I'll be visiting a plant distribution market in 3 hours, opening times are 2am - 9am so I'm hoping to get 5 - 15 trees for a third of retail price. No idea what they'll have there, I don't expect much at all but ideally I'll be looking for these as trees for starting 2 completely fruiting hedges: A gage type plum. Another sweet eating plum that could cross pollinate my Victoria if I'm lucky. A nectarine and one or two peach. Peregrine is by far the most widely sold peach here, any other variety available will be an unexpected bonus. A sweet cherry. Stella is more available as retail lately but I'd take any I've heard good things about to compliment my single sunburst. Pluots are very restricted in the UK at present, 2 varieties available from 2 companies at elevated prices with other hybrids like aprium not even available. Seeing these there is hoping for too much but there's still hope :) I'd also buy fruiting shrubs I expect are there like elaeagnus, gaultheria, aronia and any ribes and vaccinium that stand out I'll buy. The UK market for fruit plants has been small and restricted as long as I can remember, very slowly coming around with things like honeyberry being introduced at retail level. Just glad I've done the research on species to get, I'm just more or less clueless on varieties of common fruit so it's going to be guesswork with them.

Maybe its just electrolux but I would never purchase an induction cooktop again. Who ever heard of a maximum pan size? Add that to not being able to cook on high on the two largest burners (8.5" oh boy) at the same time and you are very limited. I learned the hard way when using my large (10") dutch oven for stew and then boiled noodles. POP went the cooktop. The first thing the repairman said is "were you using a big pan?" I cook a lot. I have a 13" saute, the usual collection of LeCruset, Clam steamer and stock pots. Not to mention how are you expected to take your roast pan and deglaze it? Just cooking for a family of four is a real challenge on this. I was going to just eat the $1700 and get a gas cooktop but the minimum cutout for this unit in the granite is just a hair larger than the maximum allowed for a gas range. I'm stuck with this. I was able to crank out more food with my $275 four burner electric coil. Too many shills posting rave reviews without telling people what the limitations are. The 30" cooktop with 8" elements is only great when its dinner for 2. Just get gas and you don't have to deal with this nonsense.

The holidays are always "emotional"...but Christmas is the birth of my Savior...and my emotion is joy! Yes, there is always that twinge of remembering those empty chairs that were once filled with my two dear departed husbands...but I can rejoice in knowing they are with the "Reason for the Season" and I will join them in the not too distant future. I find so much happiness in helping people who are suffering from the loss of health and jobs...as well as loved ones...and I am sure you would not have to look far to find someone who would welcome any help you might offer them. Volunteer for something...adopt a family, take food to a shut-in, a plate of cookies to a neighbor, ring a bell at a red kettle, phone a long-lost friend or relative, visit a nursing home and be thankful you are able to live in your home, drive someone on an errand, offer to shop for someone who can not do it, light a candle and reflect on how thankful you are...oh my, the list could be endless...be creative...and know that tough times do not last, tough people do! Now go and have a Merry Christmas....and you might also make a trip back to your church while you are at it....you might be pleasantly surprised....hope so!

kilian, I'm between Ann Arbor and Ypsi and the lack of birds lately is really bothering me. My husband reminded me that our Cooper's Hawk may be the reason so tomorrow morning I'm going to move my feeders away from my windows and closer to our huge conifer lot line, where I had them last year. I, too, got more birds of all types in Spring and Summer. However, this year I am not feeding after June 1 and not before November. I said that last year, but hope I follow through this year. I do think the lack of snow and very cold weather recently is a contributing factor. I feed safflower in one feeder, BOSS in another, a mix in another, and 2 or 3 suet feeders. 2 of my neighbors also feed, but I haven't talked to them about their business. In this drab weather I am really disliking the BOSS shells piling up on the ground. I wish safflower seed was not more expensive because I would put it in all my feeders as House Sparrows here didn't eat it. The millet in my mix just stays on the ground and I rarely see a Junco or native sparrow anymore. Even the chickadees are rare. I want to feed everything that comes to my yard too -- one can keep so-called bully birds with a mix in its own feeder away from other feeders if one wants to. Squirrels will go to a mix on the ground too. I don't understand the lack of birds either, but we'll see if moving the feeders makes a difference. I have baffles on my shepherds hooks, and 18-inch domes on feeders hanging from my eaves to keep the squirrels on the ground. I want to feed the doves and squirrels but I want them on the ground. I can't help you, kilian. I think the weather is a factor for you. I will keep you posted and you do the same. We're really lucky with our weather, compared to other parts of the States, so I don't really want to complain too much. Pat .