It has appeared in PA, NY, and MI in the US and in all three cases a quarantine was set up. You must be near the NY quarantine. The PA quarantine was lifted recently. The disease is from Europe and you should never see it, even in a quarantine zone. If you ever see it the USDA should be notified and the tree(s) should be destroyed. Google plum pox for more information. I have never seen it but I am alert for it anytime I get a new stone fruit tree or scion. Scott

I use FireFox with Adblock Plus. I got sick of the intrusive ads on Gardenweb. If they're not going to manage the ads and protect the users from viruses that are being slipped through, I'll protect myself and block all ads they try to show me.

Lots of interesting points and I also was surprised by the foods on the list, most all of them being my favorites. Annie brings up an interesting point by saying that her old doc said "we were sanitizing ourselves to death." I couldn't agree more. Growing up, I stayed with my grandmother most every weekend or school break. Another cousin that lived close by did the same and we were outside and dirty from sun up to down. We ate whatever my grandmother fixed without complaint because we were so hungry from active play EVERYTHING tasted good. She bought staples from the store like salt, sugar and flour but everything else was raised or grown on the farm. When our cousins from out-of-state came for a week or two, their mother polished and fussed about them, forcing vitamins down their throats. They were very picky eaters as well. They didn't get dirty or if they did and their mother happened to see some mud on their clothes, they were wisked off for bathing and changing. I must qualify that I do understand the difference between getting dirty and filth. We bathed every day, mind you, with clean hands and face when we sat down to eat. Anyway, long story short, those kids were sick ALL the time. Their mother felt like we "country cousins" were quite primative ;) There is no better way to ward off illness than to have clean hands and work place when dealing with food. I have had fun learning safe canning practices here as well. That does not mean I shower my home in "sterilizing" agents but certain surfaces do get a bit of bleach in the soapy water once in a while and especially my counters and sink if I have been dealing with meat. That was the way my grandmother did it all those years ago, too. I don't know, I think common sense goes a long way. Those "super bugs" are out there now thanks to over-use of everything so we do need to be cautious. I want my house to be clean, not sterile. One more point I wanted to make or comment on (and I'll try to keep this short, sorry) is the use of antibacterial soaps and antibiotics. I am a nurse and have to use the antibacterial soaps (really strong stuff) on a very regular basis. About once a year I get this horrid painful rash on my hands and the first time it happened I went to my doctor about it. Seems that the bacteria, both bad and GOOD had been wiped off my hands and allowed some kind of viral thing to happen. The same thing happens when we take antibiotics and get various yeast infections. The good bugs are there for a reason! If we need the antibiotics, I'm glad they are there because they can be life-saving. I just think they are over-prescribed and many people aren't satisfied if they come away from the doctor's office without some. Lori

hey ladies...nice to see you too. i realized after i posted it that i should have checked the validity, but the person who sent it to me is usually so on the ball...go figure. shirley, i certainly didn't break the bank, i'm a great shopper LOL, but this will be a year to remember - that's for sure. carol, i'll be back to OBF soon. by the time i come back, i hope to share my news!!!!! wishing everyone the best for a wonderful holiday season. maryanne