Valentines Flowers 2012 - Fashion Watches: DKNY's Valentine Collection

valentinesflowers 2012

This Valentine’s Day, DKNY captures the romance in the air with their special edition of fashion watches called 'Sweetheart timepieces'. Crafted in lustrous stainless steel, the fashion watches feature a unique DKNY Heart impression on the face to celebrate the glorious sensation of being in love.

Available in the classic monochromes of gold, silver and rose gold, the contemporary boyfriend silhouette of the collection comes with a high gloss finish, creating a subtle yet glamorous presence. Perfect for an evening out accentuating a shimmery dress and well suited for a day at the office, let your lady love dazzle all year round with the Valentine's day gift from DKNY.

Priced between Rs. 6495 & 7995/-, the DKNY Sweetheart collection is available at DKNY Boutiques, select Lifestyle and Shoppers Stop stores and leading watch retail outlets across the country. So charm your Valentine with special edition DKNY Sweetheart timepieces

About The Fashion Watch Company:
Fossil Inc. is a global retailer specializing in the design, innovation and marketing of fashion lifestyle and accessory products. At the heart of Fossil Inc.'s vision is a commitment to fostering creativity and delivering the best in design through its two core businesses: Fossil brand; and a multi-brand watch and jewelry portfolio.

The Fossil brand is rooted in authenticity and a distinctive Modern Vintage design aesthetic. With over 350 stores worldwide and a strong global e-commerce business, The Company is internationally known for its eclectic assortment of lifestyle and accessory items including watches, handbags and clothing.

Fossil Inc. also creates fashion accessories for a number of other owned and licensed brands including MICHELE, DKNY, Michael Kors, and Diesel. The Company is constantly developing its multi-brand portfolio through its core competencies in innovative branding, world-class design, and dynamic global distribution.

valentines flowers 2012 - Wow your valentine with a home-baked chocolate treat

Chocolate candies and roses are traditional valentines flowers 2012 gifts for a reason -- they epitomize romance because they delight the senses. The deep red of the rose combines with its ethereal scent, while chocolate mixes an irresistible taste with an intoxicating aroma and a sexy feel as it melts over the tongue.

So by all means, buy candy and flowers for your honey (or honeys) this Valentine's Day. But this year, show your love by also cooking something temptingly, sinfully delicious.

A rich, homemade chocolate dessert shows you care enough to bake the very best.

And it doesn't even have to be hard to make something special. Alain Ducasse's Dark Chocolate Tart uses only four ingredients in the filling, yet it is the height of romantic elegance -- not to mention pure chocolate decadence.

All chocolate comes from a frankly ugly nut called the cacao bean (it's called a bean but it's technically a nut, in the way that tomatoes are technically a fruit). As is often the case, the highest-quality beans are in limited supply. Most cacao trees grow in Africa, though their quality is ordinary. What are generally considered the best beans are from South America, where they can grow fewer trees. Cacao trees also grow in Central America and the West Indies.

The process of turning cacao beans into, say, Hershey's Kisses, is long and fairly involved, but oh-so worth it. By themselves, the beans are quite bitter, but after they have been fermented, dried and roasted, they take on a flavor closer to what we know as chocolate. The Mayans and Aztecs used to serve it at this stage, cold, mixed with water, and topped with a foam created by pouring it from one vessel to another. The Aztecs prized cacao beans so greatly they even used them as currency.

European conquistadors brought cacao back with them to Europe in the 16th century, where it soon became fashionable among the upper classes. It was still too difficult and time-consuming to make to be available to anyone else, until Dutch chemist C.J. van Houten invented a method of separating what is known as cocoa butter from what became his invention, cocoa powder. This powder could easily be mixed with water or milk, could be used to form bars made of chocolate and could be spread on chocolate candies.

This process also was much less expensive to work with, and chocolate came to the masses. Van Houten Cocoa, invented in 1828, is still available today.

Cocoa is more than just a way of making hot chocolate, it is an integral ingredient in many forms of baking. Home cooks also use semisweet chocolate (at least 35 percent cocoa solids and sweetened with sugar, it is what makes most chocolate chips), bittersweet chocolate (at least 35 percent cocoa solids and sweetened with little or no sugar) and unsweetened chocolate (at least 75 percent cocoa solids and no sugar, it is suitable only for cooking or baking).

