Nancy, be patient with BOB. He really does look a lot better here in his third (? gosh, time flies!) year. BOB was kinda...lavender tinged gray the first year, and I was disgusted. Plus, it looked identical to Big Navy planted just down from it. No more! Big Navy got it's much darker indigo and BOB speaks for itself.

I know nothing of your fruit, but it sounds intriguing. Your lack of a food mill, and difficulty with your blender could be a good reason for you to purchase an immersion blender. (Some people call them a stick blender.) They're fantastic because you can just "blend" in the pot! I use it all the time when making a pureed soup, or split pea soup or something. I can speed along the process of lots of items by blending rather than waiting for something to completely mash down on its own. They're not terribly expensive, super easy to use, and easy to clean. There are several companies who make these. Here is a link that might be useful: Basic Information about Immersion Blenders

greenhearted - I think the white mum is excellent too! (It does need cutting back by half around the first of June and again at the first of July to keep it short and bushy as it is an old-fashioned one with weak stems....) I have no idea what the variety name is. I definitely will be spreading it around next spring! Re heptacodium - even without the fall color phase, it is well worth growing IMO. It has light tan peeling bark and the trunk/branches show up nicely in winter against a darker background - I recommend planting it on the south side of an evergreen tree to provide that contrast. Mine has and old cedar behind it - BUT I planted it too close (there wasn't enough space in the bed!) so the tree is sort of half-a-tree as the branches have no room to grow on the north and NW side! But, since it is mainly viewed from the south and SE, the odd lop-sidedness of its growth is not too obvious most of the time :-)

There are still three good restaurants in SF Chinatown*, but very few. The Chinese community that grew wealthy through education/RE moved outwards: first to the Avenues, then to the Peninsula, and are now also in the better parts of the EBay, both Alameda and Contra Costa counties. In the 1980's due to the coming takeover of Hong Kong by Mainland China, there was an amazing renaissance of skilled chefs coming to SF to open restaurants. It not only revitalized the Cantonese food but was also the first time the regional cuisines began showing up: Sichuan, Shanghainese, and Hainan. After two recessions those chefs sold out and/or retired. What little energy is left for moderate-priced restaurants in Northern CA/SFBA, is now mostly driven by SE Asians, Koreans, and the fusion mix; e.g., the ubiquitous "global cuisine" label. Most of the Cantonese food in NorCA is cheap carp. I have to agree with Lars the dim sum scene is better now in SoCA than up here in NorCA. * Those 3 good restaurants in SF Chinatown are: - R&G Lounge, traditional moderate price - Mr. Jiu's, upscale/expensive, updated Cantonese from owner/chef Brandon Jew - Eight Tables, upscale/very expensive, prix fixe modernized Chinese from restaurateur George Chen