Daisy, First, so happy to hear from you and your experiences! So your small m comment got me looking and it seems like American editors and rulebooks differ on the usage of small m from one to another. Some say it applies to every mediterranean climate outside the Mediterranean Sea area, and some say it refers to anything landlocked with that climate. Still others disagree and say if your climate is based on that sea then you can use the capital whereas everyone else must use a lowercase m. Just an interesting aside I had never considered before. Thank you! Thank you for the suggestions! I have not seen that book before and I am going to have to check it out. There is another book I want to interlibrary loan to see if it is worth purchasing called "Gardening in the Middle East." I fear it may have more to do with the desert, so I want to look at it first. Oh, the hail. Yes, that happens in NW Jordan as well. This information has given me some great direction. I will be taking a look! Julianna

You may want to look into a HDTV instead of just a tuner. Not all HDTV's are thin and lightweight like the LCD and plasma TV's of today. For example, Sony still makes the same bulky TV's (screen with a big back), except that you can buy them at great discounts even though they are HDTV. You have to be careful, of course, and make sure that these are HD TV's before you buy. However, even the HDTV's like those I told you about will be phased out by buyers, but at a later date than the analog TV's. Keep in mind that a LCD TV that is expensive this Christmas won't cost as much by Spring time. In fact, a 25% price drop will more than likely happen by summer. Some (not all) of the LCD and Plasma TV's of today include a HD tuner. It means that if you live in a place where the local TV stations transmit free digital signals, such a TV can display these digital images without you having to pay for a cable box. You only need cable for the pay-channels. The analog signals are also displayed on these TV's, but analog transmissions are not the best. Even so, you still can improve the roof antenna to somewhat clear the analog signals. You can read about it online at Crutchfield. To watch movies at home (if you don't have cable, nor over the air digital transmissions), nothing beats a HDTV that has a HDMI port on the back. All you need for this set-up is a DVD/CD player that has a HDMI jack on the back. Just connect a HDMI cable from the DVD player to the TV, and adjust the player's settings to take advantage of the HDTV display. The TV may be expensive, but you can get an excellent DVD player with HDMI fro around $99.00. The cable costs from $14.00 to $60.00 depending on the vendor.

Hi calpat, I was crying about getting 40 or so spam a day - until I talked to my neighbour getting over a hundred ... A DAY! She let that box drop and is opening another. I've told some people unwilling to do legitimate surveys to get a different e-mail box - just for them. So if they get connected with a spammer, they just let the box go. Hardly any making these wonderful offers ever have a real address that they send from. By the way - had any offers of a potion to enhance the size of some of your female/male parts? Some of the over a hundred or so that I've got offer guaranteed overnight results. I've replied saying that I'd be afraid that would be painful. If I were a working person - I'd want to take it on the weekend - so I could stay up all night to watch the growth. If I subscribed to all of the hundred or so offers - how would I deal with the monster - backpack? Not big enough, wrong location. Kid's stroller? Can't put it on escalator in stores. Sling? Would be too heavy for my shoulders. Shopping cart? Too deep. Wheelbarrow? Now - that might just be what the doctor ordered! Need a *full-siized* van, of course, for longer trips. But - where could I find a partner who could accomodate my needs? Probably need to seek a mare, elephant, etc. Would need a pad to keep track of when they came in heat - they wouldn't want to talk to me at other times. Do the guys selling potions - also sell stepladders? I sometimes reply trying to sell them my newsletter about money management, as I've become concerned over the years in the personal financial planning business that so few know much about money management, that I'm keeping the letter going after retirement. Single copy free to anyone with e-mail address, they can subscribe if they wish. Should save them hundreds, more likely thousands, in their lifetime - unless they have one foot in the grave, now. Often people who get something at no cost give it little respect, this letter distills many years of experience, expensive training, etc. so it would be a mistake to give it away free, though I could afford to. I don't like to be arbitrary - so price of the newsletter is negotiable. Having been a number of years a clergyperson, I've tried not to be greedy, either - so will likely ask them to contribute most of the fee to charity, especially worldwide ones, as there are huge needs in many countries, these days. They can negotiate to send my newsletter to their friends, relatives, colleagues in community, sport, church, at work, etc. Will build their group of friends, make them famous - and help them raise some money, as they keep some of the (negotiated) fee, send most to charity - and send some to me, of course. This story is real, as a matter of fact - and it's all true. As for all of these guys who have these great money-making ideas ... what kind of business is such that the fellow working there, who wants to encourage you to do the same, is so proud of it that he tells you almost nothing about it in the original message - apart from how much one may possibly make? A company that keeps their door locked, and has an unlisted phone. Most of them don't give me an address to which I can send a message, go to ask a question, etc. - their front door is locked. Few give a phone number to call - and most who do have it lead to an agency. The email address that they use when sending the message is false - unlisted phone. Not only is the phone unlisted - the guy who sent the message is a liar. The only way that I can contact them - is to fill in a form, telling quite a bit about myself ... ... to leave your resume in the mail box, please ... Which quite a few may use to assemble a database - that they then sell - to other spammers. What chance does such a recruiter think that he may have - of getting me interested in his offer? About one chance in 19,999. Have a happy spring/summer weekend, all. joyful guy/Ed

I truly don't understand how or why anyone is offended at ma'am. It is a sign of respect to others. Weren't you raised to say yes/no ma'am and yes/no sir to others in response to questions? I was taught to say it to any command, reprimand from an adult, I.e. no running in the school as well as general questions from anyone I didn't know, I.e. waitress asking, are you done with that plate? Age has never been a factor. If the cashier who is clearly younger than I am in the store asks if their is anything else I need, I reply with, "no ma'am", if I need help from that clearly younger man in the store I don't say, "excuse me young man (to me, THAT is patronizing) I say, excuse me sir" Maybe it is regional? I've only ever had a few people get upset and say something to the effect of I'm no ma'am/sir!!! Which just makes me think, obviously or you wouldn't act that way.