Today's recipes call for all of these types of chocolate. Semisweet and bittersweet chocolate can almost always be substituted for one another, but never use unsweetened in place of the other two; the result will be too bitter. You can customize your edible valentine by changing the proportions or mixing semisweet and bittersweet chocolates in your recipes.

Chocolate-covered strawberries are perhaps the easiest chocolate treat of all. Not only are they a simple presentation of chocolate, they also borrow the general shape and red color of a heart -- a valentine heart, that is. The shape and color of real hearts are, frankly, unappetizing.

Many people just melt chocolate in a double boiler or microwave (stirring every 20 seconds or so, to avoid burning) and then plunk their strawberries right into that. And that method works, to a point. But the chocolate that adheres to the fruit cools to a crunchy shell that shatters when you bite into it. The secret to making softer, slightly chewier chocolate is easy, but some people find the concept a little weird: Just add a little vegetable shortening to the chocolate as it melts.

The difference is striking.

From the simple to the sublime. Ducasse is considered one of the world's greatest chefs. The foods in his cookbooks are daunting and often beyond the abilities of the average home cook. But his Dark Chocolate Tart is an exception. It's as easy as pie, so to speak, especially if you just buy a premade pie crust.

The hardest part may be finding the creme fraiche the recipe requires. More or less mixing the richness of whipping cream with the slight tang of sour cream (though that isn't how it's made), creme fraiche is available at some of the fancier food markets. Look in the dairy section.

And from Sur La Table and Cindy Mushet comes what might be the best, most incredibly, chocolaty brownies ever. Mixing bittersweet with unsweetened chocolates creates a wonderful melange, particularly if you take the time -- and you should -- to top it with a simple and sinfully rich ganache. Use semisweet chocolate for the ganache and you're in chocolate-lovers'

Valentines Flowers 2012 - Love To Steal The Breath Away With A Lasting Effect

Love always, the love of all, love is true love is the power of magic! This is something that everyone believes is true and the facts. To greet the person who discovered the first love and, more importantly, to greet the person who discovered the Valentine dedicated fans who believe in magic. So the first question is, how refined commemorate this occasion and answer is simple Valentine's Day gift, specially designed for lovers of ensuring long-term memories.

Valentine's Day begin? We must strive to learn? Yes, we must, we cannot assess any occasion without knowing its origin. If Romeo and Juliet was alive, Valentine's Day gift that would have given Juliet? Of life and commitment to be together for eternity. With all due respect this opportunity to keep alive in our hearts and honor; we must take seriously this opportunity with respect and understanding.

How can we show our respect for this day to love the beautiful full insurance benefits occurs only Royal Valentine gifts for our loved ones and can help or guide to find and foster the gift shop and passionate, his work, which is designed to capture the heart and breathing the next day valentines flowers 2012 and love to steal the breath away with a lasting effect.

If you believe in love or do not mind, but Valentine's Day is once again in the coming weeks you will see the streets covered with red balloons and red flowers. What add flavor to the magic of snow today the wind if you want to nest boxes and passion is your partner.

Keeping all factors in mind, with his play, valentines flowers 2012 that you choose may include curtain walls fortified Ruthin Castle, which is among the top corner towers and trenches in front of the castle, which included a love intense, romance and sometimes unbridled passion. Thus, a plan and start preparing day now romantic gifts. To the surprise of work, you need to know your talent before Valentine "2-3 months. A lot of planning is necessary for its work plan. Therefore, a good choice.

Idea of seeking care, place something beautiful and romantic special for Valentine's Day to you both. Valentine's Day 2012 immortalize their love forever. With the arrival of the services they promise any time and place of delivery, you can send gifts to work for someone special on Valentine's Day to you.

valentines flowers 2012 - Come Celebrate With Us at the 5th Annual Atlantic City Valentine's Day Group Wedding, Vow Renewal and Civil Union Ceremony Tuesday, February 14, 2012

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority will host the fifth annual valentines flowers 2012 Group Wedding, Vow Renewal and Civil Union Ceremony at historic Boardwalk Hall on Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 2 p.m.

"Couples from all over the country celebrate their special day with us in Atlantic City," said Jeff Vasser, president of the ACCVA. "Couples return again each year to renew this special tie with each other and with Atlantic City."

The ceremony is free for all couples and their guests, and will be performed in the Ballroom in Boardwalk Hall at 2 p.m. The event will include a champagne toast, wedding cake and photo opportunities. Jean Muchanic, executive director of the Absecon Lighthouse and wedding officiant, will perform the non-denominational ceremony. Muchanic has officiated each of the ACCVA Valentine's Day ceremonies over the past four years.

