This was fun, I'm older than dirt, so my children were the ones about '61 and all that good stuff. Parents get so upset when their children don't follow "the traditions" and I remember my mother telling me Grandfather was very upset when she dated and then married my dad in 1922: he wore belted coats and his hair was slicked back like Valentino's and he smoked cigarettes and he encouraged my mom to be a "Flapper". I wonder what he did to make his folks mad, sure there was something (now all that was in Germany)

A neighbor had my Extractigator all winter. Time to pull trees was coming so I bought a PullerBear Pro XL321. I remember reading a long review (no longer available) where the writer said the two products complement each other but if you can buy only one, get the Extractigator, which I did four years ago. Now I have both. Biggest plus for the PullerBear is grabbing the tree closer to the ground. I have pulled up a number of trees that my Extractigator snapped off in previous years and would have snapped again. Another plus is also a minus. XL321 has a long handle. Gives me more leverage for bigger trees. Unfortunately, the main thing I want the PullerBear for is to pull trees the Extractigator would probably snap. I don’t need a really long handle for that. And yesterday, that long handle was a big problem in a tight spot. Was no way to I pull the handle because of a low branch in my way. Extractigator to the rescue until the tree snapped. Now for PullerBear downsides. PullerBear sorta makes fun of the Extractigator’s Bigfoot option. Why spend $20 for a Bigfoot when you can just make one for free with a scrap piece of wood and attach it to your PullerBear? Well, my PullerBear was not doing much because it was just sinking in the mud so I needed a bigger base. Found out I did not have the necessary scrap piece of wood laying around. Went to Lowes and Home Depot to find a scrap piece of wood. Scrap piece of wood lasted for less than two days. I’d much rather spend $20 on a piece of metal that lasts. While pulling trees, the PullerBear quit working. It was basically just scraping off bark. Happened over and over. Finally figured out that mud was inside the jaws but not visible because it was thinner than the tooth depth. Not a huge deal but not a problem I’ve ever had with my Extractigator. In the review that said the two tools complemented each other, the reviewer said the Extractigator was faster to use. He was RIGHT. Getting the PullerBear jaws on the tree can be a pain. You pull up on the handle to get it in the right position and the jaws shut so you put the whole thing down again and kick the tool into the right position. Or you lean over a lot and move it with your other hand. Either way, it is time consuming. The PullerBear requires a more downward angle on the handle when getting the tool on the tree. PullerBear touts this as a good thing because you get more handle travel when pulling. I found it to be a detriment because there were trees I could not use the PullerBear on because other trees were too close for the handle. Wish I had bought the PullerBear Cub XL. The main reason I wanted the PullerBear was pulling small trees the Extractigator would snap. The Cub XL would do that and have a handle 17” shorter than the Pro XL321. Plus, it was $45 cheaper. Now back to Home Depot for more scrap wood. :(

any ferns solomon's seal (reg. or variegated) red hibiscus (seeds OK) penstemon digitalis blue lobelia other things that do well in moist part-sun redbud tree

Hi all, I just sent out the email with my address and directions to everyone who's sent me their email address. If it doesn't show up in your inbox (or your spam box!) soon, let me know and I'll try again. Here's the list of people who should be receiving it: aloha2009 autodidact b2alicia billie ladybug catnohat chcolatecat gardenfiend gjmancini jclepine juletee kvenkat lattefairy (+ gardendreamer) laura 42 lindy loo (+ 1) mayberrygardener milehighgirl mstywoods petuniamel polygonum provogirl pumpkin2010 redley_gardener serpentmoon singcharlene sorie6 (+ 1 or 2) sugaralice tobaira tommysmommy treebarb (+ 1) TVo Woliver ***** I STILL NEED EMAIL ADDRESSES FOR THESE THREE PEOPLE. ***** If you still want to come to the swap, Private Message your address to me by going to "my page" and click on "send me a message." We'd all love to have you come, but I need a way to contact you! dsieber lealeigh ragrif A couple reminders! Please be sure to bring a serving spoon if your dish will need one, and please be sure there's some way to keep your dish covered. If you'll need to reheat something when you arrive, the microwave/stove/oven will be available for your use! With any plants you bring, please be sure they're labeled some way\-\-\-more info about labeling in my very first post at the top of this thread. And please be sure your plants are watered the day before the swap\-\-so they're not too wet to transport, but so they won't be wilting during the swap. If you haven't already read all the Swap FAQ's at the top of this thread, especially if this is your first swap, I recommend you look them over so you'll have some idea of how we do it! It's fun to see several new people coming to this swap! For the demonstration, in addition to the propagation info, I'm planning to include some basic info on soil (gonna show you all why I say never, never use Hyponex soil!), on shopping for perennials, planting them, caring for them, and some other miscellaneous stuff! This is going to be an "interactive" demonstration, and I'll keep talking and answering questions as long as people are willing to listen\-\-and participate! I mentioned this on one of the other threads, but, again, if the weather is nice, as NOAA is now predicting it's gonna be, you'll be in the sun for at least part of the day\-\-\-so don't forget the sun screen if you'll need it! I still have several private emails that I was hoping to be able to respond to individually, but I may not have enough time to do it! If you emailed me and I have your name on the list above, and you got MY\-\-just sent\-\-address email, you're all set. I apologize if I don't get around to a private reply! If you have any general swap questions, please post them here, rather than emailing them to me, so possibly somebody else can help to answer them. At least a couple of you have emailed that you're not going to be able to make it by 11:00. That works just fine too, and we'll hold off on the eating until at least noon or a little bit later so most people are here before we start. And if people are spread out a little bit it'll probably work out better anyway since the walk into my backyard is only "one\-person wide!" So we'll see you all when you get here! ******* THE SWAP IS SUNDAY, MAY 22, STARTING AT 11:00 A.M. ******* If you're just seeing this for the first time, it's not too late to decide to come! As long as there's time to get your email address to me, and for me to send you the address and directions, everyone is still invited to come! The more the merrier! See you all next Sunday, Skybird P.S. LatteFairy, it was JUST sent, and I haven't gotten anything back from MailerDaemon, so wait a couple more hours to see if it arrives (be sure to check your spam box), and let me know if you still don't get it by morning. (I got your email and it's one of the ones I haven't had time to respond to privately\-\-but I have you and GardenDreamer down\-\-don't have an address for GardenDreamer, so you're the only one getting the email.)