The kids love it! I can't keep them out of there. Yes Bam, my wife is pretty hot;) That's the only solution to birds that I've found. It's a pain to put up but well worth it. I did get a LSU purple fig planted in Feb. I cut it back and rooted 3 of the cuttings. Gave one to the Father in Law, one to my Dad and one more left for me so now I got 2 fig trees. I hope they are good. I've never had a fresh fig! Charles, most of them are in containers. I have 6 in raised beds. 5 Rabbiteyes and 1 Emerald. I've had the rest of my varieties start to ripen and have been able to taste all of them now. Took my wife out there today to taste test to see which ones we want to keep and which to let go. Unfortunately she likes all of them so now I have to make the tough decisions. Honestly the only SHB I don't like is Premadonna. Watery and tasteless! All the other ones are good in there own respect, some defiantly better than others. Yes Fruitnut, Sweetcrisp stole the show;) I took some more pics of the later ripening varieties and will post them soon along with my personal take on all the varieties I've grown. Looks like I'm going to keep more than I though I would.

Thanks for your suggestions. The three leaf one that was called Montana seemed to me to be more green than the Regal Splendor I have. They are shaped the same and flower the same. I was wondering about Tom Schmid which seems to have a more narrow edge. Whatever it is, it's slower than molasses. Three leaves for three years. Maybe I'll call it snail. Phil, I agree I don't think my plant is Fringe Benefit. Descriptions say it's similar to Gold Crown which this one isn't. It's reminded me more and more every year of Frances Williams with no burning. You have Olive Baily Langdon, could you post a picture of it? Pat I will move almost all of the potted ones into the garage but that will be way less than last year. Most in pots now are duplicates or ones that survived last winter in a pot when so many didn't. I got two more into the ground today and will try for more in the next few weeks. Carol, the walkway is holding up great. I did have to touch up the paint this spring since I'd thined it last year. I didn't want to get a thick paint that would peel. Ken, the Lk. Symphony doesn't seem like my 3 August Moons which are more round and puckered. I wondered if it had reverted back to it's Piedmont Gold parent but it doesn't seem like that either. It's not nearly as bright or as large. The one called Sky which was suppose to be ADG was a mail order. I looked back at what they offered in large blues in that year and narrowed it down to either Big Momma (pictures differ on that one) or Bressingham Blue. It is more likely the latter. You are the one that correctly pointed me in the right direction last year with Paradigam, not Blue Shadows, and Honeybells, not Royal Standard. Now the Montana Mac. is a puzzler. I got that one Mail Order in 1996 from a Canadian mail order that is not in business any more. I knew it wasn't the Aureo. one I'd ordered because no varigation. I looked at what they had and they must have had Montana Mac. because that's what I concluded it was. It was very, very small for several years. About year 4 it started growing and looking like something. Today I checked out what I could find on Elator and Montana Mac. My plant seems to hover between the two. The description of the flowering puts it with the Montana. I am going to include some pictures from different years to show the flowers. It has flowers just peeking above the foilage in early June. It is finished by mid July when the Elator is suppose to be starting. The flowers are slightly lavander and tall but not 8 feet. The description of the leaf itself fits Elaitor except that it is not what I would call a light green, more medium to dark. It is shinny and so is the underside (Montana has a slight bloom according to the books). It also has 14 vein pairs which makes it Elaitor. So...if it's Elaitor, why does it flower so early? I looked around today and those plants flowering now are right on schedule. See if these pictures make any sense. I know the picture I first posted on this thread made the leaves look rounder. Is that what made you think it wasn't Montana? In a couple of these new pictures it looks more pointed. It is definately shinny though. Do you have both plants? Is Montana Mac. more like an unruffled Niagara Falls?

rosiequilts, I lost 50 pounds last year by calorie counting, which is just another way of saying "eating-loads-of-fruits-&-veggies-so-you-can-eat-the-most-food-with-the-fewest-calories". I learned to love vegetables! A pile of eggplant, onions, mushrooms & peppers with a little spaghetti sauce on just 2 oz. of pasta & 1/4 cup grated mozzarella is delicious & filling. Spaghetti squash can be substituted for the pasta (just put the spaghetti squash whole in a crock pot & it's done in 4-6 hours). For salads, I love to mix spinach, lettuce, diced raw green beans, carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes and use 1/3 cup dried cranberries for dressing, or sometimes green olives and a little of the olive juice in the jar. If fresh produce isn't on hand, then combining frozen veggies & cooking in the microwave is tasty: kale, lima beans & cauliflower, for example. Veggies in combination taste much better than just plain. In winter I enjoy turnip greens & squashes. Cabbage is a versatile veggie, good for filler in soups & stews, sauteed, microwaved, or sliced for low-fat cole slaw made with Splenda. For munchies, I love to microwave a tub of Brussels sprouts or cauliflower & keep it in the fridge for mindless snacking (you know, when you get those urges to eat but you're not really hungry). A little butter or oil won't hurt you and, in fact, makes the vegetables more nutritious. Your body absorbs the nutrients better when a little fat is present with the veggies. Sometimes I like to make a green sauce of chopped fresh spinach & French parsley in a little cream & parmesan cheese, heated in a sauce pot. I serve this over a big plate of broccoli & cauliflower, and it's delicious. There are so few calories in the veggies that you can afford to indulge in the cream sauce. But then, that's dinner -- no bread, no side dishes, no heavy meats. Anyway, didn't mean to hijack this thread. Just wanted to pass on some good veggie food ideas. When you walk through the cookie/cracker aisle with indifference, but your mouth starts watering when you get to the produce section, you know you've made a good change!

Rusty: Got up late today and just saw your Post. Watching the Phillies game !!! and other things. As for keeping the Pizzelles centered, it is a pain ITA. If you put the lid down too fast it goes one way. I put the dough slightly behind center. Don't put the lid down all the way, for a second. Seems like it gives the Dough time to travel. If you use a stiffer dough, it can be controled easier. But then it changes the thickness and taste. Whatever you do try to remember, what you did when it comes out perfect. It doesn't matter here; how they look, they dissappear anyway. Even the Crumbs !!! - - - - - - - - For Almond Pizzelles , do like you said and sub the Almond flavor for the Anise. I only use Mc Cormicks flavors or order from Fante's of Phila. I've tried other at the market flavors. Not too good !!! Remember to use less if you are using Oil Flavors, instead of the Extract. I'll make a batch of Almond tonite. Lou