"It is very rewarding to unite many new couples and to renew the vows of long united couples," said Jean Muchanic. "The Atlantic City valentines flowers 2012 ceremony is loved by all who participate each year."

Couples must pre-register for the Group Wedding event at Boardwalk Hall through the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority's official website at www.atlanticcitynj.com/group_tours/atlantic_city_group_wedding.aspx by Friday, February 10, 2012. All couples interested in getting married or united at the event must obtain their own marriage or civil union license. Couples must have a New Jersey license to get married in this ceremony. Vow Renewals do not need licenses. Couples can call their local vital statistics department for complete details. There is a three-day waiting period in the state of New Jersey for a marriage license. For additional details, call 609.449.7126.

SOURCE Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority

Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

valentines flowers 2012 - "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."

upid is getting busy, and so should you! Because valentines flowers 2012 is this February 14th!

Here is a guide so you can get that special someone the right color of fresh cut Valentines roses to send a most meaningful message!

Red Roses - Red roses proclaim "I love you." These are the most romantic color of roses you can send, they are for LOVE - and passion! Some people send them a day early online, so they can be enjoyed all day on Feb 14th!  They are expensive in February, but well worth it, and you may get into a bit of trouble on Valentine's Day if you don't send them!

Pastel Roses - They mean gratitude and gentleness.

Deep Pink Roses - Deep Pink Roses are very romantic and a great option to send that special someone love on valentines flowers 2012!

Fire and Ice Roses - These roses mean exactly that, fire! Love and Romance, these flowers have taken off in popularity within the last few years.

Yellow Roses - These are traditionally the congratulations roses, so send them to friends and family for graduation, or to newlyweds or for the birth of a child.

Coral Roses - Unusual and quite pretty, and also express passion!

Peach Roses - A nice way to say Thank You, they are appreciation and sent also for sympathy.

White Roses - These are roses that symbolize innocence.

valentines flowers 2012 - TfL launches flower campaign to raise awareness

Transport for London is hoping a new campaign, featuring flowers painted on the ground at 15 spots around Croydon where trams share the streets with cars and pedestrians, will help make people more aware of their surroundings and avoid them colliding with trams.
The message accompanying the valentines flowers 2012 is ‘Don’t be remembered like this – watch out for trams’.
Other measures to improve the safety and comfort of the 71,000 passengers that use the system every day include the deployment of six Tramlink neighbourhood officers, improving ‘sightlines’ for tram drivers and pedestrians and road markings showing the sweep path of trams.
Accidents involving trams are relatively rare and have remained constant, despite the number of tram services increasing valentines flowers 2012

valentines flowers 2012 - Gifts 2 India Online Bringing out Its Collection of Exotic Valentine Flowers

Kolkata, West Bengal -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/02/2012 -- As the time is slowly moving towards February, there is an excitement in the air. Recently, to add more fervor in this ongoing excitement, online gifts portal, Gifts2IndiaOnline.com has brought out a whole new collection of exotic valentines flowers 2012. Valentine’s day is coming closer and so everyone is started looking for exclusive Valentine gifts to India. Henceforth, this one of the eminent online gift shops has been rolling out items which are most favorite among couples.

Flower is one such gift article which are considered as an all-time favorite by young couples. Not only young couples, flower is a big hit among anyone and everyone. So to cater this vast demand for exotic flowers on the ‘day for love’, Gifts2IndiaOnline has arranged for a vast and varied collection of Valentine flowers which includes Exclusive Roses, Heart Shape Arrangement, Carnations, Orchids, Exclusive Flower Basket, Gerberas, Flower Bunches, valentines flowers 2012
According to Mr. Nikhil Poddar, CEO of Gifts2IndiaOnline, “We can’t imagine the day of love without a bunch of red roses or just a single stick of bright red gerbera. Flowers are the best expression of love. So we thought of to include a whole new section Valentine flowers to our Valentine gifts.”

Now, people from across the world can send beautiful flowers as gifts to India on Valentines day. This company ensures timely delivery of fresh blooming flowers. So if someone wants to surprise his/her beloved by sending Valentine gifts to India from USA or UK, then all he/she needs to do is browse through the collection, choose the suitable one and fill out the order form with proper billing and shipping details.

