Hi, and nice to see your trees! I like the first one in the third row down, nice random sort of 'reaching', but I'd cut all those branches back to 1-2 sets of leaves so you start getting ramification and some shape (though not til spring I guess if it's outdoors). Something else I'll warn you about - the majority of bonsai-ists on most of the forums will likely turn their noses up at S bends - the problem I think is that a LOT of 'mall'-sai are sold like that, conforming to each other by the 1,000s (grown in China usually) and are considered both unnatural and cookie cutter-ish. Now if doing S-bends is a trait of a particular school of pen-jing, and you're consciously trying to do it, that's a choice and as valid as any other, but I thought I'd just give you a 'heads-up' on current thinking about them in case you run into the crowd :-)!

That is a great story. I have to say that the few times I've had to send a camera and a lens back to Nikon, the turnaround time has been amazing. A few years back, I was shooting pics at our church's Easter picnic and the camera just stopped working. I shipped it to California (from Texas) on a Monday and it was back in my hands, fixed, the next week, and I had the same experience with one of my digital SLR lenses - it wouldn't auto focus, so I shipped it back and it was repaired and back to me the next week, and since I'd filled out the warranty card when I purchased it, even though the lens was over 3 years old, it was still under warranty - all I paid was the shipping out there - they shipped it back at their cost. A good friend of mine who is in his 70's and has always used Nikons, sent one back last year that he'd had for several years. I don't know what was wrong with it, but they fixed it and sent it back and didn't charge him anything - said it was because he'd always been a loyal Nikon customer.

delicious..... Macaroni and Cheese This is without a doubt in my mind the best Macaroni and Cheese you'll ever eat, so whip up a batch and invite me over. Ingredients 1 cup elbow macaroni 1 cup milk 2 tblsp margarine 1/4 tsp salt 2 tblsp flour 1 lb longhorn cheese Cook 1 cup elbow macaroni for 8 min. Drain and set aside. Make a medium white sauce using 2 tblsp of margarine, 2 tblsp of flour, 1 cup of milk and 1/4 tsp of salt. Melt the margarine(low heat), add all but 1/4 cup of milk and the flour. Add the flour to the remaining milk in a covered container and shake. Add to the mixture and stir continuously until it thickens - about 5 min. Add the macaroni Use a 1 lb longhorn cheese. Slice enough cheese for 3 layers in a 1.5 qt casserole dish. Cut the rest of the cheese in chunks and melt with sauce and macaroni. Starting with the cheese make layers of the cheese and macaroni in the casserole(cheese,macaroni,cheese,macaroni,cheese). End with a layer of cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees, about 1 hour or until all the cheese is melted. ***************** MACARONI AND CHEESE Serves 12 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish 6 slices good white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces 5 1/2 cups milk 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste 4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar cheese 2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruye or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) pecorino Romano cheese 1 pound elbow macaroni Sour cream, for garnish (optional) 1. Heat oven to 375°. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place the bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into bowl with bread, and toss. Set the bread crumbs aside. 2. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat the milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a medium pot over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. 3. While whisking, slowly pour in hot milk. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick. 4. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyère or 1 cup pecorino Romano; set cheese sauce aside. 5. Fill a large saucepan with water; bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 minutes less than manufacturerÂs directions, until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different speeds; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce. 6. Pour mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyère or 1/4 cup pecorino Romano, and bread crumbs over top. Bake until browned on top, 45 to 60 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Serve garnished with sour cream if desired. ************ super rich....... Macaroni and Cheese 2 cups Macaroni, elbow or other variety 1 cup grated/shredded cheddar cheese 1 cup grated/shredded Jack cheese 1 cup grated/shredded Colby cheese 1/2 cup butter 1 cup bread crumbs 1/3 cup flour 3 cups milk Cook macaroni per package instructions. Mix 3 types of cheese together. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in saucepan. Mix in bread crumbs and add 1/2 cup of cheese mixture. Set aside. Melt remaining butter, stir in flour to make a roux. Gradually stir in milk. Cook until it thickens. Add cheese mixture until it melts. Stir in Macaroni. Pour into a baking dish and top with bread crumb mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

Yes, I think you are right -the flower in my posted photo is the Cora tinctoria. Native or not, it's been a wildflower here for as long as my friend remembers and called "yellow button flower". The foliage is definitely wild butter-cup-like, perhaps that is what she meant. I copied the info to file. Further Googling found an Amazon site selling seeds but I'll speak to my friend first to see if she wants to order there or continue to search locally. Maybe I got the wrong flower again anyhow. ha. Thanks, flora.