There are lots of differences besides vegetation: As a person born and bred in Baltimore ( 40 years in NH and MA) I never ever miss the humidity of a DC/Balto summer. It is insufferable. However, east coast MA & NH have equally hot spells and humidity, just not week after week after week.. As you know, Md and DC are 4 season climates....there is certainly spring (long) summer (hellish) fall (just fine) and winter ( just not so snowy so often so long) You would not miss the drivers who have never learned to drive in snow. On the other hand, you'll have to learn. You will lose two months of real warm weather gardening and the long lovely springs which encourage azaleas. New England springs are rather short and violent.....here today, gone tomorrow. But beautiful, for sure. Oh yes, it can snow on May 1. You will miss reliably delicious tomatoes you can grow yourself, the operative word is reliably and soft shell crabs ....real crabcakes. (though you have to search as far and wide down there as you do here for the authentic lump crab) You can get Bud here. Maples we have, but the oaks down your way are fine. I miss the southern graciousness and friendliness that linger in more southern areas. Many parts of New England are more racially segregated than the greater metro area. I continued to be startled by that whenever I went home or visited DC. Maybe I wax nostalgic and inaccurate, maybe times have changed.....but around here one rarely "stops" by for a beer or a drink after work, people don't "drop in" or "drop by" . At least where I live, nobody hangs out on their front steps or front yard, though you'll certainly get a wave from the neighbors. Sure, we chat when we get to know each other, but I honestly think people are more reserved here. Maybe in part because we're holed up so long in winter. I feel very homesick right now.

I had the strangest thing happen yesterday. I had the whole spiel typed out to tell you all and got booted so just dropped the thing. I went into Walmart to buy a roll of masking tape to use on my marking tables today at the Farmer"s Market. Thought I'd cruise down the canning isle and see if they had restocked lids. I didn't need any but just wanted to check. To my surprise all the canning supplies were marked down with those big red and black stickers they use. Quart and pint Ball jars were $5. Wide mouth and reg. were the same. Lids were $1. reg. and $1.50 wide mouth. The platinum wide mouth jars were $2.50 for the four pack. Ball salt $1. I bought 20 doz. of each size lid and 6 doz. of reg quarts and pints. The new freezer jam packs were $2. I bought 6 pks. I did leave a lot there but spent over $100. I got home thinking what a bargain. Very seldom do canning supplies go on sale here. This is a farming community. When I got home I realized I forgot the masking tape. So, after dinner I went back [it's just around the corner] and picked up the tape and went to check the canning isle and everything was back to the original price. Evidently someone marked things down in error. The blue enamel canner with rack was still $13. though.

I work with an NRCS agent, and hes a great guy, you have to remeber the agents we see in the office are not politicians, they are , excuse the phrase flunkies, . My agent Dan went to work with the NRCS back in the 90s, he wanted to work in wildlife and conservation, and he did for the first few years, and the office staff supported a agent in charge of ag. Budget cuts and the ag agent was given early retirement and no replacement was hired, they told Dan he would have to fill both the conservation job and the ag job, but Dan freely admits he knows little about ag, but that does not matter. Dan does his best, hes helping me put in better rotational grazing infrastructure, piped water, gravel pads, and good fencing, hes got 75 percent of my cost shared by the govt, plus a incentive payment for keeping the cows out of the woods. But as hes worked with me , he keeps telling me to tell him what I need cause he isnt a farmer. Its the politicians who are at fault, they cut budgets everywhere except in thier own pockets, my dad retired from the army, and growing up Id see politicats come in limos, thousand dollar suits, and five hundred dollar haircuts, theyd smile and shake my dads hand and say how much they appreciated him. But meanwhile while dad was serving, my mom had to apply for foodstamps to feed us. These politicians are already wealthy when they get into office, then taxpayers pay them hundreds of thousands of dollars a year plus transportation, clothing and other perks. They say we need to control spending, unless it means it affescts them. Originaly in the foundings of this country congress was not paid, it was made up from the wealthier citizens and they paid thier own transportation and was not paid for thier time. Now the wages for congress is an astronomical figure, all together I mean. Im not talking any brand of politics here, whichever way one leans Im sure everyone agrees that the politicians are greedy and self serving. And any bill they right they are going to stick a carrot out there wehter or not it makes sense just to try to appease the masses. One thing I learned growing up and watching dad in the service, is to try to legaly get whatever the govt offers, as an American citizen we dont seem entitled to much, so get what you can. josh

Carol, It's OK. By discussing it, I think we simply remind ourselves to be aware of the wildlife around us and to be careful, and also to expect the unexpected. This summer's cougar sightings were upsetting to me because they were so very close to the house, the garden and to me. But, this summer wasn't my first experience with them. I've heard them occasionally, usually out west towards the Red River, but once very up close and personal, during the entire 11 years we've been here. I've seen them in the past. Everyone in my family has seen a cougar here at least once. Many of our neighbors have too. We have friends who've seen them. We had a neighbor (now deceased) who was 'stalked' by one for about a half mile to a mile as he walked one day. Once he was aware it was stalking him, he picked up some deadfall tree branches (big ones)and waved them in the air to make himself look bigger and tougher, and he walked backwards all the way home so he didn't have to take his eyes off of it. So, we've always known that they are "around" periodically, but they've never been as obvious or as highly visable as they were this year, and they've never taken so many animals in a fairly short time span. None of us knows where they're coming from specifically or if they are breeding here, but I had juveniles in my yard, and juveniles don't appear out of thin air---they came from somewhere. I neither know nor care where they're coming from or how they came to be here or how many there are or how many are male or female, adult or juvenile. All I really care about is that they are a threat to my safety and to the safety of our family and animals. For me that's the bottom line--the safety issue. I don't mind the discussions, but I sincerely hope they never reappear on our property. Dawn