Neil, I've attached a link to the PFRA (Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Act) website. They grow their trees in Indianhead, Sask, so their advice for rooting willow and poplar cutting should work here. It may be getting a little far into spring - depends if your trees have budded out or not - but it would be worth trying. I got some willow cuttings from them last spring and planted them in pots - 6 out of 10 lived, and they may have done better if I had just planted them directly into the garden. I'm trying my own poplar and willow cuttings this spring. Connie Here is a link that might be useful: Poplar and Willow Cuttings from Hardwood

1. Original tires usually are not the best for snow. You could get additional traction by switching to snow tires, but the best grippers are noisier than touring tires. The next step down is all season tires. There are tires that offer more grip that are not too noisy - see Consumer Reports for noise ratings. Better traction tires will aid both accelerating from a stop and stopping. 2. Look at a Subaru with AWD (all wheel drive). I suggest the Forester model. This is what parents are buying in Wisconsin for their new teen age drivers. There are other versions of 4 wheel drives. A Jeep with part time and full time 4 wheel drive with snow tires is one of the best, but you do have to be savvy about how and when to use the various modes of this drive. However, maintence may be more costly than your present vehicle and the ride is more harsh for older Jeeps. A note of caution: A good 4 wheel drive can lull the unspecting driver into trouble. Its stopping power does not (seemingly) match its acceleration. It goes good, but stopping is no better than any other 2 wheel drive vehicle with the same tires.

Hi cowboyind, My automatic is on the van. I wrote as I did because it seems to me that it's an issue that few drivers consider. I did refer to the fact that the engine acts as a brake until it gets down to about idling revolutions, so one should not slip it out until speed is reduced to that level. The little 1990 Dodge Colt that I refer to often has 1.5 litre engine and standard tranny - bought over 6 years ago with something over 80,000 mi., now about 165,000. Sips gas - drove s. KY to few miles south of Detroit, with side trip to Indiana border, on 1 tank of gas. Standard trannies give several more miles per gallon than equivalent automatics. I grew up with standards, don't find them a nuisance. Hope the best deal that I can find on next car has standard tranny - that's a major component of such decisions. Best wishes for saving fuel - for both global warming and conservation of energy reasons. I suspect that the recent invasion of Iraq had a lot to do with achieving a secure oil supply. Look at the pedigree of major actors making the major decisions. oj

I drive the same thing winter and summer. My 2002 Hyundai Sonata. Years ago when front-wheel drive first came out, I was driving a Camaro. Stupid thing would get stuck on a newspaper! Hated that car. Got rid of that thing after owning it a year. I bought a front-wheel drive car, and it would churn through anything. Have driven front wheel drives since. All cars, no SUV's or anything fancy. In my dreams I would like an SUV, but funds are limited. My car is still running fine, with 290,000 KM on it. I just got it checked for my bi-annual Drive Clean and it passed. This post was edited by jasdip on Tue, Aug 6, 13 at 9:02