One of the first shops to unionize was on Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor, Michigan. Starbucks recently announced a number of closings and surprisingly enough, that shop is one of the stores being closed. Corporate swears the closing has nothing to do with the union.

Apparently a shop operating successfully for over 20 years in a high visibility, heavy foot trafficked area of a college town is just a recipe for failure.

Interesting, I hadn't heard that. They all came from the county extension office but I have no idea if that means they came from the seeds of one plant. It might just be worth getting another one just in case.

Planted three paw paw saplings this spring and it looks like they're going to make it. If all goes well, I'll have fruit to share in ten years or so!

That's what I get for trying to ID a tree on my phone. Glad you figured it out, though!

It's a birch, I think a European white birch. It shouldn't be losing leaves this early. Look closely at the bark and see if you see a series of holes. If so, it's infested with Birch borers, and the tree is probably a goner. With all of that being said, the best thing the homeowner can do is hire a certified arborist to evaluate the tree.

To be fair, Indiana basically is Florida, just minus a few alligators.

HUGE improvement over the web platform. Keep up the good work!

Traverse City, up at the tip of the Lower Peninsula, holds a Cherry Fest every year and also produces some of the best wine in the country. The Great Lakes (Lake Michigan in particular) help to moderate temperatures, and we get a good amount of precipitation every year. Our cherries and apples are outstanding.

source: born and raised Michigander

That's a first class joke. I could use a coach like you to help me keep people in their seats and not heading towards the emergency exits!