You can borrow him but make sure you send him back... there's LOTS more pruning to be done and I don't like having to mess with it. LOL He's pretty great when it comes to things like this though... although I didn't want to prune the dogwoods just yet I saw no real harm in getting them out of the way as there was some sort of white fungus growing all over the branches. Once he did cut them all down (I was there supervising and helping to pull out the 10-15 ft long "branches") I noticed just how big the stumps were. There's only two shrubs there but they will more than likely come back a lot stronger next year. I bet they'll start growing in before winter actually.... I'm not worried about bloom time anyways as this variety doesn't have real pretty blooms. I was the one that pruned the dead wood off the Rose of Sharon as when I let him at it he cut off about 12-13 flower buds. They haven't opened yet and I'm sure a lot of the reason this old tree isn't doing the best is because of those dogwoods.... now that they're gone it should do much better. When it comes to our gardening there are quite a few things that both of us like and only a few that he likes and I don't like or vise versa. So, we're pretty compatible at least as far as gardening goes.. ;-) But seeing as I'm the one who really is deciding what plants are selected I let him choose what he likes and then I pick from there. We've been married for just 8 years now but so far things seem pretty good... if I could just get him to prune at the proper times of the year though... that would be nice. :-) ttfn Mystic.

My husband, 2-year old daughter, and I, were sitting behind this guy at a religious meeting, so after the final prayer, I introduced myself and welcomed him. He was with some friends of ours and it turned out that he had just met them the week before. He had been traveling with his wife and small daughter to move to another state, when a drunk driver hit them head on in the desert fog. His truck was totalled. The baby was in a car seat and was fine. His wife suffered many serious injuries and was taken to our local hospital. That's how he came to meet my friend, who had been called when people of our same religion had requested help at the hospital. Well, anyway....he was thin and stressed and trying to figure out what to do. There was no instant connection--no attraction. I invited him to dinner with us, but he declined. As it worked out eventually, the wife was air-lifted to a hospital in the city where her parents lived, where my (DH) was moving. Because of the wreck, the ensuing lawsuit against the drunken woman who had just chalked up her 4th accident while DUI, and both vehicles totalled, DH lost the job transfer to the new state. A few months later, he was back at my meeting. He had to return to fight the legal battle in person, so got a job in my town. His wife, on finding out that she was getting a nice sum as a settlement for her injuries, decided to stay with her parents, keep their daughter, and divorce him. Within another year or so, I found myself divorced about the same time his divorce was finalizing. I moved into a room for rent as a temporary measure while saving to move to California. He was renting another room in the same house. Somehow...some way.....without ANY prior notice of each other in the preceding 2 years, we became friends. A few months later.....we both moved out of the house...and into our own place as husband and wife! One of the things we both thought was funny as we began dating, was finding out that he thought I was nice to show a concern for him but he never gave me another thought. I felt bad for his situation, but he seemed to have no real personality. Until we started to really talk while living with the family that owned the house, neither had much opinion of the other. Red

Wish people would stop misunderstanding and get on with it. FOAS: I Googled " Italian recipe - Merluzza in Marinara Sauce " Some members are knocking Whiting and the other fishes I mentioned. I was trying to find a positive attitude towards all the other fishes, I have enjoyed thru the years. Seems like Flounder, Haddock, Trout, Salmon which is in the Trout family and others are not the best because the price is lower. Maybe I'm misunderstanding now. I saw a few of the Garden Web Posts when I Googled. One was Posted in Sept.09 Fresh Tomatoe Sauce and long Simmered Sauce Here is another I copied: Jarred Pasta Sauce May 09 AnnT: I think what they are talking about here is a close Duplicate for, the Home Made-Italian Style Spaghetti Sauce ( Gravy ) Which is the Crushed Tomatoes, Puree and Paste, with all the Goooooood Spices and Meatballs , Suasage, Chicken and other meat thrown in too. Some use other style tomatoes. This is a different Style Sauce than Marinara I didn't go back and read the Threads again, because it seems like it has been going on for a long time. - - - - - - - - - - I did use a can of Del Monte's 4 Cheese Spaghetti Sauce, yesterday to make a double serving of Spaghetti and Meat balls for a Neighbor Cancer Patient. I only had to add some Garlic and Onion powder. Would never have thought to use Del Monte's. My Daughter brought it up and said to try it. I Posted this on WFD, which is going South once more. - - - - - - - - - - I do your Marinara Style for cooking Whities, White Fish, ( Merluzza ) and other Seafood. Sometimes with Chicken. That's what Marinara means( of the Sea ),Marinaio ( Sailor) When I lived in Phila. there were many Italian families, who came over from Italy, in the neighborhood. A lot of them were from Coastal Towns and did a lot of Marinara Style sauce. My Uncle was one of them . He was from Abruzzi, Italy. When I visited him , I was the Garlic and Parsley Chopper. My Aunt was the Cook and he told her How and What. The Fish was always delicious in the Marinara Sauce. Bread Dipping Good !!!!! We use a lot of Garlic and Parsley, with a pinch of Oregano, along with the Spices you mentioned, alon with 1/3 cup of Muscatell Wine. There are probably some members who " remember " and do the Marinara Style with Fish and Seafood, or Maybe I'm a loner. LOU

Oh, yum, nothing like some nice 5 month old chips and salsa, Haley! lol I hope your BIL has a strong constitution. :) I never caught MIL regifting the things we had given her, but when we cleaned out her house after she died, I think I came across about 3 things that we had given her over the course of 20+ years. And we had given her nice, pricey things. She kept one afghan, one of those heavy woven ones, and a clock made of inlaid woods and a handmade quilting basket. I remember snorting out loud once when she exclaimed "oh you always give the best gifts!". Woody and I both laughed because she never displayed or used barely any of the things we gave her but was always so proud of the tacky junk that her great-nieces and nephews sent up, stuff like the toilet piggy bank that "flushed" when you put money in it. Yeah, she liked that a lot. lol And the motion activated frog. I regift, too, though, so I don't really have a problem with it IF the regift fits the recipient. Otherwise you're just being cheap. I would hate to get caught at it because I don't like hurting someone's feelings, but I am not going to keep something around me that I don't like and won't use, I'll donate it to the thrift shop if I don't have a friend that would like it.