Thanks for the info. It sounds like the growth is a good thing (it is growing from the top of the tree and not the rootstock). It has continued to grow and it approximately 24" tall now. It is coming directly out of the top of the tree and straight up, so I think I will keep it around. Until now, the tree had mostly grown out instead of up. I had planned to repot the tree in the next few weeks, so hopefully my much bigger tree will be happy in its much bigger pot. I don't know why it picked now in the middle of winter while sitting in a mostly shady alcove to explode, but I'm not complaining.

While the television tuner can become intermittent and/or fail, it really is somewhat rare. I highly recommend connecting your television to your husbands coax feed to see if the problem is still there - just part of the basic troubleshooting process. If it gone you know the television is OK and it is a signal issue. As far as who to call, there is not a simply answer anymore. Cable companies used to wired the cable to multiple rooms for you. Now they have typically taken the telephone company approach of a demarcation point at your house where their line responsibility ends on the outside of your home and your responsibility begins. Since your husband's television is working OK, and I'm suspecting your television will work OK on his coax feed - the problem is then on your side of the demarcation point - or simply the wiring which is your responsibility. That should be something your "local TV guy" should be able to address. One possible reason why the problem may occur more on commercials is that local ads are inserted into the network program stream and slight variations in the signal may occur.

Wow so many with the same situation, although mine is not because of him losing a job in this economy. I always seemed to find the really nice guys that lacked motivation - I married two of them. My first husband was in finance, and figured that he could work fewer hours and manage to make enough. I was working and had two young children and he did not think that his free time was for housework or watching the kids even when I went to the gym - I had to get a sitter so that he would not have to commit to being home. No matter how much counseling or discussion between us could make him see how it felt to have him sitting on the front porch reading the paper while I was going crazy in the house getting lunches ready and the kids and me out of the house every morning. The neighbors even noticed! I felt if I was going to live like a single parent, I might as well be able to date, so I divorced him. And then I did the same thing again! What the heck was wrong with me?? When I met my second husband, he had a job, but all of his jobs were not long-term or careers -- he was also an under-employed carpenter. He was an awesome person, and a great step-father to my kids, but the housework was not even on his radar. However, with his more "flexible schedule", he was the one that could get a sick kid at school or be home if needed, so he was a bit of a house husband and that allowed me to concentrate on my job. But once the kids were off at college, I joked that he was my oldest child, but it really wasn't a joke. Unfortunately he died suddenly a little over a year ago, and although I miss him terribly, I am not going to make the same mistake again. I'm fortunate that I can support myself as I've been doing it for years anyway. If there is a next guy he will have to be at least where I am financially (which is not much!) and be interested in a true partnership. We all have to put up with stupid bosses and policies, but how can these men think it's OK to put their pride before their employment because they won't tolerate whatever they don't agree with? You can't be an employee and do things any way you want - we all have to suck it up for a job. If these guys didn't have a wife, I wonder what would they do? Please understand, I'm not knocking your hubbies - especially after the men I married! Many of you seem to be adapting to the new normal in your households. What makes it work is a sense of teamwork between the two of you, each doing what needs to be done. A wife can't be the breadwinner and then come home to housework & cooking while the husband plays - that situation won't last long without resentment.

Hi again Randi, I can definitely sympathize and empathize with you! I'm just glad I had no idea that it would be so hard (and scary). Try to take consolation in the fact that you're 50 and not 40 with these symptoms! When our hearts are doing flip flops, it does make us feel like we won't survive! And everything is worse at night too. There were so many nights when I truly didn't think I would survive until morning. Try to do some internet searches on more natural ways to get through this with a minimal amount of distress. Toprol did help me get through the worst part of the adrenalin rushes. I would go through around a month at a time, that my heart would just be faster all the time, and I would be in a constant state of panic. Then it would subside. I just knew it was those hormones! It might not be your thyroid. I've talked to alot of perimenopausal women who have lumps in their throats. I went through a phase of having trouble swallowing things. I think our funky hormones cause our muscles to get lax, and the esophogus is a muscle. Well hang in there Randi.....you will get through this! ((((((((((((hugs))))))))))))