I've been interested in mycorrhizal associates of plants for decades now. Very generally speaking, most studies I've reviewed where an attempt to "inoculate" soils or media with specific strains of known mycorrhizal species have been disappointing. Notable exceptions were in cases of extremely depleted soils, mine tailings, and other essentially "sterile" media. Now this is not at all intended to cast doubt on the importance of mycorrhyzae. Just the opposite, they are indeed being proven to be everywhere, in every type of plant community, and in virtually every geographic region. What I am saying, is that so far, man-made attempts to duplicate what nature does every day in this regard have been decidedly unspectacular. It seems that two effects are in play: One, if the soil and associated plants have been in association with one another for a good length of time, very likely such mycorrhizal associates are already present. Adding more, in the form of supposedly viable propagules will not effect the balance. The other aspect is, nobody really knows exactly what species is associated with a given landscape plant. True, there is such knowledge in silvicultural studies, usually associated with coniferous species, but to simply extrapolate what is know there to your average garden situation is extremely unlikely to work. Additionally, we do not know what is happening when a soil already colonized by such organisms is having another strain, or an altogether different fungal species, introduced to it. Are we accidentally ruining a good thing? Are we just wasting money and effort? I find such matters of immense interest, and I don't think the book is closed, just that perhaps it needs to be set aside for a while and taken up again later when understanding has increased. This is complicated stuff, especially in a world where very large acreages of land are given over to just two plant species-corn and soybeans-where the parameters of nutrient requirements have been pinned down tightly. In other words, mankind's largest horticultural enterprises are vastly more simple than what is likely happening in that little wood lot that didn't get knocked down for more development near your home. We're rank beginners at this...may as well face it. +oM

Elmer the problem banks were paying out more than they had assets to cover. Remember what happened with the savings and loan problem many years ago? That was one of the things that helped push them over the edge. I worked at several banks and although I am aware of what you just wrote people who are less knowledgeable do worry about safety and being able to quickly access their money. My investments earn currently way more than what I can earn at the three institutions that are offering these higher interest rates so I have little interest at this time other than curiosity. I will be reviewing periodically as although these do not appear to be the bait and switch rates that I have seen in the past where financial institutions paid larger than normal interest rates for a period of time then swiftly lowered them. The planning was that most would not move their deposits and the few that did would make little difference in the banks balance sheets.

I’ve already moved the rack from the lowest level to the mid-level. I’ll probably continue using, although I’ll have to admit that all of this spurred me to get out an 8x8 pan that I bought at Williams Sonoma some years ago. I had never washed it and put it into rotation. It is now. All of this chatter about glass dishes in ovens reminds me of a famous Mom-story. My aunt and uncle came to visit one day. They stayed (no, surprise. She and Mom were exceptionally close). Finally, Mom realized she needed to do something about dinner. She pulled a casserole out of the freezer and stuck it in the oven (pre-microwave days). All was going well until Mom decided to stir the casserole because it was still frozen in the middle. As soon as that frozen chunk was stirred over onto a portion of the dish that was hot, the dish burst into many pieces and the casserole seeped down onto the floor of the oven.

High water content fruits like watermelon and cantaloupe help to get water into them. My mother also really liked the protein fortified milk that I found - Shamrock Farms I think was the brand. She was always a milk drinker anyway, and she seemed to have declining ability to taste other than sweet, so this was a hit (along with ice cream - which can be bought in single serving cups). She did not like the taste nor the texture of nutrition shakes like Ensure, or most protein powders, but I did find an acceptable powder that I could add to instant pudding mix. I had to do the same as you, because if a regular plate of food was set in front of her, even with much smaller servings she would push it away: "It's too much, I don't want it". I would also cut up cheese and cooked meats into cubes and package them into just a few bites (5 or less).