OT but we are currently in blizzard conditions with approximately 14 inches of snow so far. Highway snow gates are down, no travel in several counties around me, plow trucks have been pulled off the rural roads and highways. Temperature is dropping fast. I am entirely blocked off from civilization and I LOVE it. It has been two years since we have had a system come through with this intensity, and it is rather exciting to see once again. I plan on going on a walkabout around midnight. This much snow might mean I will have to use my snowshoes. Will see. If I never post again on GW, you folks will know what happened to me. But no worries, if nothing else someone will find me come springtime, probably with a frozen smile on my face, an empty candy bar wrapper in my hand, and an empty "medicine" flask in my pocket. ;) Time for me to push the envelope, to see if I still have what it takes. Life has been getting too comfortable, not taking chances and all. Wish me luck. -Tom

I have a hard time believing it's slugs. Some of the holes are in leaves at the very top of the plant and there are no slime trails to indicate slugs. Also, we've been having record heat waves over the last few weeks and my yard is bone dry other than the water that my plants are getting. I haven't seen a single slug or snail and I don't know where they would be hiding as nothing on the surface stays wet very long. And, FWIW, I've read at least five pages of posts going back to january and didn't see anything relevant. After some searching online, I came across the term "window feeding" which describes the damage. This is normally attributed to beetles. While I have seen flea beetles (and do have some flea beetle damage) as well as cabbage loopers I haven't seen anything that would do this specific type of damage. Guess I'll just have to bust out the big guns and nuke everything in site with BT and Neem.

emcd124 - God, so far, has only weighed in on turf (sorry if you have already seen this!): God & Lawn Care: GOD: (To Saint Francis) Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there on the planet? What happened to the dandelions, violets, milkweeds and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But, all I see are these green rectangles. St. FRANCIS: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers 'weeds' and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass. GOD: Grass? But, it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees; only grubs and sod worms. It's sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there? ST. FRANCIS: Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn. GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy. ST. FRANCIS: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it-sometimes twice a week. GOD: They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay? ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags. GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it? ST. FRANCIS: No, Sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away. GOD: Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And, when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away? ST. FRANCIS: Yes, Sir. GOD: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work. ST. FRANCIS: You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it, so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it. GOD: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn, they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. It's a natural cycle of life. ST. FRANCIS: You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away. GOD: No!? What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and loose? ST. FRANCIS: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves. GOD: And where do they get this mulch? ST. FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch. GOD: Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight? ST. CATHERINE: 'Dumb and Dumber', Lord. It's a story about.... GOD: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.

Jeremy, they only have tiny, expensive packages of pinenuts in the produce section at our groceries, but a fellow GW member picked some up for me at her local Costco, and brought it to the RMG Spring Plant swap : ) David, didn't you say you have made pesto with pumpkin seeds before, or was that someone else? The recipe in my BH & G cookbook calls for pinenuts OR walnuts. I just finished making a double batch of pesto, and froze in individual serving sized portions. It seemed to have a bit of a bite to it, but I'm not sure why. Maybe I added to much pepper. Couldn't be from the basil could it? Bonnie