I'm on the side of impressiveness of a massive clump. I personally want the pups attached to mum...but then I tend not to rock the boat, too, and I would rather not pull a pup and accidentally lose the root system. I also think about the particular plant's pupping tendencies when making the decision to divide...My large H. cuspidata has been pretty productive, and I can't imagine how many pots I would end up with if I separated all of them--and I don't risk Haws in the winter and would be bringing them inside the house (well, I have them inside year-round, but even so). That's more pots to deal with and pay for, and a lot more to haul around when need be, and takes up more space. I do remember what recently happened to you this winter, with your awful losses, so I mention winter and plant-hauling with the idea that next winter might be a different work scenario for ya. Now, if you were wanting to eventually sell or just get the most plants with pups going possible, possible great idea, though. Maybe first take a look at photos of enormous clusters of Haws and just see if your heart melts. :) Biker, I always swoon at your Haw pics. :)

"Y'all can do what you want. But I guarantee if you make the same dish, using fresh spices in one and your old stuff in another, you will taste the difference." Of course there will be a difference! Belindach joked about the spice police and I joked in kind. She wasn't referring to a recipe for a contest or sale, she was talking about a pie filling she made that was delicious. Obviously, the age of her cloves didn't hurt. >If the spice is old, just use moreBzzt! Wrong! Thanks for playing. :>) Well, I stand corrected. I've only been cooking for 40 years, I guess I was just too dumb to know that old spices taste different from fresh ones. Of course, I was speaking of spices, not herbs, where the difference is not as pronounced. A year-old container of tarragon or basil is really no more flavorful than hay, while a similarly aged portion of cloves, cinnamon, or star anise retains flavor much longer (presuming proper storage), though of course, fresher is better.

I think it is possible the SD does indeed keep caught in the middle of Mom and SM. I also don't think she 'lied' or told a half truth. At the time the discussion first took place, SD had not yet made plans for the summer break with Mom...after reading some of your previous threads, I can't help but notice there has been long standing feud over exact days/visits. The SD was wrong in that she committed and did not follow through on what she agreed to. The mother is wrong for pressuring her daughter to take 'a summer job committment' seriously and making a big ta-do over a day or day (something that this mother though has been known to repeatedly do). And you are wrong with withholding your relationship with the SD in a temper tossing hurt feeling mode. The girl really is stuck between the two 'moms'. One screaming 'be an adult' one minute while treating her as the 'child' the next. The other one still playing the same old games of rearranging schedules no matter who it affects in an all out path of having her daughter 'at home' as many days as possible (while still treating daughter as a yung child/early teen). In an attempt to keep somewhat harmony between the SD's 'moms' daughter ends up being indecisive, nonresponsibile and still kept very much the child while being told to act the adult. If I were the girl, I'd be tempted to remain where I attend school. Maybe visit for a a short spell with each side and work my summer at a job that would enable me to have something more than 'babysitting' for references. Because you are disappointed and your feelings are hurt you intend to punish the SD. You'll just after 15 yrs of being mommy #2 you'll just suddenly begin being 'her fathers wife'. And you'll label a 'test' to see if the relationship can withstand the 'test'. The first time SD expresed her newly found 'adult views' aka opinions (example, daughter's eating habits) you took a personal offense to it and again you're feelings are hurt and deny the SD who you say you want to start acting/thinking like an adult for her effort in doing so. The SD can't win here. Send LS to the daycare as now planned. Quite frankly you can read all the books you please on 'disengaging' and 'teaching assertiveness', but but until you start practicing actually raising the SD with the open mind that she is becoming an adult (even when her new found adult views annoy you), and continue to treat her as the child (both 'moms') it's just setting up more hurt feelings and keeping the girl a girl stuck in the middle. She's young, socializing with a whole new group of people, seeing different lifestyles and discovering who she is and what she believes. My niece as decided her new found 'thing' in life is to be a veggie,...she'd have a stroke to think you're LS eats skittles and poisons her body blah blah blah. LOL. Once 'kids' start expanding their social network, experiencing new groups and ideas, well they can be quite crazy in their new 'worldly views'. My 2 cents. Good luck to you. Sd has reached the age between childhood and adulthood and she's likely to say many more things that appear to be 'anti-you' (or mom or dad or the neighbor) while she opens those wings and begins to shape her own ideas.

Many years ago, I have grown popcorn. At today's prices, it doesn't pay. You can buy a bag of popcorn for less than what it would cost you to grow your own. However, it is ok as a hobby. Your patch of popcorn should not be too close to a plot of field corn, else a signicicant amount may cross pollinate and affect the results. It will still pop ok, but it may not have the characterestics you were expecting, and the seed will not propogate true.