wow, thanks so much for the feedback everyone, i really appreciate that, and this forum (as evidenced my all my requests for 'help!', lol!). well, as far as the good wishes for my health - i thank you so very much. i've had a little set back and head back to chemo starting monday (yay - NOT!) so i am a bit anxious to get as much info as i can to seem like i know a little something to my poor dear hubby so he'll have enough courage to get out there and take care of my garden while i'm wrapped around the toilet, lol! yes, i'm a lucky gal indeed. since i've started gardening, i've taken a gander at the seed packets and yes, they're a little hard for me to decipher, i sheepishly admit. i gave up after my first disaster at thinning. i thinned the poor things to nothing! so i didn't even bother to thin the basil and it's doing just fine. i've noticed the occasional mean spiritedness on this forum and well, i just guess they've had or are having a bad day. honestly, i've found that there's more wonderfully generous folks here than not, and i'm thankful for that. i don't mind the occasional 'dry wit' comments too, but some are a bit, well, mean. and that's sad, because life's just too short, and truly sweet for that. i hope you all have a wonderfully sweet day! be well :) angela (ladybugs momm!)

Thank you! it has been a frustrating and expensive battle! My zoysia in the front yard is beautiful and I've never had ant trouble with bermuda, but this fescue fiasco was something I had never dealt with before. Good idea about alternating the fungicides! I will have my chemical company order one of the ones you recommended. After all my research, I ended up seeding with a combination of Rhambler and a new fescue by Lewis Seed (tested as SC-1 but now called LS1000 or something like that.) I have attempted to add a link to show you how beautifully it is this year. I hope I did it right! :) How in the heck do you add a picture to your post? lol Here is a link that might be useful: yard 2010

This one tickles my funny bone. My husband will have the weather station playing on the tube and at the very same time I'll have my weather site up on the inet, and the two forecasts can be totally different, especially where precipitation are concerned. We seem to live in an area where the terrain changes considerably from that direction where the fronts normally sweep in. A county above us or to the left of us can be in a crisis snow or ice emergency and we look out the window at a gentle rain with the temps hovering just above freezing. Or vice versa. I remember a couple years ago going west to the next county to get our accounting done in late winter. There was this magic line not ten miles from our house starting at a state park, when we all the sudden encountered massive trees keeled over from a hideous ice storm we never received and large areas of ice from flooding. It was massive destruction and our accountant told us of being homebound over Christmas with no power for days. We were totally oblivious to the whole episode. It missed us entirely.

Parma - LOL!! I hope you had a great vacation!! Seriously, thou, girl - I am the cheapest person....I have agonized & agonized over this....paralyzed by this b/c I don't want to waste my money!! I really like hand me downs & old things & hate paying full retail for anything! LOL I held off ordering the shutters on the doors b/c they are custom & if I switch the doors then the door handles will be switched & there goes the money for the doors!! Zula & Patricia - that's the way the shutters will be done once I make a decision!! I plan on having the den french doors done in plantations also. Caroline - what a great space you have. Every pic I have seen of your house is beautiful:) You all have mentioned having the current door swinging out.....I am concerned about that b/c it is quite a drop off there & to the left is another 3 foot drop off - it would be quite a tumble for someone. We do have elderly parents over often. I was thinking about having the doors switched. Does that work? Thanks for the compliments on the color...it is an old Duron color Ardmore Green. I really appreciate all the thoughts....2 days ago I was about ready to rip out the dang fireplace but that wouldn't be good for resale, either. Smiles:)