dimitrig, I am beginning to question where I picked up the meaning of UP! It could not have been in elementary school because of course we learnt many place names in Swedish. I remember now that Lake Superior was Oevre Sjoen (Upper Lake) in school so at first I didn't connect when I heard the English for it. I may have read about UP in a newspaper when I spent 6 months in Madison, WI, in 1981. Pasties are Cornish and not known in Sweden at all. I've tried them once in England under the name Cornish pasty and will not order any again, too bland. The Finns have a similar pasty, Karjalan piirakka, an open rye dough pie stuffed with boiled rice, and eaten with egg butter (soft butter with chopped hardboiled eggs and dill leaves). Salmon may be added to the rice for a de luxe version. Climate zones in the US and northern Europe are not comparable but I put my zone at 5b after the lowest average minimum winter temperature. We have our own zone chart with 8 zones but it is concerned only with tree hardiness and was originally made for apple growers. The Gulf stream affects the climate in the whole of Scandinavia, most of all in Norway, of course. The most important difference is that summers in northern Europe are much shorter and cooler than in continental USA, mainly because you have your long wonderful autumns and summer heat. Some roses don't grow well enough in summer and succumb easier when struck by cold in the fall. Our winters are not quite as cold as in Wisconsin and southern Ontario, the only areas in North America where I've spent winters. I live exactly on the 59th parallel, 50 miles from the Baltic coast. No sea influence but we have a fairly large lake in the village that makes some difference in the fall. Last night was the coldest yet this winter, -26C and it will be as cold again on Friday. Now, at 2 pm it is -11C, bearable but still too cold for me who don't have to venture outside. It's great to be retired! The garden is completely covered in snow, only trees and taller shrubs and ornamental grasses are visible. We had a thaw recently so it's difficult to estimate the depth of the snow cover but I guess about a foot, more in shade where the old snow still stays, less in areas protected from the wind by trees. I've just looked out of all the windows of the house and noticed that Sutter's Gold is dangerously exposed. Perhaps I should shovel some snow over it. I guess I will have to cut a lot come spring. I hope this gives you an idea of our climate? Marianne in Sweden Here is a link that might be useful: Karelian pies

I don't mind snow just not bitter cold where your nose hairs freeze and the snow sqeaks. I also don't want, what DC is getting. Here today in Mi. we are getting snow I went out and shoveled by hand 2-3 inch for the next fall tonight and tomorrow, so Our son and hubby can get in the drive, hubby drives a MTA bus for the city of Flint all day so he don't want to see more when he gets home. Iam tired of winter but guess what we are one day closer to Spring Hallaluya. I did go out and broom off my winter sow spot that made me smile. through the brr snow.

Dear Sighing Carl, You actually sound quite normal and gardener-sane considering the present circumstance. Many of us here felt the same way last Oct. 30 when 14" of wet snow brought down everything it could and destroyed years of growth and thousands of dollars. Last year's event for me and your current status, as unpleasant as they were/are, brought me to a new level of gardening thinking. I try to make gardens look like more with less material not just because of $, but the aging bod can't do what it once did. Also, I've had to adjust my expectations of plant/tree/shrub heights. Last year's storm toppled 15' rhodies so that I had to lasso them and use the riding mower to bring them upright again, rebury the root system, only to eventually have to cut their height in half to prevent toppling again. The changing climate and its odd timing of storms forces me to rethink what I plant. Full Southwestern-like xeriscaping isn't quite my thing, but Mediterranean style with shorter growing plants works for me. Once one has lived through a night of 90' tall oak and maple trees cracking and their tonnage crashing to the ground making your house shake, well, shorter ornamental trees are now quite appealing to me. If you want them, Carl, I have a couple of lovely little Jap maples here with your name on them. Oh, and as for the sighing or 'deep breathing', I'm a 7th generation Connecticut Yankee who can make fire with two sticks, have had to pee in the woods and live for weeks without electricity; but these recent storms damn near made me pass out, so you can bet your asters I'm changing with the climate change. Start thinking about your spring swap wants. We will help you. Kindly, Jane

Loved your pictures -- you did get a big variety. Our snow has melted, but the birds still seem ravenous. Just today they've decimated a whole tube feeder worth and are letting me get very close.