I just found this forum and can't resist joining in. We (emptynesters DH and I) lived in 2 singlewides while waiting to build our home on a pretty 4-acre hill, and we really learned to appreciate both of them--except for 15-degree winds sweeping under the second one where it was parked temporarily. Now we're in a stickbuilt on the hill but have recently purchased a small singlewide on a canal in Florida, and I think we both like that at least as much in its own way. The big house simply doesn't compare as well as it should given its cost and upkeep, although I do love my kitchen. The little Florida SW was built in 1962 and never refurbished, so is OLD, and the original part is about 50' long and only about 10' wide inside. It reminds me of Lucy and Desi's long, long trailer. The saving grace is a sideways extension to the living room. Talk about synergy! Simply doubling the original tiny 10x13 living/dining area creates a large room that always surprises visitors, and us, because it feels and lives much larger than just twice the width. The other rooms are tiny but we don't feel cramped because the entire SW benefits from the feeling of spaciousness that one room gives. Another synergy that I have loved in all 3 SWs is the feeling of much larger size that the long hall gives, another reason we don't feel cramped. Our master bed is 40 feet away from front areas, after all, so no surprise that I never woke up when friends dropped by late the other evening. We call that the north wing. Our kitchen is half of a 7x7' square, sliced diagonally, and could be bigger. :) But it works better than I thought it would, and doing sit-down Thanksgiving for the whole family is a project I could pass on to someone else in favor of maintaining an open fridge with salads and sandwiches the rest of the time. An old, cracked covered patio looking out at the canal needs screening if we're to use it in the warmer months, and we have to find another place for the washer and dryer sitting out there for me to be happy with it, but the big negative is the second "bedroom." Like others mentioned, it's like a tiny train sleeper with a single bed, unusable for most friends who might visit, and it's too cramped and dark for us to imagine wanting to use it for anything but storage. Our fun with this little thing gets a big boost, of course, from the fact that we live in a considerably larger home most of the time, but we learned to really appreciate the larger SW we picked up for $2 while building and don't at all appreciate the mortgage we had to take out on the stickbuilt when construction costs ran over expectations. Selling right now is out of the question, but I'm already fantasizing about the possibility of someday ditching it in favor of a larger singlewide (maybe 14 feet wide even!) in a cool-summer area and keeping the winter one in Florida as long as nature allows it to remain in place (zoning probably wouldn't allow us to replace it if it were swept away). I do know I'd want a singlewide again, with views and sunshine from the windows on each side, but in my fantasies it's actually 1 normal-size unit plus 1 or 2 smaller ones joined around a patio with a pergola and beautiful views. Then our 40-foot walk to bed could even be 100. Or maybe not. :) The 13x13 living room in one of the SWs turned out to be one of my favorites ever, so I'd like to copy it for a sitting room. Cozy and terrific for conversation. And, of course, I'd be here getting tips on how to make it even more wonderful.

My black lab and border collie mix have taken to checking out what's on the counter lately. Might have something to do with 17+ and 19 year old cats who don't belong to the clean your plate club. They coordinate with the marble and black granite very well, but it makes me chuckle to think how silly (and uncomfortable) they would look if I ever put them up on the counter. The Great Pyreneese? Better be a BIG island! LOL I meant to say earlier that I would not want a movable island. I would have no place to move it to where it wouldn't be a bigger problem. Now, I suppose that you could custom build something that had an island that fit under a counter height table(would still allow some storage but would have to preserve leg room for the table) you might be able to address that issue -- even use it as a table extension at holidays, but one of the things I love about my island now that I moved the cooktop out is having a sink there. I also really want power there. We use the waffle maker and blender mostly st the island. Again, if you really engineered the thing, I suppose you could have a power strip on the side of that island, a cord running down the leg and an outlet inset into your floor to plug it in when it's in place and be covered and smooth when it's not. But all of that seems like a hassle. In my mind, you probably either have room for an island or don't and you will wind up using it one way or the other. You might as well figure it our and make it the best you can in the right configuration rather than trade off. For example, if you don't do an island, you can extend your counters to 30" depth and have more workspace there, but you can't do that if you try to squeeze in an island. My kitchen is less than 14 feet wide -- pretty minimal for a 3 ft wide island (cabinets are 34", so it is 36" overall). Had we made the perimeter cabinets 30" deep, I'd have had 8 feet to trek across from stove to sink and half the work space. No question I'd rather have the island.

Oh, just wanted to say I've found about 100 different succulent species (which is a surprising variety) at my local greenhouses, nurseries, and garden centers in Toronto, Canada. Some times you have to check fairly often to get when the new shipments come in. Of these, there were at least 10 different Haworthia species and 6 different Gasteria. Depending exactly how much light you have, you can also look into the following: Schlumbergera Epiphyllum Rhipsalis Huernia Duvalia Gasteraloes Aloes (some) Stomatium (not sure how low these go)

Rooting a cutting is a good way to go or.......just plant your large plant very deeply. Either straight down if the soil has warmed up for the season or lay the tomato plant sideways in a small shallow trench and cover with your garden soil. Roots will form all along the stem underground and give you a larger root system to support the plant better. I ALWAYS start tomatoes early and plant them deep. I have multiple light indoors to support their needs before I bring them outside though.