I lost my diamond engagement ring at the Wang Center in Boston one night a long time ago. I think I had lost weight and it was loose on my finger. I didn't notice it until we got home. You can imagine how frantic we were. Would you believe, we turned around and went back and it was actually lying on the ground as you enter and we found it. We couldn't believe how lucky that was. I have lost my eyeglasses for days at a time in the garden. lol I have two pair for reading and distance. The worst is when I pop a lense. Try finding that in the grass...lol. Tools aren't so bad for us. I am in the habit of putting the hand tools in the same place before I come in the house and the long handled tools always make the trip to the garage after using them. I don't have a well organized space for garden tools and supplies yet, but I am hoping to do that this year and have it right by the back kitchen door. I think that would help. I like the idea of carrying a 5 gallon pail with necessary equipment with me when I go out the door. I haven't a place to store it yet and I refuse to leave one by the kitchen door. But I am working on it. mxk3, we use a small clean pot or a rubbermaid container to scoop soil in a pinch. Works quite well. pm2

Since you have more land available, it may be more practical to look into John Jeavons' Biointensive mini-farm methods. His materials are available in many languages, including Spanish. The English-language title of his primary book is "How to Grow More Vegetables (than you ever thought possible on less land than you can imagine)." In Spanish, his book is "Cultivo Biointensivo de Alimentos: Más Alimentos en Menos Espacio." Available at www.bountifulgardens.org. Jeavons' techniques focus on 100-sq-ft plots + compost. Since you have the small animals and other terrific compost resources, plus people who are used to physical labor (Jeavons' double-digging will therefore not be surprising to them), his methods might resonate better with them. Also, there is no cost of raised beds with Jeavons' methods, as there is with Mel Bartholomew's. Even with mostly salvaged materials, I still had to spend some money (which I didn't really have) this year on my three small SFG beds. Other Biointensive publications in Spanish: --"Huertos Familiares," by Juan Manuel Martinz. "Booklet used by the nationwide program in Mexico to teach Biointensive mini-farming at the introductory level," according to information in the back of my 7th-ed. Jeavons book. --"Rotofolio Huertos Familaries," by the same author: Flipchart used for teaching Biointensive mini-farming in villages in Mexico (this might be more useful if you're dealing with non-literate people). Side note: there was a 6.5 or so earthquake near Chiapas recently. Did it affect your community? Perhaps something positive, like Biointensive methods, will help avert future food shortages from whatever factors. Best wishes; buena suerte! Cynthia H. in el cerrito, cal.

Hi Cookie....Hi Lou; No, that "NEW AND IMPROVED TASTE" is for one reason that they DON'T tell you. I have noticed this (taste change) with a lot of products. One comes to mind as we speak.....ever hear of Entenmanns Bakeries????? They have (had) the BEST cakes, pies, etc. around. I bought a package of their Cheese Buns that were always good. When I bit into it, I thought I was eating cardboard. They tasted stale, but the fresh thru date said, May 15th. That was on the 6th of May. I called them next day and complained, which I normally never do, but, for $5.99, for 6 buns I want something decent. I asked them what happened to the recipe, did they change it? She said they must of changed it, or something to that effect. Yeah, they changed all right. They are eliminating a lot of key ingredients that make them taste good. Same as Campbell's Pork and Beans.. They are not the same as years ago. Why??? Because they took out the chunk(s) of pork that flavored the beans. Why??? HEALTH REASONS. Too much fat, too much cholestorol, too much salt, too much this and too much that.B.S. And what Pisses me off more is that they raised the price of everything. What a racket. She said she will send me coupons for another or whatever I want. Great>>>>>>>Just what I need. Cookie, Donna is right on the money with her post. EVERYTHING sucks lately. Bettor off making it yourself, your ingredients, in the privacy of your home. P.S. sorry for sounding so nasty. Just had to get that cake issue off my chest ,lol. Tony

You can always try what one of my mother's coworkers did - she was divorced and wanted to feel more secure, but had kids so was concerned that if she had a gun an accident would happen. So she compromised and got a shotgun/rifle/whatever with one of those bolt-actions (do they have shotguns with bolt actions?). Anyway, whatever it was, it was the kind of gun that makes that distinctive click-clunk sound, but she didn't ever get shells/bullets for it. If she thought she heard a noise she'd click-clunk the gun, figuring that if it was a potential intruder she'd heard they weren't going to stick around to find out whether it was really loaded or not. Obviously I am not au courant on my firearms. The only kind of guns I've really ever shot much are flintlock rifles; they're really fun to shoot at the range but wouldn't be very practical for home protection. "Hey, can you hold on a couple minutes while I load this thing? Damn, the powder was damp, wait a minute.... oh crap, now I've got to turn the flint because it's not sparking... Hey, come back with my TV!" :)