I spent most of the afternoon today trying a different approach with weed control... I went around the yard with my pruning shears and every small tree seedling or poison ivy vine or whatever I didn't want that wouldn't pull up easily (wore part of the skin off the middle finger on my right hand yanking too hard on some of them) got clipped a few inches above the ground, then immediately "painted." I had the cover to my bottle of 42% concentrate glyphosate with a little poured in the bottom and one of those 1" sponge paint brushes in it, well soaked. After cutting each plant, I simply liberally dabbed the bare "trunk" with that sponge, then went on to the next one... must have done well over 100 plants that way... No danger of overspray or anything that way... direct application to only what you want, and I can guarantee you it WON'T come back. I also cut down my almost-full-grown mimosa yesterday (trunk was about 8" thick) and took a paper towel I'd been using the same way with some other plants in the back yard (a smaller mimosa and a few unwanted tulip poplar volunteers) and draped it over the stump... and since it wasn't still as damp as I'd have liked, I poured a bit more in the cap and just poured that across the top of the paper towel on my diagonal stump cut, so it could soak in and slowly soak down the towel. I've used this method before, but never with this many plants at once. Works well, no risk of starting a fire, and unlike the torch thing, I can guarantee you this will KILL THE ROOT. Happy Weedkilling! Jeff

The photos in your link give a good stage-by-stage introduction to making creme brulee. We keep hens and do a lot of creme brulee around here! It's not difficult at all, and you'll receive lots of oohs and aahs from guests. Just be sure to follow all the steps, don't boil the cream, be sure to strain through a fine sieve, use a gentle water bath, don't "burn" the sugar in advance or it will be sort of gelatinous in texture by the time you serve, and using a propane torch is just fine. I mess around with the number of yolks I use, especially when I want to get rid of a few extra. The Sur La Table ramekins are mostly made in China and I have been avoiding Chinese products that are food related, so I do not know how well they function or last, or what the clay ingredients are. I use Villeroy and Boch, Apilco, and Emile Henry ramekins.

Here's my recipe. I love this stuff. Don't make it often though, because I eat all six servings by myself. LOL Burnt Cream - A rich vanilla custard with burnt sugar topping. Yummy! 1 pint whipping cream 4 egg yolks ý cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla extract Topping 4 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 teaspoon brown sugar Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat cream over low heat in small saucepan until bubbles form around the edge of the pan. Beat egg yolks and sugar together until thick, about 3 minutes. Gradually beat cream into egg yolks. Stir in vanilla and put into 6 (6 oz) custard cups. Place custard cups in a baking pan that has about ý an inch of water in the bottom. Bake until set, about 45 minutes. Remove custard cups from water and refrigerate until chilled. Sprinkle each custard with about 2 teaspoons of the sugar blend. Place on top rack under broiler and cook until topping is medium brown. Put back in the refrigerator and chill well before serving. Makes 6 servings

Well, if it's really a desert island I've learned from boating survival techniques I'd want... 1.) Mirror 2.) Unlubricated condums for water storage (don't laugh, it works) 3.) Net I'm good at making fire in the desert with a mirror (lots of practice in the Mohave when I used to do ghost town & old mine hunting). I can also signal with a mirror. Would just have to hope there was some type of shrub for fuel around??? Don't need anything to cook on such as the Dutch oven. Can cook on or in a piece of shell or soaked driftwood or even a stick. Can also use shell to cut with. A small piece of foil would be a real luxury. Fresh water in the desert is usually undrinkable because of the high mineral content...salt, alkali, lime, etc. (think Great Salt Lake conditions) Cacti 'may' be present for some fluids. Without water it wouldn't matter what else I had. The net is for catching critters both land & sea. If I was lucky there would be date palms. :) /tricia