Gail, I have have some lovely Yarrow "Cassis" and some Cerastium tomentosum, for you from the Easter Bunny. I am also awaiting an order from Derry Watkins for an unnamed pink Bush Clover Lespedeza thunbergii AGM, which I would be willing to trade for a split of something interesting from your pending commercial order. Would you like to continue by e-mail? Bev

It was 2 degrees here this morning. brrr! Sun is out, haven't been out there yet. Hope these temps are going to be short lived. The furnace has been cranking. Thanks Jane, interesting article. I am a marmalade fan, so IâÂÂll have to look for some of these brands that have ginger in them and try it. DtD, that recipe sounds delicious. We will use a roast for pot roast once in awhile, but never thought of using it as a base for chili. So do you use beans with it or just âÂÂchiliâ spices? Sounds like I could use a large crockpot, too. Bill, I have been looking for new âÂÂsoupâ recipes, so IâÂÂll have to try your version this winter. We had an Italian connection in our family in the past, and my Mother was a huge fan of many Italian dishes and got her sauce recipe from an old world Italian woman. We make lots of sauce and chicken cacciatore, minestrone soup and thereâÂÂs always some of that in our freezer. Making tiny meatballs for chicken soup sounds like a new fun version. And the escarole adds a lot of nutrition. BTW, there is a new book out called Eating on the Wild Side, that reviews current studies of nutrition in food and I was surprised to learn that a can of tomato paste is chockful of nutrition and during the off season when fresh vegetables are not available from the garden, beans are one of the highest nutritional foods you can eat. And blue cornmeal if from a non GMO source, is also better nutritionally than yellow cornmeal, according to the book. So chili made with canned tomatoes and beans with blue cornbread is a very healthy meal. And the book is a very interesting read, if you donâÂÂt find nutrition too dull. It also offers names of varieties of vegetables and fruits that are the highest in nutrition, that you can grow. As for gardening, IâÂÂm not quite in the garden mindset yet. Later in January, IâÂÂm sure that will change, but I am very interested in how all the âÂÂzone pushersâ are faring. As much of a worry as it is to have the temps dip so low, Bill, you are right, this will be a good test of which varieties are really solid zone pushers and I will be fascinated to see whose plants survive come spring. All of them, I hope!

We had our daughter and her family and our older son and his fiancee. It was a nice day with the little grandsons (2 & 5) getting their baskets here. We hid over 40 plastic eggs all over the family room and kitchen, and our 5 year old was sweet in helping the 2 year old find eggs too. I knit some items for their baskets. The 5 year old loved the manta ray I knit as well as the tiny bunny. The older one loved the grape sized bunnies I knit and we put in some of their eggs. And the 2 year old, for whom I had knit an owl, ignored it. And I got into all this toy knitting because the 2 year old seems to love owls so much!! Ah, well. We had quiche for lunch, and ham, asparagus, au gratin potatoes, etc. for dinner. Dessert was a fruit pizza which I had made the night before, and it was yummy! But the cold I caught from my grandsons last week now has me almost unable to talk.

Real nice looking deviled eggs Donna L. I did unpack my deviled egg plate and it holds 12 plus room for a few more in the center. That is enough for our meal, that way I won't have a lot of them left. I too have the plastic lidded ones and they are good to store or take eggs in. Two Rubbermaid ones and one Tupperware one. I also have several different glass ones and do use those for other meals. I use either Miracle Whip or Mayo in mine plus, some sugar, and some mustard. Not a lot of any of it. Some times I like to boil more eggs than I need and use the extra yolks so they will be nice and full and of course paprika on the top. Then I just eat the egg whites that are left over :) Sue