Tell me about it. The post office has gone crazy with paranoia of drugs, bombs, etc. Just last week I had to go to our post office to mail off a bunch of envelopes (including bubbled envelopes) for seed trades. I had no problem out of those, but when he got to the SASE to the garden hoard, he asked me what the envelope addressed to me was for. I told him it is an SASE for flower seeds. He flipped out & thought I was sending it off in return for weed!!! He even went as far as to call a cop in (the court house/police station is right across the street)!!!! The cop was skeptical. Apparently this guy is known for doing this. The cop asked me what it was for & where it was going. After I gave the brief answer, he laughed a little & bid us all a good day.

But does it really matter if you know the person is living in a particular part of the state or province. What would be gained by knowing a message is from a person who might be across town from you---but still far distant from everyone else. As far as local zones being somewhat the same as possibly a zone across the world, blame it on the weather....it ..and the fact that the world is tilted. The reason why our seasons are what they are is because the Earth doesn't sit level--its tilted. The reason why Florida grows plants that can grow nowhere else--yet other places have the same zone is because Florida is a peninsula---surrounded on three sides by water. But that said, a plant that grows well in southern B.C. may not thrive the same way the same plant would grow in another zone having the same number. You can take the girl out of the country....but you cant take the country out of the girl. A plant that grows in zone 5 Ontario may not thrive as well as the same plant grown in Denver, Colorado. A plant grown in zone 8 B.C. may not do as well as bringing it to Georgia and putting it into the ground there. Bring a plant out of zone 7 California and take it to the Niagara peninsula and you'd probably have a dead plant in no time. Yet, they have the same USDA identification to their zones. A plant is a plant is a plant....we sometimes utter. But a plant naturalized in B.C...such as a holly, bring it to Toronto and it wont grow near as well....if at all.

I am also looking at purchasing Miele products in US. There are duties on German appliances imported into Canada. In my case, the American retailer will absorb the duties and transportation costs. I will still be responsible for GST and PST. I will end up with a savings of approx 30% for products delivered to Vancouver. It appears Ontario residents may be able to save more. Based on my conversation with Miele Canada, there were non-commital about warranty for Miele products purchased in US. However, when pushed, it appears that they concede that they will serviced the product. If I am incorrect, my thoughts are that 30% savings will pay for a lot of repairs. However, Miele products are generally reliable and believe that I will not need any repairs. Moreover, since my purchase will be made with a credit card (i have the addional safety of the credit card purhase protection plan) another option will have the appliance fixed thru my the credit card's insurance plan. You may want to review any insurance coverage thru your credit card carefully. Good luck in your purchase.

A great clip ! Well done and appreciated. ...........but about that friends forever thing.....lets wait and see if Canada and the US face off for hockey gold. No more Mr Nice Guy then!!!