Altadena, thanks for the thumbs up on the mag. coco -- what michelia are you growing, by the way? Here's my take on wrightia -- to the best of my knowlege, it has a long history of cultivation in gardens and containers in Southeast Asia, and a shorter history as a tropical bonsai species, but was pretty unknown in North America until about 4-5 years ago. Somebody imported it because it's fragrant, pretty, compact, takes pruning well (but see Supannee's post above!), and blooms in flushes on new growth, and suddenly it became "the legendary wrightia religiosa" -- gotta love a botanical name like that anyway -- and so I naturally took the bait and ordered one. Here's the catch: I ordered a three foot high specimen from a company, Bloomin' Good, that no longer does mail order! Some nurseries sell small starters, and I suspect they're harder to grow because they don't have extensive root systems -- it's really a tree, not a woody vine like most true jasmines. Mine has been very tough within limits, it takes full sun and loves the heat, has survived night temps down to the low 50s with only some leaf dieback (I wouldn't leave it out in anything under 50 degrees), and has survived spider mite attacks in winter. The flowers look like single fuschia flowers, and all hang on roughly the same horizonal plane in a cluster, so several clusters open at once look very elegant. The scent is not, I'd say, quite as wonderful as a sambac jasmine; it's not as heavy, and slightly less rich, but it's very nice, again particularly when you've got a lot of flowers. I don't seem to have a picture of it right now; if I get more blooms soon I'll post 'em! Elaine, I'm pretty sure "Cottage pinks" is just a name for a group of carnation cultivars, not one particular variety. Check some seed catalogs and Flower Scent Gardens online to see if you can find some good ones! Jim

Dale I would never be able to describe the exact location of where these morels were found. They were on private property, and I was invited by the owner, or I never would have found it by myself. Now, since she has moved, I'd probably have to trespass or get the new owner's permission. Anyways, you should be happy to know they are to be found in many locations in Oklahoma. Keep tabs on this link, and you should be able to zero in on a good location. I think there's another morel link for Oklahoma as well as this one online. You won't be disappointed if you luck onto a good morel spot. As you will see in the pics in this link, even the homeies love them, lol! Just wait til about April and about four days after a rain. Look for a moist woodland, where some deer and cows have roamed, and there are many such places in Oklahoma. I LOVE morels just about any way you can prepare them. And especially morel soup, or perhaps cut up in small pieces for tempura. A real delicacy. I've been thinking of starting my own little shitake patch. You can buy the spores of those online and perhaps other varieties as well. Dawn I can relate to the harvesting, canning and preserving fatigue. Getting kind of tired of it myself, so when dinner time rolls around and it's just me, it's catch as catch can from the garden. I really do hate to see the summer crops dwindling. Okra not bearing well. The cucumbers that store boughts will NEVER be able to rival are just about kaput. I still have tons of BIG tomatos that haven't ripened yet. Since it's been dry, with no recent rain, I've been allowing them to store up all that deliciousness and not get soggy or insipidly flavorless, so they have been amazing! Especially enjoying the Indian Stipes, which were not new to you, but certainly a delightful first for me. I'm hoping I don't get stuck with having to can jars of pickled tomatos or green tomato relish. I like it, but there's only so much of it I can eat. Today's menu was simply one of my baked buttercup squash, (just the right size for me), with butter and brown sugar, and cooked to pieces pole beans. Since I don't have a family to cook for, sometimes I kind of 'batch' and my folks used to call it. Nice in a way, since I can eat weird stuff that I like, when I like and not have to worry about meal planning per se. Barbara Here is a link that might be useful: Morels of Oklahoma

Hi Asovey, How great that you're at the beginning of the process--it's a blast! Top of my list is an open, light, bright workspace that's beautiful--a place where I love to spend time and can easily work. Under this category fall an excellent KD and cabinetmaker, great lighting, natural light, and in my case white cabinets and white marble counters (personal taste...) Second is an excellent, quiet vent hood (I have the 54" Best by Broan with inline attic-mounter blower). I tore out an entire section of perfectly good kitchen in order to be able to install this with the custom wood hood around it. Third would be drawers, drawers, drawers. Deep pot drawers, plenty of drawers for utensils and wraps, etc. They're the best thing since sliced bread...literally :) ...in the kitchen. Fourth is a spacious, well-lit, easily accessible pantry. Fifth is pull-out sink faucets and a veggie sink in the island or main prep area. I love my new higher-end appliances, but I was pretty much just as happy with my Kenmore rangetop as I am with the new Wolf range, my Viking fridge is nothing to write home about--the previous Jenn-Air was just as good and quieter, and although I love my Miele DW, it's had so many problems that it was replaced by the company after 16 months. Never had a problem with the previous Kenmore. My point is that in my case and IMHO, form, storage space, layout, construction quality, and lighting are more important than my appliances. Have to agree with the 48" Wolf in the island being a potential problem. Your island would have to be massive to accommodate the range and still leave room for landing space and everything else that goes on around an island, that space could easily lose the intimate feel. I also hear people with in-island ranges complaining about splattering guests and family members while cooking, and always having a big mess in the main gathering area. It looks great for cooking shows, but ask around and see if people with that arrangement like it IRL. Personal choice, of course. Good luck, and enjoy the process!!

Well, my kitchen still isn't quite done. But for now, it is my full extension drawers and the soft close on the doors and drawers. What a great feature. DB (dear boyfriend) used to make me jump everytime he shut (aka slammed) the cabinet door. Now it is quiet as a whisper--my whisper not his--he doesn't have a quiet bone in his body! I also love my faucet (pre-rinse faucet). I now know why they use those things in restaurants. Makes your life so much easier. My under cab lights which make my kitchen sexy! My Bosch dishwasher. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that thing. It is quieter than my new fridge. Cleans gunked up, caked on stuff that has been sitting there a week. Everything comes out clean as a whistle. Did I tell you that I love the thing? Granite is not too bad either Oh, by the way I Chick--check is in the mail... along with the other checks for CA state employees....Not so LOL...but one must keep a sense of humor...