Dear Sun Spots: I read Sun Spots all the time. It is so helpful to all. Could you please print the 10 Commandments for driving recently released by the Pope? – C.M., Lewiston.

Answer: Sun Spots checked out The Vatican’s Web site, www.vatican.va, where she located a very lengthy document of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People and its Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road, which made for some very interesting reading. According to the posting, the 10 Commandments are:

I. You shall not kill.

II. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.

III. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.

IV. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.

V. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.

VI. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.

VII. Support the families of accident victims.

VIII. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.

IX. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.

X. Feel responsible toward others.

Dear Sun Spots: I hope you can help me with a couple of questions.

I enjoy your column and have had solutions to problems before. Thanks to your research, we did get an autograph from a Red Sox player and hope to get more.

My quince bush only blooms near the bottom of the plant and they are not very visible. Should I trim the bottom off or give it some special fertilizer? I hope to have more blooms next spring. – Frances C. Miller Lewiston

Answer: Sun Spots checked with gardening columnist Jody Goodwin, who says it is the habit of quinces to bloom from the bottom but not necessarily only on the bottom. Flowering quinces belong to a particular pruning group (group 2) which means they flower on the previous year’s growth (like forsythia and lilacs).

You will need to cut back (prune) flowered shoots to strong budded areas. On established plants, cut back about one-third to one-fifth of old shoots to the base to promote replacement growth. This needs to be done as quickly after flowering as possible. The amount would depend on the size of the bush. In this particular case, if it is only blooming on the bottom, I would prune it quite a bit.

Quinces also like a fair amount of sun and since that info is not addressed, the writer needs to gauge what other flowers, shrubs or trees may be in the vicinity and how much sun/shade the quince receives. Quinces like acidic soil, which is not a problem here in Maine. Goodwin recommends using an acidic fertilizer designed for shrubs and, in this case, it would be marketed for azaleas and/or rhododendrons.

Dear Sun Spots: Do you know, or could you find out when or where a major cat show will be taking place here in Maine? Something along the lines or caliber as Cat Fancy. Thank you. – P.K.L, No Town.

Answer: Sun Spots spoke with Pat Buchanan, who says there are two coming up. More details are forthcoming, but for the moment she notes that one will be held Sept. 1 at the Civic Center in Portland. The second, The United Maine Coon Cat Association show, will be held Oct. 20 and 21 at the Bath Middle School in Bath. Sun Spots will update this information once she receives it.

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be posted at www.sunjournal.com in the Advice section under Opinion on the left-hand corner of your computer screen. In addition, you can e-mail your inquiries to sunspots@sunjournal.com.

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