist in the garden. He is the purveyor of unusual custom landscapes In the Southeast Virginia and Northeast North Carolina area. Call (757) 696-7263 *The Virginia Beach Master Gardeners, Virginia Beach, VA. A fellowship of Certified Master Gardeners in the City of Virginia Beach, sponsored by the Virginia Polytechnic Extension Service. *Pungo Palms Nursery, Virginia Beach, VA. Growers of rare and unusual cold hardy palms, desert plants, citrus, bananas, and other sub tropical plants. The nursery is located in the Back Bay area of Virginia Beach , both Ralph and Kathy Denton will participate in the Expo plant sale. Contact us at: Pungo Palmsfreeserver.com\ or call: (757) 426-3677. The Forth Southeastern Citrus Exposition Fruit Competition Rules and Procedures Fruit Preparation All fruit entered must be grown by the entrant, either in a container or in the ground. Before submission, fruit should be washed and prepared for eating. Remove any pesticide residue. Judges may have to taste fruit in case of a tie. A minimum of three fruit of a specific cultivar must be donated per entry: for example, three Satsuma fruit are required to qualify as one entry. One of the fruit must be cut in half "against the grain (as you would cut a grapefruit) to show the inside of the fruit. (See the illustration above for an example.) Fruit can be returned at the request of the entrant. Fruit must contain at least ½" of stem attached. One fruit should have at least leaf attached to the stem. Check the category sheet to determine proper entry. At the Expo Entries must be submitted between 9:00AM and 10:00 AM. After 10:00AM entries will not be accepted. At registration, you will be given an entry number to ensure anonymity. Make sure that you keep this number with you until the award ceremony. An entry card must be filled out for each entry. Be sure that you put your entry number on each card. Viewing of the fruit will take place from 12:00 to 1:00PM Blue, red, and white ribbons will be awarded for each category. In addition, there will be a "Best in Show, "Honorable Mention", and "Most Unusual" award. Citrus Categories for the Contest There will be a grown-in-ground category and a container-grown category. Any cultivar not listed here will be assigned to a category by the judging coordinator. Sweet Orange Ambersweet Cara Cara Hamlin Naval Parson Brown Pineapple Sour Orange Abers Narrowleaf Bergamot Bigaradier Apepu Boquet des Fleurs Chinotto Citrus neoaurantium Gou Tou Nansho Daidai ( Citrus Tiawanica) Sauvage Seville Smooth Flat Seville Willowleaf Zhu Luan Mandarin Changsha Clementine Clem-Yuz 2-2 Clem-Yuz 3-3 Dancy Juanita Keraji Minneola Tangelo Nasnaran Orlando Tangelo Ponkan Satsuma Shekwasha Kumquat & Hybrids Chang Shou Fukushu Hong Kong Lemonquat Limequat ( Eustis, Lakeland, Tavares) Marmaladequat Meiwa Nagami Nippon Orangequat Procimequat Sunquat Marumi Lemon Lisbon Meyer Ponderosa Sanbokan Ujukitsu Lime Bearss Persian Grapefruit Bloomsweet Duncan Golden Marsh Oroblanco Pink Marsh Ruby Red Thompson Ichangensis Hybrids Ichang Papeda Ichang Lemon Sudachi Yuzu Yuzuquat Yuzvange Trifoliate Orange Standard Flying Dragon Rubidoux Trifoliate Hybrids Citrange (Morton, Troyer, Carizzo, Benton, Rusk, and etc.) Citrumello (Dunstan, Swingle, Changsha x English Large, USDA 80-5, and etc. Citradia Citrandarin (CiClem#10, Citsuma, and etc. Dragon Lime Complex Hybrids Citrangequat ( Thomasville, Sinton, etc.) Glen Citrangedin Razzlequat SancitChang US 119 2006 Citrus Exposition organizers and contacts: Ralph or Kathy Denton, Phone (757) 426-3677 e-mail at: palmlady@cox.net G. Ventura: e-mail ggvm30@aol.com

There was a time about 5 years ago when I was getting hit with Cabi (clothing line) invitations by at least 4-5 different friends each season. I went to a few of them as I did like the clothes, but they were overpriced. Then, my neighbor, who was hosting these parties every season, starting complaining to me about certain people who would come to her parties but never buy anything, that they were only there to eat and socialize. That really ticked me off b/c....the more people buy at these parties (at full price) the more items the host gets at a discount. So yes, while my neighbor was supplying the venue and some appetizers and drinks, she was getting huge discounts on the clothing that all of her friends were having to pay full price for. Of course, that's typically how all these home parties work, but it just annoyed me that I was getting pressured to buy things so that SHE could get all these new clothes for much less than the rest of us. Though I bought several things that I liked, I bought a few things that I ended up regretting and never wore and had no way to return, so that was it for me. My other friends stopped inviting me as I wasn't going, but my neighbor continued to invite me. After going once or twice and not buying anything, then listening to her complain about other neighbors just coming to socialize, I stopped going. And it seems that Cabi parties aren't popular anymore - thankfully! However, now I get invited to all kinds of other parties (jewelry, purses, cooking gadgets, etc), some from mere acquaintances who I'm sure just scroll through their email address book and add absolutely anyone they think may have a remote chance of coming. I don't even bother responding anymore and I don't feel one iota of guilt.

"crowd sourcing" is an internet term for a problem solving technique that has been a standard procedure of design professionals for more than a half century and perhaps much longer. For those who have not been formally trained in its use, the aspect of it that is usually omitted on the internet is a moderator or leader who has the task of formally defining the problem including any solutions that have already been eliminated. What often results on an internet forum are conversations and arguments between the team members due to the absence of a formal moderator for a particular session. In fact, discussions often ignore the original problem and drift into other issues. In short, despite the power of the the internet for group problem solving or crowd sourcing, human nature cannot resist the opportunity to chat.