The gifts will be delivered at the doorstep no matter how far the place is.

valentines flowers 2012 - Live Chat during 2012 Tournament of Roses Parade on January 2, 2012

WASHINGTON, January 1, 2012–Not to worry, sports fans. Yes, we know–you and millions of other red-blooded Americans woke up late this morning, groggy from last night's festivities but still pumped up and eager to watch the famous Tournament of Roses Parade and ensuing college gridiron classic. But Where did they go? Did some network idiot sleep in and forget to put them on today's TV schedule?

Never fear. Due to the way the holidays fell this year, the "official" New Year holiday is tomorrow, January 2 since today, January 1, falls on a Sunday. Everything you were looking for happens tomorrow, not today, bucky, because tomorrow is most folks' official day off.**

Right, you may have missed yesterday's exciting Chick-fil-A Bowl game, because you were too busy partying. But you won't miss the Tournament of Roses Parade and game if you and your buds gather in front of that brand new 360-inch flat screen TV. Tomorrow. (Details below.)

Meanwhile, now that we have some time to relax, how about a little Rose Bowl history?

The first Tournament of Roses Parade was held on January 1, 1890. One hundred and twenty two years later, it will happen again tomorrow, January 2, 2012, just like we promised. The theme (and there is always one) of this year's parade will be "Just Imagine." (As in, "just imagine" how many people are torqued off that those much-anticipated Tournament of Roses events aren't on TV today.)

In the winter of 1890, members of Pasadena, California’s Valley Hunt Club were searching for a way to promote tourism to the West Coast. At one club meeting, Hunt Club member Professor Charles F. Holder announced, "In New York, people are buried in snow. Here our valentines flowers 2012 are blooming and our oranges are about to bear. Let's hold a festival to tell the world about our paradise.

"Huzzah! Splendid! A capital idea!" shouted the professor's fellow club members. Or something like that. At any rate, to get the metaphorical ball rolling, they began to invite shivering East Coast tourists out to always-sunny southern California for what was eventually billed as a “Mid-Winter Holiday,” complete with chariot races, tug-of-war, foot races and other lawn games.

Professor Holder’s “mid-winter holiday” soon grew to include parades with marching bands and floats decorated exclusively with the perpetually blooming flora – mainly roses – easily obtained in the Pasadena area year round. With the annual event's growing popularity, The Tournament of Roses Association was established in 1895, so named for those wonderful roses and the tournament-like competitive games that the "Mid-Winter Holiday" had made popular.

In 1902, things started looking a little more like they do today. Football was added to the games and the first contest pitted California's Stanford University against the University of Michigan. The Wolverines, said to have been named after a Marvel comics superhero, prevailed handily, 49-0. The California team's whupping was so lopsided that Stanford actually left the field in the third quarter. That inaugural football game led to a hiatus for the sport in the local festivities until 1916 when pigskin prognosticators and combatents returned to Pasadena. A new stadium was built. And on New Years Day 1923 the very first football game was played in the city's brand new and aptly named “Rose Bowl.”

But traditionally, prior to each annual football matchup, Pasadena still stages its extravagent Tournament of Roses Parade. Over the years, it's grown from a display of all-volunteer floats to a corporate sponsored technological extravaganza consisting of elaborate motorized and animated floats that take a full year to create. In keeping with the Tournament of Roses format, however, each float, whaterver its underlying structure, must be decorated exclusively with floral and/or plant matter, including, valentines flowers 2012, buds, seeds, twigs, grasses, whatever. Just as long as it grows. Or grew.

Each year's floats are judged on a range of criteria, including creative design, floral craftsmanship, artistic merit, computerized animations, thematic interpretation, and dramatic impact.

This year's Tournament of Roses Parade is being sponsored by Honda. Like each of its predecessors, the 2012 Tournament of Roses Parade will be led by a Grand Marshall, with this year's honors falling to J.R. Martinez, an Iraq War Veteran, current actor, and recent Dancing with the Stars Winner, who's bravely recovered from injuries received during battle. Conveniently, the 28 year old Martinez is a resident of nearby Los Angeles. He'll cruise the parade route in a 1933 V-16 Cadillac All Weather Phaeton with his mother, Maria Zavala and girlfriend Diana Jones.

During a press conference on Friday, an enthusiastic Martinez said, "It's really going to be amazing... I think that's really going to hit me in an emotional way. To think, here I am bringing in 2012 in such an unbelievable way."

