Well, there you are!!!! Been wondering about you! It never fails though, when you disappear for awhile, you always show up with something Spec-tac-u-lar-Fab-u-lous!! I don't see any room for improvement there! It is a gorgeous piece of art, Robert, as usual.Thanks for sharing it with us and wanting our opinion. It's a beauty, we applaud you!!!! And, don't stay away so long next time! blessings-sherri

Hi All - thanks so much for the great discussion and tips. I have been growing a pink currant but don't know the name - it is thriving here in Colorado (I keep getting new plants sprouting everywhere near the original). The birds don't bother the currants at all here. They eat everything else I grow! I wanted to add a black currant and just called Lucile at Whitman and ordered - what a nice lady! She had the Ben Lomand black and the Russe (sp?) which is not listed in her catalog but she is very happy with that variety so I am trying both.

we did it! we arrived at a price we are very happy with and close in 30 days. basically, the seller said this is our lowest price, and were ready to sit it out all winter and not go below that number. we said ok, but you pay closing costs. they moved down another $5000 and said however we get there, that is the number. we happily accepted and will hopefully be celebrating christmas with our 14 month old in our first home! we really loved this home and have not seen anything like it for even close to the price we got it for. luckily we did not have to risk threatening to walk away, because we really did not want to, and still got the seller to move significantly from the list price. all in all, not too painful, even for someone as impatient as me... thanks for all the insights and strategies and positive wishes.....

"Any ideas what the court would legally do?" It depends on the state, I believe. A friend of mine recently went through a divorce. He has two children with his now ex. After the second one was born he learned his wife had been cheating on him on and off for a long time (he found out she was cheating when he got a VD). It is possible the youngest child is not his. In fact, the youngest doesn't look like him, but does resemble the other guy (so I've been told by someone else). But it's not a clear cut thing since the other guy and the BM are the same ethnicity, so it's possible the child actually resembles the mother. Anyway...he was told by 2 lawyers to "speak now or forever hold your peace". If he wanted to contest paternity he had to do it before the award of child support (being done as part of the divorce). He consulted a doctor about the test but never followed through. He decided the child is "his" either way, and he just didn't want to know. He pays almost $3k in child support per month, so there was a lot at stake. I think the little girl's situation is complicated. What if the situation was that she was conceived using a sperm donor, so her "dad" was not her biological father? I think most people believe children conceived using alternative methods (sperm donation, egg donation, even adoption) have a right to know. Doesn't this girl have a right to know who her bio father is? What if she found out some other way, wouldn't that be devastating? For example, my mother was blood type O and dad is type A. Let's say I took high school science and then went to donate blood and learned I had blood type B...I'd know know one of my parents (most likely the father, let's face it) was not in fact my bio parent. I was actually at a party where people were talking about blood types and someone figured out something hinky was going on in their family. Everyone shut up real quick.