Plantknitter, with more wind, if it is an E, N or NE wind as we usually have in these events, that causes the humidity dew point to drop way off. This is why you don't see actual white frost on anything even if the temperature is well below freezing. Usually though, this is actually more destructive to plants than frost that occurs under calm conditions and high humidity (i.e. a usual white "frost"), because the very dry air causes plant leaves to become dessicated and frozen at the same time: moisture cannot reach the plant tissues and they die. It really depends on the plant though, and some other factors. Plants with tough fleshy leaves, including many succulents, can handle this better than a frost with high humidity. Plants with delicate leaves, especially those from the Southern Hemisphere, and some bamboos, would do better in a frost with high humidity because their leaves would not be so dessicated. This is a huge generalization but you get the idea. Even if it is below freezing, the very cold winds do keep the temeprature up compared to what it could be, because mixing of the air prevents radiational cooling. So while last night it was blowing all night and the temperature was 28-32F for many of us - if it just stopped at some point, with the arctic air in place, the temperature would drop right off, especially in sheltered valleys where radiational cooling typically brings very cold temperatures. Slopes with good air drainage and places very close to the water usually do not experience such severe lows when radiational cooling occurs. This is what may happen tonight, and certainly tomorrow night, if the wind ever dies off. Surprisingly, I'm not seeing the temperature fall like a rock anywhere just yet. It is still too windy in most places. The South Sound, which is often the coldest, is still experiencing strong winds that are keeping the temperature up around 30. bboy, point taken but #1 it makes more sense to ignore the tops of the mountains since no one lives or gardens there #2 really all you are doing is pointing out the inadequacies of the USDA zone system for our region, which I would agree with. But you could just as well say that Sunset, with only two zones for western Washington's lowlands, is oversimplified as well. #3 if we figured everywhere was in the same zone as the land all around it, we would only have one zone.

No I wouldn't pay to play games on the computer. Even the train game. I enjoy it when it is free, but I tire of things really easily. If I play some games too long I see them behind my eyelids when I am trying to go to sleep at night. I think it works on my mind. My mother told me once that she never learned how to crochet from her mother. The reason was that DGM went to the doctor and the doctor told her she had to quit crocheting because it was working on her mind. This would have been in the days of kerosene lamps, thus not very good light. I think the same thing happened to her as it does to me. I do play yahoo pinochle and euchre. Right now I am doing jigsaw puzzles on shockwave, but I can't do it for very long or I see the pieces when I want to go to sleep. I also do the shanghai dynasty that someone mentioned on here and I like that. Also spider solitaire and majong titans. So I admit I love games but I would never pay for them.

Hi Lisa, If it suckers—and if it was coming up thru pavers I assume it does—all you have to do is to look around the “outside” of the plant for “small” plants that are rooted and can be (hopefully fairly easily) dug up and potted as separate plants. I think that might be easiest to do when it starts actively growing in spring. If you can’t find suckers, I’m not sure! I suspect you could take one of the longer (and smaller) canes and bend it over so it’s touching the ground and “attach” it to the soil at some places, or bury parts of the cane slightly in the soil, and wait to see if roots develop at those points—I think that might work, but I’m really not sure! Maybe some other Rose Person will be along with more “rose expertise” than I have! I’m not really a Rose Person! But I know some folks around here have started them from cuttings, just have never done it myself, so not sure of the best way! David, can you start them in straight perlite? Here’s how to get your “real name” back! Go to “your page” (don’t know what it’s called now!), click on “edit profile,” then put your “original GW screen name” in the “first name” box, and if you want to add your zone and location, put that info in the “last name” box! Strange system, but it works, and at least there IS a way for us to Continue To Be Who We Are! Houzz said, or at least implied, that anyone with the same name as somebody already on their site had their name changed—but I have a HARD time believing there was already a lisaluwho on their site!!! I think pretty much everybody had their name changed! If you want to stop getting all the MAIL—when you discover that you are getting all the MAIL!—on the profile page go to “advanced settings,” and change all the boxes to “NEVER!” If you come up with any other questions, post them on the “RMG – How do I do it…” thread I started. Skybird

The State of California has 19 basic insurance plans from which to choose for active employees and retirees who are not yet on Medicare, and 9 supplemental plans (all of which include prescription drug coverage) from which to choose for retirees who are on Medicare. Different plans have different drug coverage. So, yeah, there is some parsing to do. The state contributes $1,343 monthly towards our health care premiums, and different plans have different premium amounts. We have the plan with the highest premium, so I know we're lucky that the state's contribution covers it as well as the Medicare premiums. I do know that Medicare uses "letter designations" for the various supplemental plans -- you mentioned you have the high-deductible Plan F. I know that all insurance companies who offer, for example, a Plan C must cover everything that all other companies' Plan C covers, but each company can set their own premium rates. The plans that California state retirees have from which to choose do not show any letter designation whatsoever. You have to read the Evidence of Coverage booklets (available online) to determine if a plan is right for you or not. In that respect, we have more parsing to do than you. (And, yes, I did speak to the folks who are in the health insurance section at the California Public Employee Retirement System [CalPERS], and they have no idea what plan letter designations the various supplemental plans would have.) From my review of the various supplemental plans offered by the state, I know that the plan we have falls into the Plan F category.