In addition to its annual Grand Marshall, another non-floral parade highlight is the annual appointment of the Rose Queen and her Royal Court. More than 1,000 woman apply for the honor of riding on the royal float. But that's not all. Their duties do not end at the close of the day. The Queen and her Court will continue to serve as Rose Bowl and Pasadena ambassaådors of good will, attending public and media functions throughout the year.

This year's Rose Queen, 16 year old Pasadena native Drew Washington, will reign along with 2012’s six Rose Princesses: Morgan Eliza Devaud, Stephanie Grace Hynes, Cynthia Megan Louie, Kimberly Victoria Ostiller, Hanan Bulto Worku and Sarah Nicole Zuno.

"2012 Rose Queen Drew Washington and our six princesses are perfect ambassadors for the Tournament of Roses and the city of Pasadena," said Tournament of Roses 2012 President Rick Jackson. "They are talented, graceful and stellar role models who will inspire many young girls. We are delighted to have Queen Drew lead our court and reign over the 123rd Rose Parade and 98th Rose Bowl Game."

Check back here, on Monday, January 2nd as we watch and live chat the parade, inviting watchers to join in and comment on the floats, entertainers, and festivities.

The 123rd Tournament of Roses Parade kicks off the New Year on January 2, 2012 at 8am PT, 11am ET, live from Pasadena, California. The Rose Bowl game follows later in the day.

This year's gridiron contest pits the Oregon Ducks against the Wisconsin Badgers.

Rose Bowl events run on Pacific Standard Time (PST), so be sure to check your cable provider or broadcast channel listings for local times.



**Actually, there's more to the Tournament and Parade date switch protocol than meets the eye according to a December 27, 2011 piece in the online Marching.com. Seems that back in the day, all the event's hustle and bustle would spook the horses tethered outside Pasadena's various churches if the spectacle–and New Year's Day–happened to fall on a Sunday. So the powers-that-be-and-still-are decreed that the fun would be moved to Mondays when a Sunday New Year's Day happened to occur. This occurred most recently in 2006. For even more Rose-oriented stuff, check out Gayle Falkenthal's column in TV Den.

valentines flowers 2012 - 2012 Workers Comp Rates for the Florida Landscaping Industry

ORLANDO, Fla (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Effective January 1, 2012, Florida workers' compensation policies will use new rates for businesses in the landscaping industry. For the second consecutive year, the new rates are higher for landscapers, tree trimmers, and lawn care companies. If your business is experiencing higher insurance premiums, contact the insurance professionals at BearWise Landscapers for comparative quotes and cost saving measures.

Businesses in the landscaping industry primarily use the following classification codes to compute the workers comp premium associated with the payroll of their employees. The new rates are listed with each classification code.

9102 Class Code (rate:4.11) - This classification code is assigned to employees that maintain lawns and gardens. This is your standard landscape maintenance and lawn care classification and it is used by most businesses in the landscaping industry to rate their workers' compensation premiums. It is officially titled 'Parks NOC' and the 2011 rate for it was 3.47 percent. This new rate results in an 18% premium increase over that 2011 rate. Visit the BearWise Landscapers website for more information about class code 9102.

0042 Class Code (rate:7.48) - This classification is applied to employees that are involved in the installation of landscapes. These landscaping operations involve laying sod, planting trees, shrubs, and valentines flowers 2012, and general gardening activities. This classification cannot be used in Florida with employees classified as 9102 unless the operations are conducted by separate work crews. The rate in 2011 was 7.14 and this link provides information on using class codes 0042 and 9102 on the same policy.

0106 Class Code (rate:16.11) - This classification code is used for tree trimmers and specifically it is used for those employees or businesses whose operations involve leaving the ground to trim trees. When ladders, bucket trucks, and any other equipment assists employees to get their feet off the ground to prune or trim trees, then this classification is applied instead of the previous landscaping class codes. It also includes the chipping and cleanup activities associated with tree trimming. The 2011 rate was 14.62 percent.

5183 Class Code (rate:5.31) - This classification code is applied to employees of landscaping businesses that engage in the installation or repair of underground lawn sprinkler systems. The rate in 2011 was 4.82 percent.

0005 Class Code (rate:4.99) - This classification is applied to employees that operate a landscape nursery, and the 2011 rate was 4.60 percent.

8810 Class Code (rate:0.27) - 8810 is applied to the clerical office employees of landscaping businesses that do not engage in landscape services. The 2011 rate for this class code was 0.25 percent.

