Growing up in a U.S. military family was always very interesting. We never lived anywhere longer than 3 years at a time, whether in the continental USA or overseas.
Our family was always considered "big" by American standards - Mom and Dad and 6 kids. Wherever we lived, Mom always did things in eights - 8 terracotta Portugese roosters on the kitchen windowsill in the Azores, 8 big red Christmas personalized Christmas stockings hanging over the fireplace in Arlington, VA, etc.
Whichever State of the Union or whatever country we lived in, my Mom would always have, at least, one avocado seed germinating in a wine glass, always placed in the kitchen window. In the 18 years living at home, never once saw any of her germinating avocado trees grow taller than one foot, or have any more than a few leaves.
More than a year and a half ago, a good friend, here on Rota, gave me a big bag of advocadoes from his farm. Held back 8 seeds, and set them up to germinate just like my Mom used to do. 
Put all 8 avocado seeds on the kitchen windowsill. That was one and a half years ago. Between then and now, only 4 of the original 8 seeds have survived.
