Third Saturday Jan! So that'll be Oct. 17th. phalnellie, if you aren't there then you'll be kickin' yourself again! Joseph where are my Pergola plans and when are you coming over to help me build it? :-) Steve those are sweet pics! We need to hook up and wet a line!!! You've got mail.

The chicken wire is an interesting thought and may be worth a try. I found another branch chewed off yesterday on one of the plants I didn't cover with netting (I ran out). It rained yesterday morning and the night before, which I had hoped would deter the determined little buggers, but apparently not. In desperation, I bought some hot pepper wax spray yesterday. I thought that it might at least be a bit better than sprinkling cayenne pepper around the plants, since they can't inhale the powder up their noses. I have heard that blood meal is a good deterrent but have also heard others say that it didn't work for them. My neighbor is fertilizing organically, though I am unsure what he is using. He says that he is not having trouble with the squirrels this year, but he has in the past. I think it's because they have found my plants...they are coming from a hole dug underneath the fence from his yard into mine!!! I would block it up, but it is likely a waste of time, since they can either make a new one or climb right over the fence. Oh, and bdobs....my teenager should be afraid...very afraid...but I'm certainly not telling him that! :) I'll cross my fingers on the pepper spray, get some more netting, and perhaps buy some chicken wire and blood meal. I think I will end up spending more money on squirrel and rabbit protection than anything else!

I loved Brett Favre, this coming from a former Wisconsin resident. But he's so fickle-minded, his "should I stay or should I go" antic is getting old. He should have just stayed retired when he announced it the first time, still earning the respect of people of Wisconsin and the whole Packer-backer, where we treat him like a god. But now, I don't know.... It'll be interesting to watch Packers vs. Vikings... I wonder how would the pack react when Vikings go to Lambeau.

bmorepanic- I know... I had it in the back of my mind that I needed to report back to you when I started cooking on it! I love my range!!! Last night I cooked fish on the stovetop and roasted potatoes in the oven... wonderful. The burners are great: stacked so the lower third of the dial is top ring only... The simmer is sooooo low, and the heat it throws off on high is amazing. I baked pizza tonight and it was great- heated to 500 super fast, oven is big enough (that's why we didn't get the Bertazzoni- teeny oven!)and really beefy oven racks. Sexy blue enamel interior, too! We had some fumes yesterday, but it doesn't appear to have a ridiculously long burn-in time, because today's pizza baking smelled like pizza, not fume-y heated chemicals. It has convection which I haven't used yet (never used it, gotta learn how.) and an infrared broiler which I also haven't used yet but the gas man said looked great. I can't comment on cleaning yet, either, as I haven't gotten it very dirty! Mine has no center grate, although I have one on order (they became available after I ordered mine.) I do need to get myself a good kitchen timer! I am so used to all the electronic gadgets on my previous electric stoves. One of the reasons we wanted a range like this was that we have had the electronic modules fail on two stoves before -and those had no where near the heating capacity as these better ranges have- we just didn;t think that high-BTU burners and sensitive electronic modules were a very good match. But it's going to take getting used to not having a timer, not having the thing beep at me when it's preheated, etc. (The oven light just blinks off.) But I feel much more comfortable with the simple, straightforward controls. And- stuff that breaks is much simpler, and cheaper, to repair! So far, I am totally thrilled with it. It looks great, and it cooks waaaay better than any stove I have ever owned! Plus, the price was fantastic. Yay!