Regarding Violet Barn - according to the rumors - they had bugs a time or two in all these years - but they run the most meticulous accurate clean well organized greenhouse shop you can imagine. So with all due precautions just like Shanika suggests- you have much more chances bringing thrips from outside in your hair after walking through the bushes... This year I have aphids on my Nematanthus I grow on the window which open it every evening - and wind someway brought small pinkish aphids through the screen. Regarding WoW and the couples - Nick went out several times with this crowd - and my impression is that they are much younger, he is already 34. I am nagging that he needs to grow up and face the real life... and he tells me that I need to cut on my violets... I.

Hey, great choice with the wandering jew! Any stems that your snake breaks off will just re-root where they land, and the plant will grow like CRAZY, making it perfectly suited to your very large shower stall-I mean vivarium. =) I love the coleus (new?), and I hope it does well for you. They are reputed to need lots of air movement, and make sure you pinch it back to keep it bushy. Now would be a good time to start. . . it looks like it's only one stem. Is that right? You could pinch off the top, leaving one set of leaves on the original stem, and stick the top in the substrate. It should root, and the original stem will branch and grow two new stems from the leaf axils. The aloe really won't like it in there. They like it DRY. Think desert plant. My mother in law can grow the biggest, best aloes ever because she forgets to water them all the time, while I kill them constantly through overwatering. They just aren't tropicals. It also looks like there's a ponytail palm in there, and they are also desert plants that need to dry out really well between waterings. It is a nice one though, so perhaps try potting it in it's own plastic pot in a very sandy mix, and just sink the pot into your substrate so it's hidden. You'll probably never need to water it because of the high humidity. Just make sure you use very gritty sand, not beach sand or play sand (which will turn to cement and suffocate the roots). I think I also saw a pic of your snake! She's so cute and tiny! I assume she will grow bigger, justifying this massive set-up. . . =)

Audio What size is your HP condenser? What size is your home? While I don't know your COP, I used 2.8 which may be on the low side. With that said, on a BTU basis alone, there is a marginal cost advantage of HP heating over nat gas less than 10%. Numbers below. � � Cost per 100,000 btu of useable heat Electric baseboard: $2.64 Heat pump: $1.05 Natural gas: $1.12 I probably would set the changeover at 32-35 degrees and adjust as necessary to the temp that provides good comfort for you and your family. The changeover could go lower but you have a nice furnace and it should be used It is my understanding that Portland has relatively mild winter temp averaging around freezing. Yes, I know they can go lower. I personally think the XV95 furnace was overkill and the XV80 a better choice. Pay attention to your nat gas rate. When it gets close to $1.00/therm, you would basically be close to a wash with electric HP heat. IMO Good Luck

I once had a very irate lady call our store chewing us out about the amount of smoke her new range made. Well, she had forgotten to remove the taped on bottle of oven cleaning cream that the manufacturer had supplied. So, I always ask if the cavity has been inspected well before being engaged in operation! So first make sure that you've removed all of the literature and supplies that came with the oven. That includes any tape and tape residue. Tape residue can produce some nasty smoke. Check your storage drawer or broiler drawer if that is how your range is configured. Then, make sure you've done the required burnoff that new ovens will need. That should be done before actually using it to cook with. It's a stinky process, but you have to heat the oven to 450° and keep it there for a couple of hours while any of the machine oil and grease burns off. You should be standing by to operate fans and open any windows while this process occurs. After you've done both of these things, run the self cleaning cycle (Make sure your racks are removed if they aren't also self cleanable. Most aren't.) Let your oven cool and wipe it out with soap and water.