Jan, I'm sorry. I forgot to reply! Yes, it is, in fact, the book with the fertilizers and such. And it's fantastic!!! So far, I really like it. Went out and bought some of the items listed for ferts. such as vitamin B1, fish poo (emulsion), gelatin and the like. Doesn't that sound yummy? hahaha Maid . . . I like the book. At first . . . I wasn't sure. I mean, the price is INSANE! But I really think it will be worth it. :) Carolyn

Thanks for the reference! I could really use something light to read. I checked amazon and there's a Kindle edition of The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: How a Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices into Fearless Home Cooks so I've got a new book to read! /tricia

Hi veer! Sorry for the lack of explanation - the RP discussion selection for March is Cloud Atlas, and March is only a few days away (but really, I often don't have the book finished in time and its often just fine. Just being silly) And the number of books I read in a month depends on the time of year. Right now things at school are moving along splendidly. After Spring Break in March, all hell breaks lose - I'll be in the middle of transition conferences for kids going to Kindergarten, as well as evaluation for preschoolers coming in next year. So its a whirl wind till the end of school. And then I once again have lots of time. >the place was full of loggers, trappers and huskies Hee, sort of like visitors from 1950 said Arizona was nothing but cowboys - and the sterotype stuck! :) Actually it is filled with excellent high quality museums, plus some little places to explore (tho we are really going to do that in Quebec City) Thanks for the suggestion - I know some people did mention a few ideas, and think dynomutt was one.

Update: Mary, I reread the part about the Greenland Norse in Diamond's book Collapse, and this time picked up on something that I must have forgotten previously. Apparently there had been at least four waves of Native American hunter-gatherers who preceded the Inuit who came and went from Greenland because of similar climate vacillation that the Norse eventually experienced. The Norse did encounter native peoples at some point but it is not completely clear if the Skraelings were proto-Inuit or Inuit. Unfortunately these meetings did not go well and the Norse inclination to bellicosity certainly didn't help. Diamond speculates -- plausibly, I think -- that the surviving Norse of Western Settlement fled to the Eastern Settlement, but the Eastern Settlement had its own problems and would have been overwhelmed by the migrants. (The names Western/West Settlement and Eastern/East Settlement are used by different historians.) Yes, "ancient ones" is the most common euphemistic meaning of Anasazi. Another is "old-time strangers." However, I looked it up and found that Anasazi is a Navajo word meaning "ancient enemies," sometimes enhanced with other uncomplimentary adjectives from the Navajo language. The guides at Mesa Verde give a little speech to visitors who don't know any better than to refer to the cliff-dwellers as Anasazi, but they, the guides, will not be saying it and they encourage others to refrain from it as well. However, I don't think the word will go away in common usage any time soon. Have you read Charles C. Mann's 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus? Among many things that I was not aware of: The Amazon rainforest is largely the result of intentional plantings by pre-Columbian natives, perhaps beginning thousands of years ago. It's a giant orchard! The "Indians" of North and South America (perhaps Mesoamerica as well) deliberately set fire to the plains grasses and forest undergrowth as part of their "land management." What texts are you using in your American West study? I'm always curious!