When such a moment happens, it bubble up within you and must be shared. Wonderful that others feel the occasion with only words.....sometimes a camera lens misses the quality of light, which contributed so much to the moment. But with words......we create the image with our heart and that makes all the difference. :)

This particular forum has been rather quiet. But now that Spring is seriously here, I would expect/welcome the chatter to ratchet up. There is a nice little book that was just published: Water-Wise PLants For The Southwest, by Nan Sterman, Mary Irish, Judith Phillips, and Joe Lamp'l. Mary Irish (Southern AZ) and Judith Phillips (Central NM) are favorite authors of mine. They are enthusiastic and extremely knowledgeable. Easy read and informative.

Thank you, thank you all. This has indeed been an interesting journey. DH retired 3 years ago and he resisted the idea for a long time. But one day last year I mentioned that one of the larger homes that backed up to the woods had just come on the market and he surprised me by agreeing to see it. Then he floored me by making an offer. Most of the homes in this community sell quickly, usually by word of mouth which is how I found this one. My friends who live there told me the day it went on the market. Joanie - You asked how we chose this community. That was probably the easiest part of this process. We used to drive past the entrance when we took the dog to the vet and every now and then DH and I would drive through. This community is 13 years old, has 235 individual homes and 30 townhouses reserved for lower income seniors. There is a clubhouse, outdoor pool, tennis and bocce courts and a very active group of residents. As with so many other real estate decisions location was key. We have many over 55 communities in this part of South Jersey and I know of 5 more that are being built. Most of the newer ones have larger units and more options but they're not necessarily better construction and most of them are in towns with high taxes. Toll Brothers is building one on a golf course in my town. These are all townhouses and the taxes for a 2100 sq ft home are over $15,000. Our development has 8 different models ranging from 1500 sq ft to 2150 sq ft - we choose the larger one in hopes that some day we might have grandchildren who'd like to visit. We have a 2 car garage, a kitchen, family room, living room/dining room, master bedroom and guest room on the first floor. The second floor has another guest room and a loft. The lots are small and the houses are close together which is why we wanted one in the rear with a private patio and backs up to woods. The monthly HOA fee is $135 which covers yard care, snow removal and recreational facilities. Once DH realized that this move made sense he threw himself into planning the remodel. He comments that if we're giving up this home that we love then he wants to make the next one 'ours' too. So while they all seem to look alike on the outside we're completely remaking the interior. I've heard him talking to our friends about our move and he now says that he should have done this earlier. Giving up our big home, yard and pool will free us from many of those home ownership worries plus there is the financial savings - our taxes will be halved, utility costs will be significantly lower and we plan on spending more time at our vacation home in NE PA. DH is near 70 and I'm a few years behind and he has health limitations that prevent him from strenuous activity. We won't have to switch doctors or hospitals, all 3 adult kids now own their own homes and live within 30 minutes. I'll actually be closer to Wegman's and the Wellness Center where I try to do pool exercises 4 or 5 times a week. I can easily drive or take the Hi-Speed Line into Philly or take NJ Transit to NYC. I'm the social butterfly in the family while DH is reserved, quiet and definitely not a joiner. They have regular card games in the clubhouse but DH wouldn't dream of just walking in. I'm hoping he'll met someone who will ask if he plays pinochle - that would make him a happy camper. My girlfriend and I have already signed up for the September bus trip to NYC. Thanks again everyone for your encouraging words. Maire

Black Baccara has never been hardy for me in zone 5 and I love the deeply black red roses. Twilight Zone is hardy for me, though never as gorgeous as Diane's pictures, and indeed more purple than dark red. If you're looking for a reliably dark red rose in zone 5, LavaGlut is by far your best option. The blooms are small but it's hardy even in my zone 4 pocket. Another winner would be AC Navy Lady that High Country Roses sells. Peggy Rockefeller has also been nicely hardy but it failed last year and Roses Unlimited doesn't have it again this year. Preference is pretty dark and fairly hardy, as is Veteran's Honor. Nigrette has been reasonably hardy in my zone 6 pocket though it's a short scrawny bush. Cynthia