I just decluttered my kitchen area & got rid of a few of those infamous piles (as in how does all of this stuff accumlate so quickly?) - and filled up a whole waste basket of torn paper!!! yeah composting!!! My daughter (age 6) came up w/the solution to keeping the dog out of the basket (i.e. the dog who loves to eat any paper item). A family effort :) I just love it. My husband started giving me strange looks (actually called me that "obsessive" word) today about me taking the rotten grapes out of the garbage that he had thrown away instead of setting aside for the CP - I thought to myself that he hasn't seen anything - he should read some of the items on the "compost wacko" thread, on which I don't even YET rate :)

Claire, your ocean view is to die for and your xmas lights photos are so pretty. I love the ship's prism indoors too. I hope my digital camera cannot be adversely affected by the batteries being installed the wrong direction. I did this accidentally a couple weeks ago for the first time. That's what I get for trying to replace batteries in a semi-lit room without my glasses. Fortunately I discovered the mistake and rectified it immediately, and the camera seems unharmed. I'll have to be a lot more vigilent from now on because I don't want to replace my trusty olympus with its powerful zoom lens. tree oracle, your tropical/desert garden photos are like a magical oasis in the midst of the current polar winter conditions outside my windows. We got about 18" here in Vermont and the daytime temp is 10 F.

Please let me know if you'll be able to make the event. We have a GREAT space and some great gardeners coming. Are you? Here is a link that might be useful: 2012 New England Plant Swap

I have little use for Sunset in the NE, though it is extremely useful with the west and Southwest. The best book I have run across for timing in our area is the 1977 book Crockett’s Victory Garden by James Underwood Crockett. You can get it used online. You do have to ignore everything he says about pesticides (shudder) but he gardened in MA and has timing down well. It is organized by month. There was also a flower garden book, but I haven’t used it. https://www.amazon.com/Crocketts-Victory-Garden-Underwood-Crockett/dp/0316161217 https://www.amazon.com/Crocketts-Flower-Garden-Underwood-Crockett/dp/0316161330/ref=pd_bxgy_img_2/137-0558906-5334416?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0316161330&pd_rd_r=d139634d-a49b-4918-a211-7881fb0b5c03&pd_rd_w=D2cGI&pd_rd_wg=q0T45&pf_rd_p=3edd75bb-e36e-488e-b666-80dd1a52c658&pf_rd_r=PJZCK8KEHYSFENCWCE6C&psc=1&refRID=PJZCK8KEHYSFENCWCE6C There are some really nice garden resources in the Boston area such as Garden in the Woods and its parent organization, the Native Plant Trust for natives; and for woody plants, the Arnold Arboretum and the Mount Auburn Cemetery. https://www.nativeplanttrust.org https://www.arboretum.harvard.edu https://mountauburn.org/blooms-at-mount-auburn/