Thanks for your information and links. Studies from MSU recommended M.7 for free-standing trees on my coarse, sandy soil. I've planted them about 12' apart and expect to do a lot of summer pruning to keep them around 10'. Cultivars: Ashmead's Kernel, Pomme Gris, Pitmaston Pineapple, Rhode Island Greening, and Northern Spy. The espalier trees are 8' apart, with 3 wires spaced to 6' off the ground. All are comspurs on M.26: Red Rome, Stayman Winesap, and Black Twig. I also have a pear espalier with the same layout. Summer 2007 was their second season (3 year old trees); and I had a few blossoms. I had cut them back hard in the first year to encourage low branching. This was good for the espalier, but the free-standing trees didn't all shape up as well. I think that I'll ease up on this technique this time around. In selecting rootstock, tree longevity is one of my major concerns, so I steered away from the most dwarfing types. Geneva 16 and 30 are currently being tested in Michigan, and will probably do well, but they are also harder to come by this late in the season. I will probably try them at some point in the future. I also found a Hudson's Golden Gem on M.111 -- I know this one will get much bigger, so it's going to a different spot in the garden. I love the flavor of heirloom varieties, and the best pie in the world, according to my husband, is from a combo of N. Spy, Red Rome, and Winesap. Anticipation and hope are 9/10 of gardening. Do you have any photos to post? I've had easy to grow cherry trees for a decade, but this is my first foray into other fruit trees, so I truly value the experience of other gardeners. Thanks again, Juliana

Thank you leafhead, now you are just exhausting me! :-) I am out of room for any thing larger than Marigolds, snapdragons and yes, asters. I cannot decide which asters to get. They recommend Aster lateriflorus 'Lady in Black' and Aster novi belgii Alert (red), for my area. I did find a great plant list just for the Texas High Plains, so I think I will try their local varieties. They also sell plants, however it is a long drive, but they do have native milkweed, several varieties, I would like to try. Next year I will have time to put in more garden space, as I do away with more lawn, but for now I am full-up! I think I will learn alot this summer, and by next spring I should know more about what is good for me as far as natives, and if I see butterflies I did not expect, I will plant what I can to meet their needs. I am very excited about my first season. I don't think I have a chance of seeing either a Giant or a Tiger Swallowtail. The sulfurs we get are happy with grasses, so I have that covered. I do need Violets! The list never ends.... Thanks again, Debra

Ya know they got doctors that can help with obsessions - fortunately this one is a healthy one. Nah - it ain't too awful bad freezing cold up here right now. About 35 or so at night and we have seen a couple of 70 degree days already. Spinach is looking good. Cabbage too. No carrots up yet - but since I just finished up last season's crop, I ain't too anxious about them - yet. Kind of hard to try and keep track of everything at this time of the year. Got the mulch pulled back so the ground will warm up. Steadily planting the cool weather crops and killing off the cool weather weeds. Tomato stakes are driven and ready to go. Cucumber trellis is ready. Blackberries are all pruned, tied up, and ready for the demon child from next door to raid. Already have two dump-truck loads of horse manure/straw ready to compost and go into my last bed (as soon as I double dig it that is). I should have had it ready last fall - but since I already grow more than I can possibly eat, I am in no rush. Might have to join one of those dating sites to find me a nice hungry female so I don't have to wander up and down the streets trying to give away free vegetables. And I STILL have to get all the canning equipment ready to go! Unfortunately it is in the shed. And the shed is buried under the elm tree that I STILL haven't cleaned up from the ice storm. *Chuckles to self* It just occurred to me - I am a real hellion full of all kinds of interesting qualities that ANY female in the world would be proud to snatch up. I can just see how it would go on THAT dating site: Q) What are your hobbies? A) Digging big rocks out of my garden. Q) What do you do in your spare time? A) Think about ways to get that big rock out of the garden, and look for sources of compost and mulch. Q) What qualities do you look for in a woman. A) She has to be strong - cuz she's gonna help me dig that big rock out of the garden. Oh yeah, I'm a real catch.

Moonshadow, you are amazing. What a through contribution! I know when I used to rent, I would make a list of any little issues the house had. I'd send a copy to the landlord and invite him/her to inspect the house before I moved in. I did this because I didn't want to be blamed when I moved out. Never lost a deposit because of that well filed list. Dated photos are helpful too. I've had some great landlords in the past but there have been a few doozies too. I lived in a rental for 5 years. The oven didn't work and it was on my list, along with dates and times I phoned him about this situation. Finally I gave up and purchased my own range. I called him to tell him I was putting his range on my back porch and he should come pick it up. I noted all communication on that list regarding that stupid non-working range oven and thank goodness. He never picked up the range so I took it to the dump after a year on my back porch. When I moved he tried to keep my deposit. I mailed him another (updated) copy of my list that included my "journal" of our communication regarding his range. I offered to go to small claims court and let the judge decide if I should get my deposit back. He quickly returned my deposit. Fact was, he never did anything he said he was going to do. The only time he returned a phone call was when my hot water heater went out. I responding to his voice message informing callers that he was out of town, explaining I had no hot water and I was going to call in a repairman to fix or replace the hot water heater. He called me when he returned, just to get mad at me for being unwilling to go without hot water for a week and a half. I told him he should have contacted me before he left town to let me know who was going to be in charge of his rental while he was gone, but since he didn't, I acted on his behalf. He paid for the repairs, I guess. I never heard from the plumber either way.