I long ago replaced all those aggravating wire clothes hangers with sturdy plastic which don't get tangled up. Recently Jim needed some wire for some project or other, and none to be found around here. I had several packages and rolls of wire for crafting but all too flimsy...he said nothing could replace a good wire clothes rack! (And when did the term "rack" disappear for clotheshangers) Seldom use the drycleaners anymore except for large comforters and such...but guess it's time to send off a few winter clothes to be cleaned so we'll have wire coathangers again. Before we moved we found an attic box which held an old metal Slinky, Rubik's Cube, and Etch-a-Sketch. It was funny to see my son, then 35 or so, playing with them again. Never owned a hulahoop as I don't think boys enjoyed those like the girls did. I think I've read that parsnips are best tasting when harvested in Fall after a frost. I guess nowadays they briefly refrigerate them to fool Mother Nature but I don't look for them until the first cold spell when I start thinking vegetable soup. Somehow like sauteed cabbage and baked yams they say Fall to me. I've never eaten parsnips except in stews...how do y'all cook them? I'm buying extra herbs to turn into herbed butter and freeze...they're cheaper now than in winter. Basil, parsley, etc. (no mint as we don't care for it). But all are easily available yearround, at least at my favored grocery. We go back to my old neighborhood to shop every other week as that store caters to pickier eaters...it's miles out of the way but worth it to easily find what I want and the deli section is the best! josh

I'm in northeast CT and have a Harbor Freight GH that's not heated. I have some thermal mass to help keep things "warm", Last night it went down to 6 degrees...inside it was 23! I've already germinated a bunch of seeds in my house and will move the plants out late this month. You could check the monthly averages on weather.com to guesstimate when the average nightly temperature stays above 32...it should be around the second week of April. -Rob T.

Oh Yes! I discovered hooping in March and in one month lost one inch off my waist. Using the hoop has completely reshaped my midsection. In fact I won a "fat to fit" contest at my gym, which was based on percentage of body fat lost. I only lost 10 lbs, but went from 28.9% to 19.1% body fat. I posted about hooping several times on the Home Decorating forum (Conversations side). I have several hoops now, but started with the 3 lb Acu hoop like the one pictured above. My most recent hoop is the travel hoop from Hoopnotica.com. I also got a couple of videos from them. If you buy from Hoopnotica use this code for a discount - TS0926. I can't say enough good things about hooping. It is a fun way to exercise that I can do at home while watching TV. I find it very enjoyable. I am 52 years old and wore a bikini on my last vacation to Mexico. Here is a link that might be useful: Decorating forum thread

Here's the deal, the larger size and weight actually make it easier to hoop at first. Did your daughter just get a cheapie hoop from Walmart? If so, she may get frustrated with it. If she wants a lighter weight hoop, that still has enough weight for an adult to use she should check out the hoops at Hoopnotica and Canyon Hoops She might want to especially check out the Hoopnotica travel hoop. It comes in 6 sections, and can be put together using either all 6 or only 5 sections, which can be helpful for smaller people or those with limited space to hoop in. Another great resource is Hooping.org