Ouch!..was there a break in the branch, or just a bend? If just a bend, I think you may be able to save it with the splint. A few months ago I had a 2 foot long cutting that was bent like an elbow when it was sent to me by the seller in a long but un-reinforced box (the box bent, causing the cutting to bend). I attached a splint to the bent area and potted up the cutting to root. It is doing well and put out claws and now leaves, so I think the bend had healed itself internally.

Kitchendetective, I feel your pain! It really is a shame that the nearest New Balance store is 80 miles away but, I'm going to have to add my voice to the "go to a New Balance store" recommendation. A couple of months ago I was in the same boat you are. My well used NB runners were falling apart and no matter what NB shoes I tried on nothing seemed to give me sufficient cushion. I finally broke down and went to a NB store. They have a machine that stand in (after removing your shoes) which will indicate on a screen just where the pressure points on your feet fall. Helps the NB folks determine exactly what kind of runners you need. Well, color me shocked. All my adult life I've *known* I have flat feet....except the machine showed that I really don't have flat feet. My wet footprints look that way becasue of the motion my feet go through when I'm walking. I not only needed a shoe with good cushion, I needed one that stabilized my foot. The guy who was helping me put exactly one shoe on me and it was like nothing else I'd ever had on my feet in my life. Yes, it felt that good. Yes, it was more than double the price that I usually paid for NB at Kohls or Shoe Carnival.....but I'm so glad that I did it! My feet feel "years younger"! I live in my runners and, as a dog trainer, they get a ton of abuse and use on a lot of different surfaces. When I find a pair I like, I generally buy 2-3 pairs. I didn't do that at the NB store since they were so pricey but, I came home and found exactly the same shoes at Online Shoes and ordered two additional pairs from them at a considerable saving. I suppose I could have returned the ones I bought at the NB store but as far as I was concerned the sales guy worked hard to ensure that I got shoes that worked for me so the extra cost was worth it. For one pair.

I have a very small wart on the inside of my left ring finger, at the first joint. Doesn't really bother me. But I have one on my left leg near the shin bone. It is flat and about the size of a dime. Doesn't bother me except in the summer when I'm wearing shorts. Looks gross, even though it is skin colored and rather smooth. I asked the dermo doc about it and he said: "leave it alone, it is just a wart!" But I want it gone. I read in the newspaper recently, the Doc who replaced Dr. Gott wrote about warts. His advice was to use duct tape, the silver, not the clear. Cover the wart with DT. Leave it 6 days. Remove it and soak and file the wart. Leave it uncovered overnight, then cover with DT in the morning. Repeat for 6 days. Do this for 6 months or until the wart is gone. Not very practical for most people. I might try it. If it works it should be gone by summer. Sue

Ouchie, Linda! Hope the hurtie is gone by Christmas! Hate boo boo's!