My neighbor's trees were huge, mature, and DEAD. We don't remove live ones either! Trees are very very precious out here. Don't need any laws telling us that, for sure.
Having said that, though, I am guilty of removing a few elm trees that the previous owner let grow under and through power lines.

Cindi - Well, we're getting snow right now!! Yay!! Not much, but any is good! We got some of the small stuff, then it changed to the big fat sugarsnow flakes that's really wet. Got about an inch of that, and now it's back to the smaller stuff. I'd be greedy & keep it all to myself, but I'll see if I can blow some of it your way. When I was watering Friday after noon, I was checking out my trees & stuff. Everything's getting ready to start budding out I think. In fact, one of the lilacs (Wedgwood Blue) actually sent out a couple of leaves!! Too early!!! Waaay too early. The forsythias are still very dormant, so I'm hoping that everything's just gonna bide it's time.. but I'm seeing the birds acting like spring time (the crows were doing their noisy mating calls while I was outside and I've seen falcons in mating flights). Ugh, we need moisture!!

36°F and cloudy. We've had very little snow this winter and it hasn't stuck at all - turned to slush and then ice within a few days. I don't mind the snow if it sticks, hate this ice.

Its raining hard here right now wish I could send you all some i don't mind the rain but this time of year it means black ice and I realy don't like that

We got about an inch of snow last night.. could definitely have used more.

Overlooking the front yard.. notice nothing is trimmed.

It looks pretty with the snow on the ground.

Got in the Edmunds catalog yesterday.. *swoon!!* OMG, there's so many that I want, but I won't order from Edmunds again. They didn't deliver last year & I won't go through that again. I'd love to get MusicBox.. anyone else selling that one?

Good as Gold: http://www.edmundsroses.com/dp...
Fired Up: http://www.edmundsroses.com/dp...
Love Song: http://www.edmundsroses.com/dp...

Hope I can find these locally...

I have been on a healthy eating diet and exercise for weight loss plan for 7 weeks now since I started back in December. Today I got to my first goal of loosing ten pounds from my starting weight. I exercise each day. watch what I eat and have cut out sweets compleatly.

I am really happy to have that first ten pounds gone. And the exercise is making me stronger so that when gardening season comes I will have an easier time taking care of my gardens.

So I am still way overweight but hey, It took me a long time to put the weight on so it will take a while to get it back off again.

Toni, those are all striking. Hope you can add them to your collection.

Congratulations! Way to go Rita!

The rats and mice must be still be partying out in my garage. I keep putting the rat bait out and it keeps getting eaten. All baits were eaten when I checked this morning. And I had put out a lot of bait. So I put out more bait, even more than I had out prior times. At least when the rats eat, they die.

This has been going on since late spring this past year. I have never seen so many rodents as I have this year. And the garage is detached from the house, which in this case, is a good thing.

I know I planted my garden to attrack wildlife but rats were not what I had in mind!

I would be headed for higher ground I'm a sissy when it comes to mice and rats
yaaa for your first goal !!!!!!!!!!

Well, I guess better in the garage than in the house.

I really must be determined to eat much more healthy as I just ate my health food slurry of Garden of Life Raw Fiber and Gotein Protein powder that I have to mix in a blender (otherwise it doesn't mix) and eat because it is very good for me. It comes out way to thick to drink. But geez, it really is aweful tasting.

How come Big Macs and Whoppers with fries taste so good and are so bad for you while Raw fiber and Protein taste so bad and are so good for you?

I think I'll pass on that one Rita LOL If it tastes so awfull why would it be good for you ??

Most of us need more fiber in our diets and the protein needed for building muscle. I usually need some protein before working out. And since I am watching what I eat I have been eating far more veggies, which don't have the protein like meat does. Yes, I do know there are many sources. But this way is easy and healthy if not flavorful.

And I really like that Garden of LIfe Raw Fiber. If I don't mix it with the potein powder it is much easier to get down.

Toni, I bought Music Box from Edmunds' Roses last year and I love it. As I recall, you ordered it last year too, and they either didn't send it or sent one that was too inferior to grow.

Rita, I'm impressed by your health regimen and all of the effort you're making to eat a healthier diet. I'm so glad I love meat and vegetables. I don't think I could stomach protein powder and raw fiber shakes.

Zuzu - You're skinny. You've probably never been overweight, so you've never had the stigma attached at how being overweight = a slovenly pig. I have. I admire & am jealous of Rita's progress.. every time I start working out, I never ever lose any "weight" (the scale never moves down) because I'm building muscle. I believe that you were forced to spend time in a camp during WWII.. think of that stigmatism, but your entire life. You're badgered & belittled for something completely not your fault. Now being overweight 99% IS self-induced. However, it's so much easier to gain weight than to take it off and to be bullied because of your size is wrong, much like being harassed based on skin color or eye shape. Bunch of bullhockey IMO.

As far as MusicBox, yes, they sent me this teeny little thing that looked like it came out of a bodybag. The thread "Edmunds' Roses taking orders for 2012" in Roses forum is the thread & http://garden.org/pics/2012-04... is the image. That's why I won't order from Edmunds again.

Want to loose weight without much effort? Loose weight while eating as much as you want? Subsitute one meal a day for a meal of White Shirataki Noodles . They have no calories, no fat, no nothing. Yes, None. You can eat as much as you want to get full.

I haven't had any around for a while, I will have to get some. But I have never found any in the local supermarket. I wonder if a health food store would carry them? I just get mine on line and order. Get the 16 oz package, the 7 oz is not much food.

Here is how I cook them. They come in a plastic pouch (in liquid). Drain and rinse them. They will smell fishey. Ignore this as there will be no fish taste when done. Put in a pot with water and boil them for about ten minutes.

Drain.

Now they need some sort of flavor. They are tastless and will absorb flavors. Don't use Marinara sauce as they don't talste that great that way. (at least not to me) Not the texture of spagetti noodles. I just used bullion as a flavoring ajent. I use a half a cup of water for 7 oz package, one cup for 16 oz package of beef bullion. This equals one half packet of bullion envelop to one cup of bullion envelop for the 16 oz. Mix and let the noodles absorb the flavor of the bullion..

There you go. Eady to eat. This dish has NO calories as my beef bullion has no calories. But it depends on the brand you use or what else you might use for sauce. You can also put it in onion soup (use can directions but just add the drained and cooked White Shirataki Noodles).

I love Shirataki noodles. I eat them with oyster sauce, Rita.

zuzu, I like meat and vetables also. But I was eating too much meat and not enough vegetables. I have decreased my meat portions and increased my veggie portions. And if one is getting enough protein, then one doesn't need the protein powder. I just use it to give me the protein I need before my workouts. And I added the raw fiber to make it easy for me to make myself get the healthy fiber I need. There are other ways to eat healthy if one wants to do it differently.

One product I did take for a long time was Garden of Life (brand name) Perfect Food (capsules) When I started my healthy eating I changed to Garden of Life Perfect Food Raw which I can really feel the diffence since taking. It gives you all those good things one gets from eating raw veggies but who can eat that many raw veggies? Buy the capsule form, the powder form tastes VILE!

Toni, my entire life I never had a weight problem. Much of it I was skinny, the rest just a good weight for me. But since I have gotten older the weight slowly, slowly started getting up there till I ended up at that 150 pounds. Much, much too much weight.