Hello Marjorie: I cannot begin to tell you how much I enjoy “Thrifty”. I have started reading it for the second time and am loving it all over again. My mother was also a lady who insisted I knew how to clean a house, do my own laundry, which I did as of age 14, and it included ironing everything.

I used to iron all of my childrens’ clothes and my daughter, (now 47) still teases my about ironing underwear and socks! I do cut corners these days and don’t iron underwear or husbands socks but everything else is still ironed.

I miss Gardening Life and all your great tips and articles in it and have not found anything nearly as good!

I live in Zone 3-3b and did plant a magnolia about three years ago. It had one bloom on it last year and am waiting for it to bloom again this year. It has a white flower and last year I bought a pink magnolia, almost identical looking as the one in your photo and the nursery I bought it from said it should be good to Zone 4. I am crossing my fingers that it will bloom this year. Yesterday was 24 degrees here so you never know. We live about an hour west of Winnipeg so this weather is unbelievable for us but we are thoroughly enjoying it!!!