Thank you, Laura... such wonderful sentiments! :-) Our weather has been crazy, too... but we half expected it. Last year, we were already laying out soaker hoses and starting to water...and this year, we've gotten so much rain that we're completely saturated! We're just now able to get in and cut grass, and talk about tall! It's hard on the mowers, I'm sure, but what can you do?! If it's grass, it has to be kept mowed at least semi-regularly... and if it's garden beds, they must be kept weeded or the grasses, thistles and other nasties take over! So, we're darned if we do and darned if we don't! Mother's Day was nice... calls from my kids, and the husband made a nice dinner... while I spent the day relaxing, for the most part. There are certain chores that must be done regardless of what day it is, like cleaning and feeding dogs and other animals, but that's no big deal... I have it down to a science! ;-) I finally got the old guy to help me get photos off my camera, so I thought I'd share a few this morning... Here's a mama and her twins... My very best mouser... I call her Vixen! The next generation of excellent mousers... one of Vixen's 3 little ones... Walking from the shade garden area toward the new rose arbor... A young Peony Tree in the dappled shade garden... notice the rambler rose runners everywhere on the ground! Closeup of the flower from the Peony Tree... Another Peony Tree in the front yard... north side... And this is a Trillium that opened white and is turning a pale pink shade. It's among a patch of purple flowered hybrid Trillium I planted several years ago... you can see the mottled leaves of the hybrid... I didn't plant the white one, though... And finally, the first of the Irises are starting! I hope you enjoyed a walk around the yards with me... stick around as all the roses begin blooming and other perennials begin to color the gardens a wonderful rainbow of scented color! Thanks, Al... I can finally view Youtube, but the monitor I'm using has no sound on board... for a girl with a technological genius as a husband, I'm always the last to get upgraded! Would you believe I'm still using Windows XP?! I desperately need an upgrade to Windows 7, which should be coming shortly... when he has time to upgrade me. :-) It's kind of like being the plumber with the leaky toilet handle that sticks, or the barber that doesn't have time to cut his own hair... when you're in the business, you're last in line! :-) It looks to be another gorgeous day... sunny and hot with strong humidity... I may spend some time weeding and edging today, instead of killing myself cutting grass! Hope everyone has a lovely day! And... Happy Gardening!

Subliminal - From your page, I assume you live in the LA area (that bit about breaking into the industry). I checked the California Rare Fruit Growers site (I'm looking for good fruits to grow myself) and they say your Wax Jambu is damaged at 31 degrees, and killed at 26. They also list several suppliers, most in Florida or the San Diego area. If you're on the coast up here, it will surely survive the winter but may not get enough sun and warmth to fruit. If you're in the hills or the valley, and blessed with an accomodating microclimate, it would probably grow very well, although you may need to put it against a warm wall for the winter.

"PC, Zapotec Pleated is often hollow as grown by many and it wouldn't be on my list to use as a paste variety." Thanks for weighing in on that. It is actually the hollowness that is most interesting to me. I have this irrational thought that such hollowness in tomatoes might possibly result in very flavorful flesh ("meat"), which is why I would like to try it for dehydration, which is really what I'm after, which I would use not so much for snacking but more to create flavor stock for cooking, like with different hot peppers in dishes like a favorite of mine, Asado de Puerco, or like dehydrated shrimp in Siete Mares. I'm not quite sure if this would be considered a paste use or not to be honest, but it is what I have in mind. It is basically a rehydration of the desiccated flavor where they are used as a spice with a very heavy hand. About my comment on paste, sadly I don't have the luxury to prepare much paste ... Don't have tomatoes to spare in my limited growing space (and I am trying to go more vertical to change this but that it is a PITB in containers here). Your comment on not being a paste tomato is well taken for the traditional simmering to make Mama Leone's sort of delicious cuisine ;-) PC

I love TJs....we don't get wine in grocery stores here so I've never had the $$ chuck...but would love to try it some time. I've been addicted at various times to various things at TJs including their meringue cookies and their chocolate nonpareils. While their cookies are very tasty, I don't find any soft and chewy type. Great selection of chocolates from around the world....can use it like wine tasting. We always shop there for crackers as their selection of whole grain and multi grain is the best. Love their edamame crackers. I also get my whole wheat english muffins there. If any of you, like I, have certain issues, try their 100% cranberry juice. I put just a splash in a tall glass of seltzer and it is amazing. So different from the usual sugary water with some cranberry in it. Lately I've been buying their grass fed beef and it is incredibly flavorful, besides not having any pink slime (bleccch). But whenever I'm baking anything that calls for chocolate, I always buy their belgian chocolate. I make a chocolate lava cake using their dark pounder plus and it is A -MAZ -ING! I recently made Awesome Brownies using their chocolate as well. Excellent! I also buy their lightly salted mixed nuts and get other nuts there for baking and eating. But in our area, TJs prices their bananas by the "each" not "lb". Once I bought one of their chicken sausages that was really good, but since then, i can't seem to buy the right one again....they have several. I've been not happy with their frozen foods but based on your recommendations, will have to try some again. I typically don't eat any frozen prepared foods as I make my own.