Zengeos, Solving the "I don't have beds prepared" problem. Let me preface to say I've only been gardening since I started WSing 4 years ago. I'm no pro, no expert, no vet. But this is what I did and it worked famously. It's basically a lazy lasagna gardening: 1. Lay down cardboard ASAP. Let it take advantage of your late Winter snows, early Spring rains...then you don't have to wet it down yourself. It's amazing how quickly the worms start working once that darkness is there (and protecting the ground from the moisture evaporating). 2. When it's time plant, put down a layer of manure-kitchen scraps-whatever-you-got organic matter. Doesn't have to be too thick in this case (with lazy-lasagna). You can add to it through the season and in the fall in prep for next season. 3. Put down potting soil on top of the organic stuff. If you don't have a lot, just concentrate on the one little area you are going to plant in immediately. Make sure the depth is enough that the seedlings won't touch the manure if that's the organic matter you used. 4. Plant your seedlings. You can do it the same day...the same hour. I have. And I've had no problems. When I have more time in the summer, I usually will amend the soil in that area some more, and apply the layers of medium more thoughtfully in the fall. But when I need a quick fix, this "lazy" method has worked great for me. I turned the area where an above-ground pool was into a garden this way, with very little work, and done within days of planting (and that was all sand underneath in that area!) --Also, don't forget containers...big pots and window boxes. Sometimes, I have just put a bunch of overgrown seedlings into big pots on my porch as a "holding bed". Sometimes they looked so good in there when they started blooming, I kept them there for the whole season. -- and on the sprouts...that's why I don't even look at the containers until I can walk the ground consistently without any snow and without a heavy coat on. I don't want to know what germinated early. There's always seeds in there that wait. They know when to sprout. Linda

Hi all - for those of you who provided your email address in the body of your response, you've got mail. If you didn't provide your email, please provide it in the body of your response to the post. With so many people asking for this, it's a lot of extra work for me to go into each person's profile to look up their email address. If you just put it here, I can quickly copy and paste and send everyone one email. Thanks!

Maybe my TinyURL link didn't work for everyone? Here is QVC's description of a low pressure cooker: "Gordon Ramsay K31101 - Gordon Ramsay 6 qt. Nonstick Low Pressure Stovetop Cooker Low pressure, high quality. World-renowned chef and restaurateur Gordon Ramsay knows home cooking should be a joy--not a job. And with his new low-pressure stovetop cooker, you can combine the classic techniques of slow cooking with the updated ease and control you need when preparing everyday meals. Now, you can boil, bake, braise, and simmer--all in the same pot! Low-pressure cooking is an ideal choice when making family dinners. This generous 6-quart cooker reduces cooking time over a conventional covered pot--water boils at a higher temperature under pressure, thus speeding up the cooking process. Plus, bathing food in steam seals in flavor and nutrients that are typically boiled out on the stovetop. Not just fast, it's convenient. Forget about long waits for pressure to drop before you can check on your food. You can open the locking lid at any time during the process--so it's easy to check on your potatoes, add ingredients, stir, or adjust seasonings. That's the kind of control every chef needs. You can even cook delicate fish dishes--unlike with an expensive electric high-pressure cooker. Advanced non-stick technology makes cleanup a breeze. From holiday feasts to quick-and-easy suppers, Chef Ramsay's innovative new cooker is the tool every home chef needs--and it's only available at QVC until October, 1, 2011. From Gordon Ramsay Signature. Average Customer Rating: 4 out of 5(62 Reviews)" I have never roasted the bones, yet I have been satisfied with the flavor of the soup. I just make it the way my mother did. I did make soup in this cooker and the meat cooked faster and was more tender than usual. The soup came out fine. However, I am disappointed with the performance of the cooker because I had the pot filled 3/4 full with the water,bones and meat and the pressure valve allowed not only moisture to escape but it also spewed grease all over the top of the pot. It was difficult to clean thoroughly around the vent in the lid. Next time I will make a smaller amount of soup. I liked the taste of the soup, the tenderness of the meat and the shortened cooking time. Nancy

Here is the latest installment of Daughter-san's travel-food blog. I must remonstrate with her to address the dwindling food content. https://katemakesthings.wordpress.com She cooked mussels in Marseille for the first time, and later asked me what interesting things can you do with this shellfish. I didn't know, since my main goal with mussels is to inhale them in great quantity and not let anyone else get any. Any suggestions, you might post on her blog, as we'll be in Marseille for Christmas and could try them. Okay, I'm starting to cook. SWMBO has made two pies and cleaned the house. I have to make a red wine-shallot-balsamic-mushroom reduction, roast a leg of lamb, make a honey glaze and do the ham, then make brussel sprouts with candied walnuts, those are my only jobs for the day. Hopefully I do them well, because SWMBO has been very upset with me. I have been buried in a neighborhood activism project. We are trying to get my neighborhood, Laurelhurst in Portland, listed as a Historic District. I have been writing a website, preparing flyers, setting up an online petition, building a database of houses and neighbors, linking that to an online map to track supporters and opponents, organizing teams of volunteers to canvass door-to-door around their homes, preparing lists of houses to contact and to avoid, beginning fundraising, and generally working a 30 hour/week unpaid job on top of my day job. Which is why I'm not posting so much here, and if you listen to SWMBO - and I would encourage that you don't - completely failing to pull my weight around the house. I've decided that there's been enough sitting around and bemoaning things without doing anything to change them. At all levels, from national to local. I've been encouraging all my friends to pick a cause and get to work.