You probably already know you can get wine or cheese or ice cream maps in different states. Last summer we visited several wineries in the Camden ME area. We also pick up a list of the farmers markets so in Maine I can highly recommend the Friday market in Brunswick and the one in Bath (sorry, I think it was a Saturday). Since it's a drive, I only get to the Tilton NH Winter Farmers Market every couple of weeks. Friends from Marlborough MA thought it was worth the 1 1/2 hour drive (they must drive fast) to visit. Lots of value added products like jams and jellies but also the basics. Closer to me, the Hopkinton NH winter market has only a few vendors but Wind Song Farm has wonderful swiss chard. Kind of pricey but worth it. The chard is grown in their high tunnel and has sweetened with winter cold. Nothing like it in the big supermarkets. NH grown mushrooms are available at the Tilton market - grown in Tamworth. Concord NH has a very nice food coop that's open to the public. Across the street is Bread and Chocolate, a wonderful European style bakery. At the other end of Main Street across from the State House is Crust and Crumb. She makes wonderful unigue whoopie pies as well as several different kinds of breds. She's local but is gaining attention as a recipe tester for AP. Alison Ladman. Of course, up on congested Loudon Rd you can get locally made ice cream at Arnie's! You can make a grand tour around Concord NH since there are several apple orchards, blueberry farms, etc. Gould Hill in Hopkinton has a very large variety of heirloom apples - see the list on their website. There is also a local garlic festival in Canterbury. Organic garlic and blueberries are available in Contoocook NH. The Best pies are at Richardson's Farm Stand in Boscawen NH. They make their own ice cream, too, although up until recently they picked up the ice cream at their family place in Dracut MA. They don't have a lot of apples and veggies but I can get a good deal on apple seconds for baking.

Hi Frieda. Without being at all presumptuous it seems to me that you want from an historical novel exactly what I want - a tale well told. A tale that holds together both internally with a consistent voice and externally with some regard to that slipperiest of ideas - historical accuracy. It would be a trifle disingenuous of me to say that I care not a jot for the integrity of the historical framework that underpins a novel. I think I just allow the novelist a little more leeway than you in terms of the elasticity of the "facts" he might cobble his little tale together with. Of course egregious errors in the retelling of indisputable history will bring a novel tumbling down for me as much for you - perhaps we just differ in the definition of "egregious". Further to your dislike of "presentism" I suggest you never pick up Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire . Just finished reading this examination of Spartan society and the Battle of Thermopylae where three hundred plus Spartans plus a few thousand allies held off a Persian army of some hundreds of thousands, inflicting grievous losses and giving Greece time and inspiration to save itself and perhaps western civilization as we know it. Perhaps your mention of your own concept of "presentism" made me hyper aware of any examples in the text but it was riddled with it. Battle plans develop "new wrinkles", soldiers imbibe "snootfulls of wine", are exhorted to "dump 'em but be ready to hump'em" when they rest their shields. Despite speaking in a declamatory and formal style worthy of Homer most of the time and engaging in lengthy, philosophical conversations about the Gods and true meaning of courage, fear, love and warfare the Greeks at various times decide that a priest is "full of s--t", the enemy are a bunch of "d--k strokers" and "a-- f-----s"". In fact the "f" word is dropped so many times at times it reads like a novel of modern army barracks life. Worth reading for the battle scenes alone - I'm a sucker for blood and guts - but nearly ruined as a novel for me by that newly defined mortal sin of historical tomes - "presentism". Thank you Frieda. Larry

The only hosta I intentionally have more than one of is So Sweet. Others I have duplicates of: Irish Luck, because I thought the other one was dead Bridegroom, same reason. Dancing Queen, same reason. "Big Blue" because I divided it. Blue Mouse Ears because Cleo (my dog) mauled it and Blue Cadet and I couldn't determine which pieces where which hosta when I repotted them. All of the above will go in one pot when I repot this spring. Night before Christmas because my neighbor gave me hers when she moved to assisted living. I'll keep both. I'm thinking of splitting my oldest So Sweet and will keep all three. It's in about the biggest pot I can handle and it aesthetically looks like it's too big for the pot. It does not have that nice round shape anymore. It did well, though. I bought another Minuteman because it was so gorgeous I couldn't resist. I had a smaller one and a Patriot. Not sure whether I will keep all three or not. I'll wait and see how they do. I still have two Frances Williams I intended to re-home. I think I will try them one more season and see if an acidic fertilizer will help their looks. bk

Interesting subject. I suspect that correct culture and the genetics that are bred into the cross may have a big influence on bud and flower production, and also blossom numbers....especially the number of flowers that will open all at once, and how long open blossoms stay on the plant. It seems that Adenium breeders (I'm just guessing here) release plants for sale that are NOT perfected, and that would be culled under other circumstances due to bad genetics. I think if blossoms looks different, have novel, or new colors, have double/triple petal count, etc...in short, any plants that will sell, get released by major breeders. Nowhere have I ever read, or recall, on any Adenium breeder's sites, any Adenium forums, noted by any seller, that Adeniums were specifically bred for bud/flower count, flower substance, bud retention, for disease/insect/rot resistance, fertile blossoms...etc. I recall not one thread, at least I can't find them, that discuss the virtues of any particular cross or the progeny, resulting from that selected cross. Dimmitt comes close, with his breeding lines, but where are the Dimmitt plants, and where do you buy one? Ko's seeds, and seeds from other noted breeders might produce some superior flowers, but what about the other important aspects of plant genetics that were mentioned above? It seems that when it comes to Adeniums, flowers are the goal, and little else matters. Are we just growing some inferior mongrels that have pretty flowers, and poetic names? Just asking. Perhaps all the dogs, inferior plants, do in fact, go into the Adenium compost piles, before any selected and named Adenium hit the open market....but I don't know for sure if we are buying and growing the best of the bunch. My cynical guess is that motives for profit, allow some lousy plants, but, with nice flowers, to be released. Frank NYC/7b