I cannot tell you what varieties do best in that area, but make sure you pick the correct trees. Some figs will sour, and split in the rainy, cooler climates, or not ripen properly. The members on this forum will let you know what figs will work in Washington, State. Let's help Judy with selecting a fig tree for the new baby. Frank

I am so sorry for your loss. I hope knowing so many of us are sending healing thoughts and good wishes to you and your family will be of some comfort.

When my Mum was pregnant for the first time and went into labor, she went to the hospital. The doctor said "when the apple is ripe it will fall from the tree. We don't pick ripe apples." and sent her home. She returned later the same day and delivered. She had 6 kids and tells us we were all late so she was pregnant more than 54 months of her life. With child #5, she was so late they induced her and she picked March 30th because she thought having an April Fool's day birthday would be awful(and the 30th would provide 2 days to get it done). Naturally, child #5 has always wished she had an AFD birthday. Our BIL and a nephew, who do have an AFD birthdays, love to tell her how it is the best birthday. Hope all is well with you and yours. When the apple is ripe, it will fall from the tree...

Good grief. I hadn't even seen this discussion thread, much less read it until now, so I guess I'd better post. I've been so busy at work (still am) on a major project that I barely have time to do a load of laundry so I'll have clean underwear, much less read many disussion threads here... Anyway, to get to the discussion at hand -- When I was about 14 and my brother was about 7, I was in the breakfast nook one afternoon talking to my mother. My brother came in from the backyard, said something, then went back outside. I said something to the effect that it wouldn't suprise me at all if he grew up to be gay. My mother replied, with shock in her voice, "How can you say that? He's just a little boy!" I said, "I don't know - it's just a feeling I have." Our parents died when my brother was 14, and I became his legal guardian. We had always gotten along really well as kids, and I never felt "burdened" to be his guardian. When he was 17, my brother came to me one day when I was in the family room and said that he needed to have a serious talk with me. I said, "Okay." He then said, "I'm gay." I replied, "Yes, I know." He said, "You know?!? You don't mind?!?" I hugged him and told him that I love him, that I'd always love him no matter what, and that of course I didn't "mind" that he was gay. He said that he'd been so stressed and worried about telling me. I told him that I was so sorry that he'd been stressed and worried, and that everything was ok. He wondered what our parents would have thought, and I told him in all honesty that I knew they wouldn't have had a problem, either. In February 1988 he found out that he was HIV+ and I promised him that he would not die alone, which was his greatest fear. In 1993, when he was living in San Francisco and Hubs and I in the Sacramento area, my brother converted to full-blown AIDS and was hospitalized, not expected to live through the night. He was in the hospital for over 9 weeks, 6 of which were in ICU, and I was with him the entire time with the exception of about three nights. When he was discharged my husband and I moved him in with us, and I was his caregiver. He died in my arms in 1994. He was, bar none, the bravest person I've ever known. I love him and miss him so very much.