8742 Class Code (rate:0.53) - This classification is used for salespeople employed by landscape companies. These employees also may not engage in landscape services to be rated in this lower classification. The 2011 rate was 0.49 percent.

The workers' compensation rates will be applied to all new and renewal policies that are issued January 1st, 2012 and later. The previous rates will be used on current policies until a renewal policy is issued. The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) is the ratemaking organization that files workers' compensation rates for all carriers in Florida.

For more information regarding workers' compensation insurance or the other unique insurance needs of businesses in the landscaping industry, please contact BearWise Landscapers. There are many other factors that impact the final workers' compensation premium of a business, such as claims history (experience modification factor), dividend plans, deductibles, limits of insurance, and others. If your landscaping business is interested in receiving comparative insurance quotes on your workers comp renewal or other insurance products, please call Drew Roberts, CPCU, ARM at 866-296-2327 or complete the short online quote request form at www.BearWiseLandscapers.com .

About Black Bear Insurance Agency, Inc.

Black Bear Insurance Agency is located north of Orlando in Longwood, Florida. As an independent agency, the insurance agents at Black Bear have access to multiple insurance carriers. The agency specializes in handling commercial insurance programs for Florida businesses and develops specialized programs for specific groups of business, such as the landscaping industry. For more information, visit www.BlackBearAgency.com .

About BearWise Landscapers valentines flowers 2012

BearWise Landscapers is a division of Black Bear Insurance Agency. The insurance agents at BearWise Landscapers specialize in the unique insurance needs of lawn maintenance, tree trimming, and landscape installation businesses in Florida. For more information and for comparative insurance quotes,

SOURCE: BearWise Landscapers



     
        Black Bear Insurance Agency, BearWise Landscapers Division
        Drew Roberts, 407-774-2327 Ext. 3917
        or
        Dawn Bennett, 407-774-2327 Ext. 3852
     


Copyright Business Wire 2011

valentines flowers 2012 - Cal Poly volunteers working to complete flower decoration on 2012 Rose Parade Float

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, in conjunction with Cal Poly Pomona, will have a float in the parade again this year, titled "To the Rescue!"

Wednesday, KSBY caught up with organizers who have been working around the clock since Monday to gluevalentines flowers 2012 on the float.

Cal Poly has taken home awards for the past three years and the team hopes this year is no different. Volunteers are trying out some groundbreaking techniques, like whole wheat kitty litter for texture on the skyscraper, brown rice and flour comic murals, even cranberry annatto bricks for the train station.

"I'd say we're about 30 percent done with the float, and it's day three, so I think we're on schedule," said Kathryn Bohn, one of the float chairs.

"Ask again in a few days and I will let you know," chuckled Paulina Trujillo, another float chair.

The float will also be certified "California Grown," meaning 85 percent of the decorations come from California. And like in years past, some valentines flowers 2012 are even grown at Cal Poly.

valentines flowers 2012 - Additional gifts to give out

Santa Claus is exhausted. He was extraordinarily busy Saturday night and early this morning delivering gifts near and far. So, he's kicking back today with some green tea and has his feet up.

You all know if you were naughty or nice and the rest of us here at the Pole are hoping all is well.

But there's a second list laying around here for local sports fans. Some of what is requested is too big to fit in the sleigh, so the union members here are trying to dole things out as 2012 goes on.

For Berkshire County football fans, we see on the list not one, but two turf football facilities.

The long-planned renovations to Weston Field at Williams College have been on Santa's list for a long time.

It keeps getting pushed back on Santa's to-do list, and that seems to put head coach Aaron Kelton's football team a bit behind the 8-ball. Practice this past fall was interesting as the team kept hopping from field to field after the practice field was flooded in the wake of the Hurricane.

A nice turf field, new track, lights and seating will keep the Ephs in the thick of things in NESCAC. The football team will have a field to practice and play on, and it could be used for a neutral site Berkshire County championship game.

Speaking of Berkshire County sites, this new request for a turf football, soccer, lacrosse field in Pittsfield just caught our eyes.

An idea whose time has more than come,

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such a facility would allow the three city high schools to play on turf, along with soccer and lacrosse teams. It would also keep Berkshire County football playoff teams from traveling to places like Orange just to participate in a first-round tournament game.
On the subject of lacrosse, there was something on the second list about the Berkshire County League being out-of-the-box successful in year one.

Santa told us that getting the league organized and operational was a huge gift to the lacrosse players of the county.

