Thanks Ken. Be careful what you ask for - this turned into a long post! I'm in the southeast of Toronto, about a kilometer (~.6 miles) from Lake Ontario. I'm classified as zone 5b (USDA zones) but in truth it's a bit of a microclimate here with the lake so close and I find I can push to zone 6 pretty easily. I have good soil, amended regularly for the roses, good drainage. The spot in question has a southern exposure and gets full sun from mid-morning until sundown. As for a photo, you'll have to use your imagination a bit. I began overhauling this region of my garden this year and nearly everything in it is new and accordingly small. The forsythia in the middle is in year 1 of a 2-year regenerative pruning process, and my plan has been to keep it pruned to 3 ft, but I'm considering pulling it right out. The conifer would go where the forsythia is now or where the giraffe sits (if the forsythia stays). The wire sheets on the ground are protecting newly planted clumps of bearded iris and there is one more bunch to go in the spot in front of the forsythia and giraffe. The smokebush will get much bigger, as will the Karl Foerster feather reed grass in front of the play area, which will create a screen. The Veteran's Honour hybrid tea rose is to the left of the giraffe and the other roses in that part of the bed are Nantucket (hybrid tea), South Africa (grandiflora), Royal Parks (hybrid tea) and a mystery pale pink that might be Gilbert Nannoband. The ground cover in front is silver mound artemisia and should be all the way across next year. The second photo shows what the blooms look like. Here's a conceptual image with rose and iris blooms and a bigger smoke bush: Karen

Yay! (You will love it.) Not to mention the clutter-control is beyond great! ;) You know, I always take a lot of books too, and even had one to take with me this time while we're on the road. I decided to read it while I was still at home, and only take my Kindle. (I need those audio books however!) It's hard to downsize sometimes, but I'm down to a briefcase size rollerbag and a tote bag for three weeks. (I keep trying to pare things down, but you need a certain amount.) The Kindle should help things immensely! After you get some reading in, let us know how you like the page, visually. Initially, I wasn't sure I'd really like it myself, but find it's fine. I thought having the page backlit might help, but not having that as a feature really saves on the battery. Remember to turn your Wireless OFF when you're not using it. It saves tremendously on the battery and you'll be able to read for a very long time!

Hmm, I have to disagree about if it's easier to "check" back on something when using an ereader, at least on a kindle. Tap once to bring up the search bar, type in a name or word/words, tap again and it brings up all the relevant passages in the order in which they appeared in the book. Tap to go to your chosen passage in the book, then tap the back arrow to go right back to where you left off. It's so easy--and thorough--that I almost feel like it's cheating. Is it different than riffling through pages and does it take a bit to make it feel natural? Certainly. I just read an article (PW? Library Journal? can't remember...) which talked about how the ebook bubble of astonishing sales seems to have burst. One theory is that people are finally developing screen overload--and want a break from their devices. Both my children, college students who are rarely parted from their phones, prefer paper books over phones or tablets. My kindle is a basic touch, so no back-lit screen, no glare, I can use it outside, but can't read in the dark without an external light. Its cover opens up like a book, the cover opens all the way back so I can prop it freestanding and eat while reading (this is far more important to me than it should be...) or in bed. So, it's less of a "device" experience, and not at all like reading on a (much smaller) phone screen. Also, with ereaders, the font size is easily adjustable, which aging or low vision eyes appreciate. Sorry that was so long--there's no zeal that like of the convert. :)

I'm not exactly sure what 'magical realism' is...Would the Outlander series fit in that category? I read one of those and didn't like it because the basic premise, time travel, isn't something I can believe. Don't like fantasy, horror or depressing books so I don't read those. No to the Harlequin romance/ bodice rippers stuff. (Had to read one of those for a college class.) I want to read books where I learn things and get entertained in the process so historical fiction is a favorite genre. (Loved Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series for pure escapism.) Or great true adventure stories (Undaunted Courage-Ambrose) and liked several mountaineering true stories-Everest adventures, etc.) Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer has been saved for a re-read. Love intelligent Cold War era spy stories (Le Carre's Smiley series, for instance.) Repetition--words, phrases, things--drives me batty. Recent example was a W. Michael & Kathleen Gear book (I was enticed to read it because they are archaeologists) where they kept referring to character's hair. Like at least once every two or three pages. I was ready to scream and start yanking out my hair! Another thing that I dislike is when a book is peppered w/ foreign language. A lot of that in Daniel Deronda but I was willing to forgive it because of when & where the book was written...supposing that the educated classes in England during the 1800's were at least bi-lingual. Growing up in Middle America mid 20th century, as I did, didn't offer exposure to any other languages than corrupted English (chester drawers, i.e., chest of drawers, being a prime example of corrupted English. Even today, reading the Misc. Items for Sale ads in the newspaper or on Craig's list is good for when you need some comic relief!) Another thing that I really dislike is being hammered w/ filthy language. I don't mind it when they're used in extreme emotional situations...Michener used a couple in Tales of the South Pacific. That's OK. But not the gratuitous usage that seems all too common in modern fiction. Total turnoff. Not only is it distracting but I sometimes come away feeling assaulted and like I need a to shower in Listerine.