Saschja, I just now saw this comment from you in July......never got a notice in e-mail. So sorry to have not responded. You can e-mail me directly at free2bebrian and the @ and then gmail.com. My name is Jan. We still have walking sticks, but have managed to keep them limited. Takes a lot of plucking. The best remedy I found is watering the plants and watching for them moving out of the wet zone. They don't like water. Then I grab them and either kill them, which I hate doing, or put them in the yard waste bin. The problem with not killing them is the risk that they just get put somewhere else via the yard waste recycling. Mostly I suck up my buddhist impulses and kill them. But its hard. Write to me and we can talk directly. The brown and green are the same, just adjusted to the different color plant part they are on usually. So sorry you have a major infestation. Not a good sign for PG. Jan

Pork Roasted the Way the Tuscan Do This is a wonderful and easy technique for pork roasted inside a baguette with wonderful fresh herbs and of course garlic and olive oil! I'm sure this will become a favorite of yours too - it's great to bring on a picnic lunch! 2 teaspoons fresh chopped sage 2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 cloves garlic, minced Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon fennel pollen 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 pork tenderloin, trimmed 1 loaf crusty baguette On a work surface, mince the sage, rosemary, pepper, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and fennel pollen together. Heat a frying pan over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Cook the pork, turning occasionally, until golden on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Roll the pork in the herb mixture and set aside. Cut the baguette in half the long way and scoop out the soft insides. Brush the inside of the baguette with the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Place the pork on the inside of the baguette so that the pork is completely enclosed. Trim off the excess ends of the bread. Tie, at 1 to 2-inch intervals, with kitchen string. Preheat an oven to 375°F. Place the pork on a baking sheet and roast until done, 155 to 160°F when an instant read thermometer is inserted into the thickest part, 25 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven, let rest 10 minutes. Remove the strings and cut into slices. Serve. Serves 4 Here is a link that might be useful: Tuscan Pork

I would not trust any artificial sweeteners. I tend to agree with Jack La Lane - fitness guru "If God didn't make it - I don't eat it!" I think he's in his 90's now or pushing 90 and still going strong on fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds and at least 80% raw. I discovered Agave Nectar while visiting my daughter in CO. It is a raw, all natural sweetener that is not as strong flavored as honey and has a low glycemic index making it suitable for diabetics. I like Agave because it is much easier to use than STevia - and blends better requiring no special recipes - just use 1/2 - 2/3 cup where a recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar. Stevia would be my 2nd choice if I couldn't have sugar. I also use natural sugar - turbinado or cane sugar that is usually brown and not the overprocessed white sugar. It is a little more expensive than white sugar, but with lifestyle and dietary changes, we find we do not need to consume as much sugar as we used to when we ate less healthy so it really lasts a lot longer. Once you start cutting down on soft drinks, your taste buds will begin to appreciate the pure natural flavor of foods. We drink mostly steam distilled water, sometimes with a little lemon, or fruit juices whereas we used to drink a lot of pop. I quit drinking soda pop when I learned that the amount of sugar in one can of soda is enough to shut down your immune system for an entire day. Then also the benzene or whatever the stuff they put in it as a preservative is carcinogenic. I have the article somewhere. Anyway it sure made us not want to injest any more of that stuff! I think it is criminal what chemical companies have done to our world. And I too, cringe at the commercials showing children eating splenda or anything with nutrasweet! SHUDDER!!! One does not have to research very far to be horrified at the effects of chemicals on our children - from poisoning them with vaccines [the most suspect in causing Autism] to food additives, pesticides, herbicides + chlorine and fluoride in our water - I could go on and on but I'll let you do your own digging. "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man". How many times have you see medicine commercials touting their wonders only to find a little further down the road, law offices ads offering aid to those who have been damaged by those same meds?

i am not a breakfast person and never have been except on special occasions and that really leans towards brunch. Otherwise a cup of coffee before getting dressed and a big glass of ice water on my way to work. I usually have a bigger meal at out at lunch although I try to keep it heathy, and a lighter supper tonight just a chicken breast (sometimes a veggie/ fruit smoothie that always must include a banana). I do like eggs, so sometimes we will have breakfast for supper or I will have a couple of poached eggs and GF toast for supper (especially if DH has already eaten before I get home). I always have to have a bedtime snack (which is probably why I don't eat breakfast), usually a small yogurt, but sometimes gelato, a nutty energy bar' or a handful of trail mix. I've found for me a little something at bedtime (not too much or too heavy though) helps me sleep. Weight has never been much of an issue, but if it starts creeping a pound or two, I tend to try to go easy and cut back a bit until I'm back to optimum.