Finding out the zone is hard enough since these plants live in a room with a big window where it is cold in winter. Minimum temps are above freezing, although there is often ice on the window frame on the coldest days. They are, of course, below fifty degrees, and remain so for native Cape Cod pines to be happy. Also such things as Pinus peuce and Quercus chrysolepis and Q. kellogii. In principle this should provide enough room for zone 7 trees to roll along. Pictures are beyond me. I have no camera, wouldn't know how to use one (properly) if I did, and don't know how to move around picture files with a screenreader, so for the moment there it stands. Geoff

I support DA's attitude...for the most part. If I upgrade a driver, I do it myself from the device management page and only then if I'm having problems with the particular piece of equipment/device. I, too, was offered the Intel driver you're mentioning a few days ago and I ducked it. A review of all of my Intel products did not suggest an upgrade to any of their drivers was necessary. That was enough to convince me that I didn't need it. Just a personal thought...I think we Win 7 - 8 owners are going to see a lot of these type of updates offered now that Win 10 is out there and being installed for free on current Win 7 - 8 systems. I think it's MS's way of upgrading Win 7 - 8 systems to accept the new demands that Win 10 will make on it. I'm being very cautious about what updates/upgrades I install these days....reading all the documentation/facts that come with the proposed upgrade/update.

I'd ditch the sod in a new york minute. Seed if planted in the fall will grow quickly but we planted in August and within a month it did amazingly well - we have irrigation. It's now 2 months in and it's pretty darn good but yes next year will be even better. We lived without grass for 14 months - yes 14 months (due to other issues and it was all DIY) and it was trying but we are still alive. 2 boys and a dog here. No carpet except on stairs and in bedrooms and that was a lifesaver as we are a no shoes inside and no dog in bedrooms household. It wasn't fun per se and yes I swept up sand by the measuring cup regularly but even if you only had to wait a few months it can be done. I totally agree that while the builder is certain your desires are within the budget - there are unforeseen things that will not be. Those are hard to budget - like excavation issues or well issues. Who knows - there is always something. It's just like a wedding, it will be great but there is always a hitch. What that hitch is and how costly - who knows!

Huh, when I originally posted, I was worried about getting the usual, visceral, negative reactions to the mention of Christmas MUSIC. That was what I was hesitating for. I actually have my decor ready to go, just have to execute. The music is making it hard to hold back...... It is true I need no permission from anyone to decorate. I tend to do what I like when I like. I guess its just that I do not see Thanksgiving as having a "season" like Halloween and Christmas do. Its a day. A big and important one, but not a whole season of activity like the others. I do not want to say its BORING, I love Thanksgiving day, but......well anyway. I do decorate specifically for it to give it its due...... For the record, MY calendar reads like this: 2021: Nov 1st- 24th-Christmas Nov 25th- Thanksgiving until dinner its over Nov 25th evening-Dec26th-Christmas again. And I do think that the truckers positive response is to Charlie Brown, many of them do not even recognize that it is the Thanksgiving episode until I mention it, then they are even more amused! If I were to start playing familiar Christmas movies tonight they would likely be just as thrilled. The inquiries into when I was putting up my Halloween stuff started in mid August. I think any sort of change from routine is welcome to the drivers. Especially when many of these people have been on the road, going from terminal to terminal, with stark white walls, industrial noise, necessary but tedious security checks and no cheer. Sounds miserable doesn't it? I am told by some of them that my work is the only place that they go to that really goes all out. Some do not even decorate at all! Not even a tiny tabletop Christmas tree! Ugh! I would HATE to work somewhere like that during the holidays! My SO shocked me to my very core today. (in a good way) He asked when I wanted to go get a Christmas tree! It is shocking because when I met him, he did not care about Christmas. He grew up in ridiculous poverty, so Christmases were rather bleak and sad, and then when he became an adult, his only role was to pay for his kids' presents. He had never received a Christmas present until he met me. Not from his parents or grandparents (who raised him). They just couldn't. Not from friends or even his wife. They were married 15 years and NO PRESENT!!! But now he has had 12 Christmases with me, and I will NOT stifle MY Christmas cheer for anyone or anything, and therefore I think I have finally rubbed off on him!!!! Yay! We always get a live tree so I told him I wanted to get one the week of thanksgiving so I can decorate it that night. It will be interesting to see Leos reaction to it......