ken: "regardless.. just order it .. what can they possibly tell you to make you NOT want it???? you are enabled.. and addicted.. just order it ..." See how you are! Yes, I do seem to be addicted. And I have this whole fenced in area in the back of my small yard where I should be growing vegetables, but there are all of these conifers.... The "Rochester Pendula" thus goes on my list.... Barb - you are getting some nice trees! You will like that 'Horstmann's Silberlocke;' it does need some protection from our intense afternoon sun (at least that has been my experience) but it seems to like it here; mine has been doing fine for over two years now (I got my tree from Timberline Gardens in Arvada.) I like Forest Farm but sometimes buying from Oregon nurseries you end up getting plants that expect to have warmer winter conditions and a lot more moisture than we do here in Colorado. I went looking for bamboos there one year; the guys at the nursery laughed at me when I said I was looking for bamboos that could survive in Zone 5! I hope you let us know how the concolors do. You have 2 acres to grow things on! Oh what I could do with that amount of land! (Probably end up in the poor house....) By the way, Dax, ken and Nate are the enablers, not me - they just lead me astray, and I am apparently all too willing to be led! :-D Holly

Rao's Marinara Sauce makes approximately 7 cups from Rao's Cookbook - page 5 2 twenty-eight ounce cans imported Italian plum tomatoes with basil (preferably "San Marzano") ¼ cup fine-quality olive oil 2 ounces fatback or salt pork, optional 3 tablespoons minced onion 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced salt to taste 6 leaves fresh basil, torn (optional) pinch dried oregano pepper to taste 1. Remove tomatoes from can, reserving juice in which they were packed. Using your hands, crush the tomatoes, gently remove and discard the hard core from the stem end, and remove any skin and tough membrane. Set aside 2. Put oil in a large, noncorosive saucepan over medium-low heat. If using fatback, cut into small pieces and add to the pan. Saute for about 5 minutes or until all the fat has been rendered. Remove and discard fatback. 3. Then add onion. Saute for 3 minutes or until translucent and just beginning to brown. Stir in garlic and saute for 30 seconds or until softened (see note). Stir in tomatoes, reserved juice, and salt. Raise heat, and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a very low simmer and cook for about 1 hour or until flavors have combined and sauce is slightly thickened. If you prefer a thicker sauce, cook for an additional 15 minutes. 4. Stir in basil, oregano, and pepper, and cook for An additional minute. Remove from heat and serve. Note: Take care when adding garlic to hot oil, as it will burn and turn bitter very quickly. If this happens, discard oil and vegetables and start again. If you have leftover sauce store it tightly covered and refrigerated for a day or two. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Binge watching Gilmore Girls right now. I had seen some episodes before because they were reruns on tbs or tnt in the morning before my classes back in college. Apparently I had watched more than I thought because most of the earlier seasons had stuff I remembered watching before. I'm on Season 6 and it seems like Rory makes really horrible judgement calls on guys, as do Lorelai for the most part (except Max). I'm just finishing so I can watch the revival once it's out in November.

I binged about half the episodes last night. Loved it, although some of the jokes about aging hit too close to home ! In the scene where Grace and Frankie are sitting on the ground at the ashram I kept thinking “ how are they going to get up? “ Also, I could never sleep on the top of a bunk bed because of having to get up to pee during the night. i was surprised to read that Lily is almost 80 and Jane is 81. They are doing great!