For our friends in the Baseball Writers Association of America, you've already received your gift in new Red Sox manager valentines flowers 2012.

Valentine will be the gift that keeps on giving. He has never met a microphone or digital recorder that he doesn't like. Bobby V may not be everyone's cup of tea, especially after Terry Francona, but he will never be boring.

Buckle your seatbelts at Fenway Park my friends, it's going to be a very interesting ride this summer.

University of Massachusetts basketball coach Derek Kellogg has received an early gift in a 10-3 pre-Christmas record. This past week's win over Davidson at home, days after Davidson beat Kansas, ranks as the most impressive win of the 2011-12 season. Beating winless Towson doesn't cut it for Santa.

With 17 regular-season games left, if Kellogg's Minutemen can basically play 1-over .500 basketball the rest of the way and not blow out in the Atlantic 10 tournament, a second gift will be coming UMass' way in the form of Kellogg's first postseason tournament bid.

Santa wasn't sure if it would be an NCAA or NIT bid. If the team does what it is supposed to do, one of them will be in a March gift box.

It's time for the hardworking members of Santa's troupe to take a break, so I'll be back in this spot in two weeks.

And for all of you, we hope you have a most joyous valentines flowers 2012 season and a Happy New Year.

Valentines Flowers 2012 - New, field-tested plants set for release in 2012

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Tidings of "new and improved, drought-tolerant, easy-maintenance, high-yield, long-blooming, and foolproof plants" arrive in my inbox from all parts of the country. But experience taught me long ago to focus on plants that are field-tested for several years in local conditions before being released to the retail market.

Lucky for us, two of our most esteemed local growers are happy to share their glad tidings about the new plants they've been developing locally for release in 2012.

Denny Werner - former director of the JC Raulston Arboretum and now a professor at N.C. State University, researcher and breeder of perennials, woody ornamentals and peach trees - said that his newest butterfly bushes will be in retail stores this spring.

Fans of Werner's "Blue Chip" butterfly bush, released a couple of years ago, will have the opportunity to attract even more precious pollinators by planting his latest buddleja (the proper spelling of what I've been calling buddleia all these years). Look for "Ice Chip" with its low, spreading growth habit and snowy valentines flowers 2012, "Miss Molly" with dense growth and rosy flowers, and "Purple Haze" with long, pendulous flowers in a dusky lavender.

Werner is also responsible for two luscious new redbud trees. "Merlot" has wine-colored, heart-shaped leaves and "Ruby Falls" has similarly colored leaves and a weeping form reminiscent of Merlot spilling down a tower of wine goblets.

Tony Avent, avid plant collector, breeder and owner of Plant Delights Nursery in Juniper Level, recommends several new perennials:

 A native pokeberry or Phytolacca americana called "Sunny Side Up," which has red stalks, bright yellow leaves and purple summer berries, reaches about 5 to 6 feet tall and does best in full sun.

 For elephant ear aficionados, there's Colocasia esculenta "Black Coral." A showstopper, it has glossy black leaves and forms a clump about 4 feet high.

 A new selection of Agave lophantha called "Splendida" would be a great addition to rock gardens, as it forms a foot tall by 20-inch wide rosette of green leaves with a wide, central yellow stripe.

 Two Epimediums: "Pretty in Pink," which has mottled red and green foliage topped with sprays of bicolored valentines flowers 2012 in the spring, and "Sunny and Share" with small green leaves flecked with bronze and short flower spikes laden with small yellow bells. Avent said "Sunny and Share" begins flowering in early April and continues through midsummer, making it the longest-flowering epimedium he grows. It tops out at about 14 inches and forms a 4-foot wide, thick evergreen patch in about five years.

 A beautiful new Baptisia called "Dutch Chocolate" has rich, chocolaty purple blooms. And, a native to the Florida panhandle, Clinopodium coccineum "Amber Blush," which has adapted well to our climate, forms a clump of woody stems with narrow green leaves topped in late summer with tubular yellow flowers blushed with orange. A highly mottled cast iron plant that doubles as a houseplant north of hardiness zone 7b called Aspidistra elatior "Spek-tacular" surprisingly produces eerie-looking deep pink flowers.

When in doubt about new plant introductions, stick with ones developed through local research and development. And don't forget that expert advice is available at your nearest locally owned garden center. Just ask for the resident horticulture professional.

Happy gardening in the new year!

Stein: moonstepper@juno.com