I got it recently. I haven't read a lot of these, so I don't have much basis for comparison, but I think it's an excellent book. It's got a lot of coverage on Southern Hemisphere and other oddball conifers that don't get much airtime elsewhere. -James

What will happen "naturally" in this century (decade, actually) is very different from what would have happened naturally in earlier times, even just a few decades ago. "Naturally," as you might envision it, doesn't happen anymore. In short, if left to progress by iteself, your "natural" landscape will become overrun with Canada thistle, reed canary grass, and a multitude of non-native woody scrubs. Be especially wary of buckthorn, if it's in your area. Once established on five acres, only progression (15-40years perhaps) to closed forest and/or complete bulldozing has any hope of moderately controlling it. If not buckthorn, then perhaps Russian or autumn olive will perform the same landscape-degrading task. Your hope seems to be to allow native species to reclaim the site. That would have happened in the 1930s or 40s. Not today. If you want a horrid mess of inpenetrable woody shrubs, let things go. If not, you better aim for a native prairie. You already have many prairie species growing naturally. The solution is to mow some wide (12-20 ft) low turf fuel breaks around the area and then conduct spring (Mar-Apr) spring burns. The good stuff survives and thrives after fire. The bad stuff suffers. Don't waste 5 acres of Wisconsin on a weedy, wooody mess. Take charge and re-create a natural, native wonderland of native oaks and prairie species. You have an ethical obligation to do this.

AnnPann - I did a little digging for you, and although I didn't find any specific sites referring to that situation, I found some books that might address it: Australia-focused home front books: S.J. Butlin and C.B. Schedvin, War Economy 1942Â1945, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1997 Darian-Smith, Kate. On the Home Front: Melbourne in Wartime, 1939-1945. Australia: Oxford UP, 1990. Saunders, Kay. War on the Homefront: State Intervention in Queensland, 1938-1948 (1993) The Home Front Volume I by Nancy M. Taylor NZ official history (1986) The Home Front Volume II by Nancy M. Taylor NZ official history (1986) Political and External Affairs by Frederick Lloyd Whitfeld (1958) NZ official history Britain: Calder, Angus . The People's War: Britain 1939-45 (1969) Harris, Carol (2000). Women at War 1939-1945: The Home Front. Thrupp: Sutton Publishing Limited. ISBN 0-7509-2536-1. Marwick, Arthur (1976). The Home Front: The British and the Second World War. Rose, Sonya O. (2003) Which People's War?: National Identity and Citizenship in Wartime Britain 1939-1945 Misc: Costello, John. Love, Sex, and War: Changing Values, 1939-1945 1985. US title: Virtue under Fire: How World War II Changed Our Social and Sexual Attitudes Noakes, Jeremy ed., The Civilian in War: The Home Front in Europe, Japan and the U.S.A. in World War II Exeter, UK: University of Exeter, 1992. Then below is a link to an interesting site about a community in London with oral histories etc (won't hurt your eyes).... Might be relevant... Here is a link that might be useful: Hidden Histories: East Community Heritage (London)

My parents put modern high gloss slabs in their kitchen when they remodeled several years ago (replacing a 1991 honey oak kitchen). I don’t think they were thinking of what was a future trend, they just went with what they liked (and it looks fantastic still). My mother is gone now, but my 65 year old stepfather still enjoys his very modern kitchen :) I went with white (Alabaster) shakers in my kitchen. In all the homes I have lived in over my many years, I have never got sick of white cabinets, or simple shakers. The two together is my perfect cabinet. I would do the same thing in five years. But any grays in my home are warm, and we added in lots of blonde, creams, light taupes, rich teak, soft browns, in finishings and furnishings. The cool white and gray look never worked for me. I like earthy naturals, and warmth. Small cozy spaces and books versus large sparse spaces. We are in our late 30s and early 40s and plan this to be a very long term home so we went with what we liked, not worrying about what might sell five years away. What is next in trends? I don’t know. I am seeing more euro style slabs, be it a wood like bamboo, a walnut veneer, or a gloss. Or mixes of gloss with wood/veneer. I personally find the mix of super modern “man made” with natural elements a wonderful look. If I was not worried about longevity for my own taste and working with a budget I would have been tempted a mix of acrylic and bamboo (latter was $$$ when I priced out!). Like Sophie said though, quality matters for woods and veneers. I have been seeing a shift from gray and white kitchens back to wood. Millenials are susceptible to trends too but they have generally a more limited budget and may be wise to choose quality and longevity versus trendy.