Please re-post if you find something that works. i have had the same problem the past two years. the leaves get cut off before they unfurl and sometimes when they are only two inches out. once the leaf finally comes out it looks like you cut it with zig zag sissors. i have had some luck with snail & slug bait but not so far this year. i wish someone could help....tim

Ah, vitamins. There is a great debate regarding vitamins: should you take them, or might you be over-compensating in some areas? Since we all know that we can't trust the FDA anyway, why do we even bother paying attention to what they recommend? Our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made, and most will live a long and healthy life if we give it what it needs to thrive. Yeah, and we've all confessed to having a sweet tooth/family that won't get on the healthy-eating bandwagon/loving fried foods. The sad fact is that most Americans are deficient in many vitamins and nutrients, and should be supplemented. While it may be arguable what exactly should be recommended levels (take for example the ever-increasing "recommendations" of Vitamin D; I have read that part of the reason the daily recommendation levels are going up is because the original numbers were based on the thought that most Americans are getting 2 hours of sun per day and now they are adjusting the figures accordingly. Yeah, like who does that, without sunscreen?) and you may or may not be getting "enough" by taking a multivitamin, the research has been done and unless there is an underlying condition, you will not overdose on a vitamin or mineral by taking a multivitamin. There are, however, some basic tenets of getting the most out of your vitamins. For example, did you know that you have to take calcium with magnesium (ratio 2:1), and on an acidic stomach, such as with vitamin C or orange juice? Did you know that if you take your iron with your calcium, it can be bound up and you won't get much good from having taken an iron supplement? For most people, it's quite simple enough to get enough iron in the diet by red meat (in moderation, right?), which will also give some key B vitamins--both of which will help with anemia and lethargy. One big thing that you should be aware of is that meat that is corn-fed, sometimes known as feedlot beef, is much higher in Omega 6 fatty acids than the Omega 3's. Our bodies need both, but in balance, and free-range beef has a good balance. So go ahead, have a steak, and then follow it up with your Vitamin IC! For the record, the same is true for farm-raised fish/shrimp/etc. with the imbalance of Omega 6 fatty acids. If you are going to supplement with fish oil, which is HIGHLY recommended if you are getting your vitamin D from sun exposure (will help prevent skin cancer, heart disease, etc. if you have enough Omega 3's), be sure to get the wild-caught, preferably deep water fish oils. This will help to ward balance out those O-3's if you can't find/afford the grass-fed stuff! All this said because I have a vicious sweet tooth, and as mentioned previously, we're trying to put a bun in the oven and I don't always eat like I know I should. Now, if I could remember to take those prenatals with my vitamin Milky Way!

I use IE but I added the following sites to my restricted sites list. Voila! I haven't even seen the Mint 3-Mus ad that's been driving everyone nuts. On IE, go to tools, then choose internet options. Go to the security tab, choose restricted sites, and click on the sites button. Add each of the following sites: *ivillage.com *.overture.com a820.g.akamai.net graphics.gardenweb.com iv.doubleclick.net Then you'll have no more annoying ads!

Aw, I'd STILL eat it. Twice. LOL Annie