A website I have used to determine what blooms with what is Brent and Becky's Bulbs. It's not meant to be used in a scientific way, but if you click on one cultivar of narcissus, pics on the right side of the page will show you other bulbs that bloom at the same time. As I said, it's not a specific list, which would be easier to use, but it's sort of fun to see the possible combinations you could plan. If you "exit" from the page, eg. Ice Follies, and then come back to it, it shows you "Ice Follies" with another group of bulbs that bloom simultaneously. I think that when specific cultivars bloom may be determined partly by the climate in which they are grown. Maybe that's why the cultivar info. on the package does not always work for you, while it's quite accurate for me (in my zone).

This is a tough one. I have seen that branch narrowing as you show on your UH Orange on plants which got a bit of a frosted tip over winter. Not enough to destroy the tip but enough to slow it down and distort the first few sets of leaves. What is odd is...it usually damages any forming inflos too. It could be a combination of little things and thats why its hard to pinpoint. No plant in serious stress would be pushing out such nice inflos...Assuming no insects, accidental overspray/over application of chemicals, etc. I would guess its most likely to be weather related as your fertilizing routine hasn't changed. I don't think there is much to do but keep to your care routine, observe, and wait it out. I I don't know of a quick fix but hope this helps.

I'm so pleased to have this feedback. Hi again, Rosie - such encouraging comments, and I really appreciate your remembering & being sensitive to our goals w/ respect to views. Actually, if I removed or narrowed that "spice pullout" to the right of the cooktop, we could shorten the island back from the traffic line - I'll definitely try that. And while the prep area no longer faces squarely through the living rm to the water, I think that it would be more-than-OK, given the glass expanse in doors to deck & your notion of the repeated happy encounters w/ the view as one moves w/in the work space. I did have a question for you from previous thread: you had mentioned a scary "close call" w/ a basement stairway - may I ask which side of the basement doorway (as one is standing in front of the door) would be best for the hinges to be on, in your experience/opinion? Thanks in advance for that and for all the times you've responded - you've been so helpful & supportive. And hello again to you, bmorepanic! Good questions about the microwave - it's been a pesky issue. Yes, I do frequently use our MW (22 yrs old & counting - guess we'll never bet on that lifespan again, from what I hear) to steam veggies, as well as to serve my coffee-reheating habit. One of the few efficient things about the layout of our existing kitchen is that the MW is on the counter right behind my chair at the table - I can reach back w/ my coffee mug, nuke, & retrieve w/out even standing up! Not that a little more excercise would be a bad thing - I will indeed consider your suggestion & would love to hear any others you have. JeannieMer, hello & again I'm SO thankful to you and others who take the time to read, consider, & then actually propose layout changes. In many homes, having the cleanup sink & DW where you've placed them would make lots of sense; our planning is self-complicated by the fact that we're trying to move the cleanup area away from that wall! Given that, I'd be grateful to see what else your obviously-logical approach to things could come up with - please post more ideas!

It's not his age, it is the mistakes and lack of explanation that should be your primary concern. I would have been making a switch the first time it happened. There's no excuse for sloppy work when a person's assets, that they depend upon for survival, are involved. You don't owe him any loyalty or apology - it's not like he's done the work gratis. What someone said above about "financial advisors/planners" with many firms really only being salesman is quite true. They have sales goals to meet, sometimes are told to push certain products, and often, once the sales are made, the actual "management" is left to a computer program. For this "management", unsuspecting clients are paying "managment fees" (in addition to any mutual fund fees!) - a percentage of their total assets in the account. You have to watch out for and avoid this. Essentially, I agree with Elmer. At your father's age, you might not really need any complicated plan or possibly not even someone actively managing his accounts other than an occasional rebalancing. You might look at what Fidelity, T.RowePrice, or Vanguard or some other low cost brokers offer - free suggestions of asset mixes for various life situations, free analysis yearly with suggestions for rebalancing - which you can follow or not. Here's my cautionary anecdote - my stepmother placed her entire estate in the hands of a firm (a "respected" local office affiliated with a big name financial services company.) When she passed away and her holdings were distributed to her heirs, we were flummoxed to see that her account manager had invested in several rather speculative, and inappropriate for her, funds - and had lost a fair amount of money when one of those investments collapsed. I am sure that she simply accepted whatever she had been told about the investment moves because she trusted him (and the big name).