I read so much about Trader Joe's orchids. Alas, no TJs anywhere near me :(

Let us see who have lost their marbles. If my marbles are intact, it was the first time this winter that there were several widespread damages due to a "hurricane"-like weather pattern, aka, extra tropical cylcone that is loaded with moisture and sustained winds that hit us hard, that even until now, there are some areas being repaired for electrical connectivity. The only other widespread anomaly that has happened to create such a wide spread disaster aside from the non-cyclonic type winds are the deep freeze of winter 1990-91 when a lot of pipes broke all over the state. There are many anomalous tornado-like damages here and there through the years but not as wide spread damages as the one we had experienced earlier this winter, if your memories are fresh to remember during the course of this winter, there was none like that for the past 18 years here that I have witnessed. The winds and rains were sustained, and it has the characteristic signature of extra-tropical cyclone to hit us. Many have the same shape, but they usually are toned down or smoothed out before touching inland California. There were flooding, levee breaks, here and there, usually are not due to combination of sustained winds and rains together. Earthquake capital, shaking here and there and other tra-la-las. Do you have any evidence or reference of sustained wind and rain in the Sacramento Valley that is comparable to the widespread damages earlier this winter? And how many years ago was it? I was glad that there was a change in the pattern of the current weather that the sustained winds and rains were a lot lower than previously forecasted so that it did not match the one earlier in the season, otherwise it would have been as disastrous, and that's why the announcement. But sustained strong winds and heavy rains that causes state of emergency declaration are nothing but ordinary events in the typhoon frequented areas of the Philippines. In here, we Californian typically scramble, have disastrous results, declare state of emergency because we are not accustomed to such events that are too ordinary in some places, proof that it is not common here, and happened only once in the last 18 years that I lived here. Show me proof of the same magnitude from the same type of weather event...

Melodiek~ My parents live in not too far south of Bellingham in town called Mt Vernon. Don't miss the tulip festival there, it's breathtaking! Their weather is a bit more tempered than in B'ham, where there can be some nasty ice storms. Having had the pleasure of watching a soccer game up there one year when the sideways rain turned to ice.... well, let's just say you aren't thinking what to plant right about then! There are some wonderful apple orchards in the town of Lynden, not far from Bellingham. Wet and cloudy, yes it will be. But it really makes you appreciate the drop-dead gorgeous views over the sound when the sun comes out!!!

On the "Just Almond Meal" note . . .does anyone know if I can sub it for the "Just Hazelnut Meal"? The hazelnut was a favorite of mine and I used it frequently in pumpkin bread. I was crushed on my last visit to TJ's when they said they no longer carry it. :-( I got some almond meal in case, but I haven't had a chance to try it yet. . . I hope it is similar.