Mike, "I don't give a kumquat whether we are warming or cooling..." I am offended by your implication that there is anything negative about kumquats. They are great. I grew up with a tree that bore way more fruit than I could ever eat, and the extras served as excellent ammunition for throwing at my friends--especially the green ones b/c they are much harder. :) It is pretty funny with this current cold weather how much people on both sides of the debate cite it as evidence in their direction. As if one piece of datum out of context can lead to any kind of significant conclusion. Whenever winter rolls around gardenweb seems to slow down, which I find annoying considering I live NorCal where we don't have much of a winter. So I appreciate discussion topics that I find interesting regardless of how "on topic" they are for the various forums. I do find it interesting all the people that chime in about how this isn't a worthwhile discussion. In a free society, isn't any any all discussion worthwhile? You are free to discuss and free not to. Cousin floyd, do you not think that colony collapse disorder exists, or are you just saying you don't think it is a new thing? I didn't realize that was even a controversial topic. ryan

When the kiddos were younger, we've used "G.O.O.D." for many, many uses. GOOD = Get Out Of Dodge! Every now and then I hear it still. At inlaws or someone's house and they really someone really wants to go home and leave for whatever reason. Or asking, 'Do you want to stay?' The child really wants to go, but doesn't want to hurt their friends...."But we're having such a GOOD time, do we have to go?" "We've had a GOOD visit." "We're having such a GOOD time." They can say it nice without being a pill or harsh. Would you like more casserole eating at someone's home? "This is what I call a "GOOD" Casserole, but I really couldn't eat another bite." Do you think this guy's nice enough to date? "Honey, have a GOOD time, but remember your curfew." Which she feigns an earlier curfew for some good reason. What does everyone say when they WANT to stay or affirm their approval? They say, 'We're doing great! It's cool! We're fine! I'd love some more! Etc.

Wow - thanks again for all of your great suggestions. The party was last night and it was a huge success. "The best holiday party in years" according to quite a few Facebook posts!!! Since I am here on GW, I want to mention that everyone loved my kitchen. I'm sure some people might have just been trying to be polite, but really, I got so many wonderful comments, people mentioning specific things that they loved and people asking me for recommendations and advice! It was great. And the kitchen was absolutely the most popular room to be in. The bar area was hopping!! But eventually, things sort of spread out. I'm not the type of gal who has ever really had a "catered event" in my house, and certainly not anything of this size. I was really appreciating having a server/helper there - especially to keep things cleaned up over the course of the evening. It was weird though, 'cause I kept wanting to offer her drinks and food and I was definitely treating her like a guest! Everything fell in to place perfectly. Coat closet and coat tree fit the bill. The chimnea was blazing away. The crowds were spread out all though the house. People were saying all night how much more fun a house party is than something in a restaurant. I think I've already offered my house up again for the party next year! Thanks again for the advice. SQ

The USDA climate zones are based solely on the average minimum low winter temperature for any given area, as follows: Zone 1 Below -50 degrees F (-45 C) Zone 2 -50 F to -40 F (-45 C to -40 C) Zone 3 -40 F to -30 F (-40 C to -34 C) Zone 4 -30 F to -20 F (-34 C to -29 C) Zone 5 -20 F to -10 F (-29 C to -23 C) Zone 6 -10 F to 0 F (-23 C to -18 C) Zone 7 0 F to 10 F (-18 C to -12 C) Zone 8 10 F to 20 F (-12 C to -7 C) Zone 9 20 F to 30 F (-7 C to -1 C) Zone 10 30 F to 40 F (-1 C to 4 C) These may also be denoted as a or b segments, such as Zone 7a or Zone 8b. Zone 7a would be from 0 F to 5 F, and Zone 8b would be from 15 F to 20 F. If you know the average or expected minimum winter temperature for an area, this should make it easy emough to determine its equivalent USDA climate zone.