Some of the newbys to gasoline powered machinery, except for autos and trucks, etc. Seem to not know the correct way to check the oil in the engine. Oh, yes, they dutifully open the hood and pull out the dip-stick. They see it has lots of oil on it, even after sitting for several weeks, in fact, it looks like it has too much oil in it, so off they go, accusing the kids or the wife of messing with the machine, or putting too much oil in it! And then, they drain out some oil! And then, after they get done with that, they either start it and it goes blooey, or they set about mowing the lawn. And, if they ever check the oil again that season. they will find the oil level has dropped considerably, at which point--in goes a quart of oil! (Well, don't ya add a whole quart to yer truck/car when it needs oil??) This whole thing can be avoided easily, by pulling the dip-stick, wiping the oil off of it, re-inserting the stick and immediately pulling it back out whence the true reading can be seen! I say this for the newby's, or those who don't know that the oil that is splashed onto the dip-stick by running, stays there, which gives the false reading when the owner checks the oil! And thats why i always tell folks to double-stick it to get the true reading! HTH: Rustyj

Get a pickup. Take the tree and lay it on it's side (on the driveway, where you can roll it), wrap the trunk and leaves in a blanket or plastic (the leaves will all scrunch together if you do it right - sort of work your way around radially). Get a length of pipe (10' emt, 3/4" dia will be great) and duct tape it to the outside of your bundled tree (this prevents folding/bending). Put the rootball and pot in the the front of the bed, and let the rest hang out. With the tail gate up, pad under the trunk. Prop the pot up an somewhat of an angle by putting 25# sacks of tertilizer under the top end (they are like big bean bags, and you can use the fertilizer later). Tie it down securely to avoid rolling side to side. I have done it more than once (though not more that 60 miles - once with a 14' in a Honda Civic) and it will arrive in near new condition, as long as it is wrapped so it doesn't get shredded in the wind.

"Simply the fact is hybrids do not come true from seed!!" The simple fact is you have refused, so far, to consider the ample proof. _______________________________ "A plant genus does not come from a hybrid but it is the exact opposite!!" This one is well documented in any college freshman level biology book. But here's one random example (there are also many many more with known parentage in the Quercus genus), but, as I stated earlier, the phenomenon can also be seen throughout higher-level species of plants and animals. Quercus alba x Quercus bicolor = Quercus jackiana _______________________________ "If you actually could provide 1 thing to back you up..." More general evidence can be found in any college freshman level biology book, but here's one from Wikipedia's article on oaks (and before you start on it, evolution in this context has nothing to do with humans, so no need to even go there). This same thing occurs throughout higher life forms, but is more easily seen in oaks than in some other life forms because of the speed and frequency with which it occurs. "Frequent hybridisation among oaks has consequences for oak populations around the world; most notably, hybridization has produced large populations of hybrids with copious amounts of introgression, and the evolution of new species." Most modern day species have not been around for very long. They came from somewhere and that somewhere was through processes like mutation and hybridization of extinct and older extant species.

Oh pseudo -- wowzers -- I have no advice -- I can only offer a shoulder here. As a kid who grew up loving unconditionally the man who I thought hung the moon but who never really cared enough to be a dad or even want me around, I feel for your sd but as an adult and a parent, I feel for what you deal with. You are so strong, I don't know how you do it AND still love your husband. I tend to run from my problems so I don't know if I could ever say that I would be able to seperate the sd issues from loving my husband-- I think I wouldn't be able to stay if I were you. Big hugs!! I can't remember what age I was but I know the defiance started in 6th grade and I was 11 and I wanted to live with my dad more than anything in the world. I also hated my mom and stepdad's very strict rules. My God I wasn't even allowed to talk on the phone past 8pm!! The rudeness of those people!! So mom let me go live with my dad and within a week, I was begging to go home. Mom made me stay for two years. She was there for me though. She got me every weekend. She was at every cheer event, every fundraiser, every volleyball game and paid for it all. My dad (who I lived with) never once attended a sporting event nor did he pay for one. I still thought he hung the moon. When I finally went back to my mom's and it basically took me manipulating them in to letting me go back -- i never went back to my dad's. I can blame his absence on the mistakes I've made in my life, especially with men. I've had three therapists tell me it was his fault but I know in order to move on and learn from those mistakes I have to take responsibility for my own actions and not blame my crappy childhood on my adult life. Anyway -- my point is: even as a kid who thought the crappy parent hung the moon, I still can't understand why I did or why any kid does it but for some reason, the absent/non caring parent is always gold in the child's eyes. To put the blame on the parent that deserves it is like admitting that parent is the failure. Like you said, she treats the ones like crap that have to love her. I can't understand why I treated my mom so bad but I would have never stood up to my dad and said what needed to be said. I still can't face him now, it's almost like I feel guilty for feeling the way I do and I don't want to hurt him. Why? I do not know. I don't believe I love him, I would rather just not talk to him or even deal with the past, I just want him out of my life and I don't want to discuss it. I don't know why your sd treats you the way she is or why she is so bold in her contempt against you. I was always scared to treat my SM's bad(yes multiple) but never scared of my mom. Sm 2 did a lot for me, I never thought it was enough though. I remember when I moved in with them, she fixed up my room so pretty. New bedding, new paint, nice dresser and vanity table with a gorgeous chair. I told her it was ugly. I hated it. Why?? Just anger I guess. It's so sad that your sd is so good at manipulation because if she doesn't wake up at some point and see what she is doing, her future is going to suck. She will be miserable for a long time. I'm lucky I woke up and started seeing my mom as the good parent that loved me, my stepdad as the dad I never would have had except that he chose me and my dad was the one that I was angry at and the one who deserved the blame. And I went through some antidepressants and some therapy and some really rough struggles. My stepdad and I butted heads for some years as he was the strict parent and I thought he was just making my mom be mean to me 'just cuz' ... I can report that about 12 years ago, at 19 we just started bonding, he had been my stepdad for 14 years by then... And we are very close. Almost too close, my mom jokes that we talk more than her and I talk and she feels left out. He is my rock. He is the man I measure all men to. It took a long time, a lot of heartache and very bad behavior but I finally straightened up and 'got it'. I know right now, you probably don't care about that but I just wanted to share. I hope the meds start working. If not, it should be readdressed to the dr. And you are right, I do not believe that anxiety is keeping SD out of school, I think she is playing the little victim and come Monday, her booty better be back in school or dad seriously needs to consider the evaluation. I wonder what would happen if he took her for one without mom's consent. Would mom press this in the courts?? Is he worried about contempt charges? Because at this point, what is mom going to say 'she is so out of control, I can't deal with her, but I don't think she is so out of control that she needs to see someone and be evaluated... But she shouldn't go to school for however long she feels she shouldnt'. That would go over great!!!