Kasha what a sweet *reward* for posting the POTD for everyone and hoping that it will do some good to at least ONE of you each day. I had the pleasure of finally meeting Princealbert and his sweet wife Betty today. What a treat it was! One day I really want to meet so many of you, that if ever there will be a nationwide get together...I will be there. Until then...I have to start with smaller get togethers like swaps lol Caren I am glad you like them too lol Who needs tea right? lol Pat so glad you had time for tea. I was so hung up in downloading scrapbook things from a PSP group, that when princealbert called...I had to tell him that I am still not dressed roflmao Yes it is one of the new hibiscus' I bought in spring from a co op. they finally started growing a while ago and have shown their beauty to me a few times. Wait until you see that black dragon photo!! Eloise most of these hibiscus' have very thick roundish leaves. Not really lots of them on most lol. Ingrid what a joy it was to hear from you again. Sorry that it is so cold there. But just remember what beautiful temps you are coming back home to :-) I would not worry about your angel. It always works out. Even when at first you get a shock...like I did twice after coming back from Florida...but everything is fixable!! One way or another. Tim do I smell a possible trade I can share with you after all? You know I am desperately looking for something to give back to you for all the wonderful plants you shared and sharing with me. Lucy

What a great story. Imagine how much thought she put into getting up the courage to make that trip to your house. And she needed to time it just right so you would be out front when she "strolled by". God bless her. If (when?) my fruit ever blushes, I am going to have many, many pounds of extra tomatoes. I would be happy to box some up each week and send them off to your sweet neighbor. I hear they ship pretty well if I package them just after they break color. I am sure the neighbor would be freaked out to give her address to an Internet stranger, but I could send them to you. Seriously. Just email me and I will let you know when my fruits start to ripen. Oh, and when you set her up with earthboxes next year, consider putting in New Big Dwarf for her. They are full size fruits on a three foot plant, so she wouldn't have any big support concerns. It's a real manageable plant with just one of those cheezy cages they sell at walmat.

The Advantium 240 has two sets of controls, one for the microwave function & the other for speed cooking. The oven in microwave mode is equivalent to 950 watts & is not wimpy. You use a white ceramic tray on the turntable & you can select timed or sensor microwaving. There are a lot of preprogrammed selections to choose from by turning the selector knob & then pressing what you want. We provided a shelf & outlet in our pantry for a countertop microwave, just in case, but I doubt that we'll ever want it. Speedcooker mode adds halogen power & requires one of the metal trays or your own glass baking dish to be placed on the turntable instead of the white ceramic tray. Depending upon the program, the oven will compute the settings for upper halogen, lower halogen, and some microwave power. You can also enter your own settings & time.

Scotch whisky - I like some of the single malts - but I don't care for the really peaty ones like Laphroiag, I don't like gin, or tonic water. Fake sugars leave a bad aftertaste in my mouth, and diet sodas leave me thirstier than before - longing for something to wash away the aftertaste. Stevia, while it's healthy, doesn't even taste sweet to me. Tastes rather moldy or something. Other than those carrots (and I'll still eat those if served them, if cooked or well-shredded), I don't have any vegetables I actively dislike. Forgot to mention another food I dislike - cottage cheese. It's the curds, I probably had some milk gone bad as a kid and associate those curdy things with that experience. I can certainly eat it if hidden away in something like a lasagna. Ministrone soup is something that stirs up a similar reaction in me - I remember getting violently ill after eating some for lunch during a summer job in NYC. I am certain that the minestrone was not at fault and it was something I caught - but it left me with an instinctual revulsion that I just can't overcome quite yet. The memory is trapped into the horrible trip I took leaving work to go home early - getting into the train at Grand Central well before it was ready to leave... they had a few bathrooms then, but the doors were locked as the train wasn't underway, and... Let's just say, no more minestrone soup for me. I don't like the texture or concentrated sweetness of most dried fruits. Dates are particularly awful. Figs? Give me fresh ones every time! I can't think of a single dish that is improved with the addition of raisins, but at least they are small. On the other paw, I do dehydrate strawberries and grape tomatoes and love those. Otherwise, I like okra and offal/organ meats, and love lamb. Not fond of chicken breast - inferior to the tasty and moister dark meat. I love kale, but I prefer the less bitter variants - or to eat the more bitter ones when they are still "baby leafed".