David, Fair enough. Yes, Ive seen the dustbowl, and know about "The Year Without a Summer", and I also know that the last time the earth was as warm as projected in 100 years, the forest prairie line was not near OKC down to Dallas, but much further west near Lubbock Texas. It is also thought that the over all winters were milder. Which actually gives me a big of hope so to speak. Though,hard data is lacking during that time. And FTR, I do think the current issues are partly caused by the natural cycles of NA climate. Specifically negative PDO, La Nina during a negative PDO, and unusually warm Atlantic (actually warmer than would be indicated by past climate) Have been saying that from the start. BUT hardly all of it. There was no May snow in Arkansas during the 30's. Nor did the Arctic ice melt as it is now. What's more, many of those records are now being broken. Lastly, those extremes tended to be one sided i.e. drought and heat, not lurching back and forth from one en to the other with basically no transition. I appreciate, you coming back to clarify, but I do disagree that we can't know for sure. inge, Do nothing is exactly what it sounds as though you are saying. It's thought that the Chinese lose more than 10% of their annual crop production due to reduction in sunlight intensity sunlight alone due to pollution, and that was in the 90's. Pollution has gotten far worse since then, so the number is certainly higher now. Where is there not pollution? Where do people not live and travel to and from? Some claim the atmosphere is too big to affect. If that were true why does it only weight on 14.7 pounds are sealevel? That is all the mass of the entire atmosphere above you at the very bottom of that atmosphere. Hardly an insurmountable amount The biological/climate system is only a thin skin around the earth, exactly where we live. To think that 7,000,000,000 people can't have an effect on climate contained in 14.7 pound columns of mass above them is simply ridiculous . Arktrees

Thanks - does anybody know if plain roasted tomatoes can be canned (in PC?)? I sent 22 lbs of tomatoes (4 gallons) home with my dad to put in their freezer, I didn't get to roast any last night but I've got a casserole in the oven now, a full sheet pan (disposable) single layer of mostly paste tomatoes cut up. No oil, no garlic, no nothing. DD and I were canning jam today so BWB still has water in it, if I can do BWB (how to determine how many tomatoes for proper acidification) that would be good but I know it will take longer than PC. These tomatoes had spots I had to cut out but weren't over-ripe. The ones I sent with my dad were REALLY ripe, some had soft spots (I cut out), others weren't as ripe but had anthracnose spots (salmon colored) so I don't think I can can those - just take out a gallon at a time to make sauce or soup (or fewer to use in chili)?

Adding insulation, or a longer freeze proof hose bib, will only work if the garage is heated or otherwise stays significantly above freezing in really cold weather. Of course, the hose should be removed from the spigot before weather reaches freezing so that the water can drain. If the garage doesn't stay significantly above freezing, then you need to install heat tape or a shutoff inside the house with an air break so that you can drain/blow-out the line. Those are really your only two options -- other than completely relocating the hose bib to a heated part of the house. Relocating the hose bib would avoid a lot of maintenance problems later. Heat tape will require that you run power to it. Perhaps the new stuff is more reliable than the old stuff, but I've seen heat tape fail too often. Installing the shutoff and blowing out the line is reliable if you do it well-- but it takes time and is easy to forget. If you are going to stay there, relocate the line.

thatcmopostguy, I do dehydrate some zucchini. Some slices, so I can toss a handful into soups in the winter and some in the form of zucchini candy, which my grandkids love. Thanks, LindaLou, wherever you are! Zucchini Candy (LindaLou/Harvest Forum) 10 cups peeled diced zucchini 1/2 inch cubes ( I use "worms" about 3 inches long and 1/12 inch thick and wide. The little dice would be good in muffins, though. 3 cups water 2 pkgs. unsweetened Koolaid 2 1/2 cups sugar Peel zucchini, diced, removing seeds. Mix the liquid syrup together. Add zucchini. Bring to a boil and them simmer for 25 min. Drain. Put on dehydrator trays. Dry 14 hours at 125 degrees. Turn pieces over and dry another 4 hours. This will feel dry and not sticky when done. Store in jars or other tightly sealed containers.If you dip in sugar when you turn them, they will be more like "gum drops" on the outside. You can do the same thing with the zucchini but use 48 oz. pineapple juice 2 T. pineapple extract 2 1/2 cups sugar 1/4 cup lemon juice They really are like fruit snacks, as LindaLou said in her notes, and the kids like them rolled in sugar, just another layer of sweet, LOL. Annie