You have to type in the title of the article in the search function to get there, but it was an interesting read. I particularly think we all need to know that many of the plants now produce sterile seeds. That is a good thing re invasive plants but a bad thing if you want to collect seeds, especially vegetable ones. Root, in that seed list I posted from NARGS, did you notice that the wild collected seeds had the site from which the seeds were gathered? I try to request seeds from areas in which the horticultural features mimic NC's Piedmont. So many plants we purchase are now grown from tissue culture. There are positive things about this action, but it also means a "sameness," perhaps no chance of random sports. T. Avent buys tissue culture starts for many things, but most of his expensive plants are grown out the "hard" way, thus his very high prices. On the other hand, tissue culture has made possible lady slipper orchids at what some may think a reasonable price...still a little too pricey for me to chance growing them...but I love seeing them in his new catalog, which just arrived at my house yesterday. Happy New (Gardening) Year to all.

Cameron, Congratulations on being recognized for all your hard work! I definitely think you should meet with the writer and fellow garden enthusiast. I agree with Vikki about not over-doing. I have 20+ years in the beauty business and witnessed models showing up for photography evaluations. They arrive wearing white t-shirts and jeans, hair pulled back into a pony tail and with NO makeup. Makeup artists, photographers and stylists are looking for good, unadorned bone structure that they can work with. They definitely will work their magic later. :-) I have a feeling garden photography is much the same. The writer already knows the "bones" in your garden, so don't worry if something is not in bloom at the moment. :-) I hope Hanna spares you. What a hurricane season this is turning out to be. Yikes! Marilyn

With all the after Thanksgiving sales going on in the states (if that's where you are)I would check your local fliers for better deals. Keep the specs for that one and see if you can find another (Toshiba, HP, Acer) with same or better specs for less money

This was so much information! Thank you! I want to pull out what I found to be the most interesting and post it on it's own. "Just as the body was formed and operates on a priority basis, so it heals on a priority basis. This means that the most important parts of the body get the healing attention before the less vital tissues. We can't force the body to place its healing priority on weight loss when in fact the liver is about to die, for example. The liver is more important to your body than the extra pounds. So all the energies of the body go to heal the liver and weight loss will stop. The body will not compromise what health and vitality it does have in one part of the body to bring about healing in another. In other words, the body will not "rob Peter to pay Paul." So you may be eating nutritionally and exercising and you start out losing some weight. But then all of a sudden, you become stuck at a certain weight -- the needle on the scale won't budge anymore. The body is rejoicing on the inside and saying things like, "You know, we have all this extra energy now because Mr. Doughnut here has decided to start eating right and exercising -- let's take some of our new available energy and start the healing process on his congested liver!" So the body will take all the available energy and channel it into the liver. As a result the weight loss stops. The body will NOT take away any energy needed for daily activities and maintenance. It will only take what is left over to start the healing process. It's my belief that the body does not completely heal one part before moving on to the next item on its priority list. Rather, it heals a part to the degree that it is no longer a priority. At that point the healing attention is shifted to the part of the body that is now in most need of repair. In the above example, once the liver has been cleansed somewhat, the body will refocus its attention on other areas... perhaps back to weight loss. During my weight loss period, I would hit plateaus where it seemed like I'd never lose another pound. I lost 10 pounds and then nothing for 3 weeks. During that time I woke up one morning and my arthritis was gone and my blood sugar had stabilized somewhat. If you keep on your diet and exercise program, you will eventually lose all the weight you want. A healthy body is not overweight. Remember, "Always strive for health and the weight loss will happen!"