Susan, I started doing square foot gardening in the mid-1990s and it works really well for some things and not as well for others that get really large in our climate. My spacing that I use now is sort of a hybrid of spacing from Square Foot Gardening and from John Jeavons' "How to Grow More Vegetables....." book, which has a complete title about as long as the distance between Marietta and OKC. I've just experimented with the spacing until I find out which one gives me the best yields. I think Square Foot Gardening would be great for you, but encourage you to think of it as Cubed Foot Gardening and grow as many plants upright on trellises, cages or arbors as you can and you'll get even higher yields per square foot. With smaller plants like lettuce, onions, carrots, etc., the standard Square Foot Gardening spacing works fine. With larger plants that turn into monsters in our climate, like Indeterminate tomatoes, squash, etc., I go more with John Jeavons' spacing or space my plants even further apart. With peppers, it generally varies, depending on whether a given variety gets 2' tall or 4' tall or taller. I have found most peppers give a really high yield even with close spacing, and so do many determinate tomatoes. I see Lunas most years in April, but not every single year. I usually don't see them in a bad fire year, but I'm not sure if that's because they aren't "here" or if I am just gone so much during a bad fire season that I miss seeing them when they are here. At our house, I almost always see them either on the ground in the area under the big security light that lights up the garage/parking area or hanging around outside the plant shelf window. When I see them at the fire station, it usually is early in the day and they're normally lying on the ground near the security light that illuminates the front of the station. I've never seen the larvae, but we have acres and acres of woods so they could be anywhere. We have tons of native pecans and hickories scattered all over our property (and on the surrounding acreage as well) so I guess that explains why we see them pretty regularly here. When I was a kid, they'd hang out on the front porch, usually on the screen door, when we were playing in the yard in the evening. It seems like we saw them a lot more often back then than we see them now. We have every kind of wildlife you can imagine here (as you well know) and most of it is a pleasure to have around. Seeing the lunas, because of their relative rarity, is a real thrill. Dawn

Janengland~I see that you are converting a bus into a motorhome. How is that on gas consumption? Everybody contributes to the environment, in one way or another. It's just to different degrees.I mean, who here walks to work each day or rides the bus? To answer the original question "why a truck or SUV?"~~ That's like asking why do you have a 4 bedroom house instead of one bedroom? Why do you have an inground pool instead of an above ground one? Why do you have 4 children instead of one? It all depends upon your lifestyle, needs and wants. That's life and life is meant to be enjoyed. I agree with Gary~everybody needs to chill and enjoy life as best they can. In the meantime, I will continue to drive (and enjoy) my BMW Z3 and my new Lexus RX330 when I get it.

I have had two sets of Thomas Lee 100% cotton sheets. They are...to die for. Cool, crisp and smooth. Feel like the sheets my mom line dried in the fresh air back then. Makes me want to go to bed every night. BUT...both have torn. The bottom sheet of the first set actually seemed to wear out and a large tear developed after only a couple years. I thought it must be a fluke so invested in another set. Just couldn’t (can’t ) imagine life without them. Well, the side seam of the top sheet of the second set, now a couple years old, has torn out, I can see actual tiny holes in each stitch point! At well over a hundred dollars on sale, this is ridiculous (I considered them one of my few luxuries). I will try calling the company. I am heart broken, I mean I love these sheets. So begins the search for a new brand!

Bumping this thread after two years because I don't understand those Consumer Reports ratings either (the ratings referred to above are still the current ones). Would any of the Pros care to speak to this? Marvin was not even on the list, and it was in the top tier a year or two before the current list. Pella is near top of the current list and not a favored brand here. Kolbe (another favorite) is way down the list. Consumer Reports is an independent and trustworthy source for most of us so thanks for helping us understand!