Marlene, you've going to love it. If you have to move to a new zone and be a 'newbie', it's going to be a helluva lot more easier to go to zone 9 from 5 than to do it like I did, which was the reverse. (Here I'm a total idiot and learning the hard way.) You're going to have a much bigger selection of flowers/plants in that zone than where you're from. You will find that some plants that you considered 'annuals' aren't really over there because the fall/winter doesn't get cold enough to kill them. You will find that certain plants that other parts of the US consider more 'exotic', arent' considered that there. Like here, if I want night blooming Jasmine, I have to buy a 40 dollar plant from a nursery and keep it indoors in the winter. There? I can get one for 7 bucks at Target or in the racks in front of Payless and it's a perennial. It will grow like a weed. If you do Bougenvilla, do it in a very bright exposure. If you plant it in the right place, it will be amazingly beautiful and will grow like a weed. If you do it and it takes off, buy yourself a chain saw. I'm not kidding. Those suckers have thorns and over time, the branches can get thick. Walnut Creek has very hot summer periods. No humidity. No bugs. And not much (if any) rain. That part of the Bay Area (East Bay on the other side of the Oakland Hills) also is far more likely to be concerned with water usage. I've been out of the area for about a year and a half, so I don't know what the deal is right now, but I do know that you're given a basic allotment and if you exceed it, you will have one helluva water bill. So take it slowly with big planting for a few months until you find out what that bill is. At the very least, call and find out the parameters for your location so that you don't get surprises. Oftentimes, water usage for a certain year is based upon the previous year. So if the person that owned your house last year wasn't a big gardener, be extra skippy careful. Using mulch is not optional. It helps to keep the plants from being stressed from the heat and holds water. Containers in the summer will have to be hand watered daily. (Mulch them too.) And even if you have sprinklers, you might be doing that in other areas too. There will be plants that require cold that you won't be able to grow. Peonies don't exist. Lilacs only bloom in certain microclimates. A good book to start with is Sunset's Western Garden Book. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0376038519/102-5973663-2617723?v=glance&n=283155 Winters are very different. You don't do things like blowing out your sprinklers. You don't say goodbye to your lawn mower. And depending upon the weather, you may have to water year around. You may see trees at the end of winter that drop most of their leaves just as the spring buds form. Spring comes much earlier. You'll be pruning roses at the end of January. Gardening is not something that you stop doing, you just slow down. Long rainy periods mean that you don't have to mow! LOL You don't have big fungal problems with lawns over there, but you might trade that for things like rust on the roses during excessively rainy years. And during that time, plan on buying ant stakes. When the weather is really wet (and it hasn't been for awhile), the ants like to come inside. But compared to Japanese beetles and God knows what else the Midwest has, it's a breeze in comparison. Btw, for entertainment purposes, if you're into produce, check out the Berkeley Bowl (a grocery store, obviously in Berkeley). Their meat is not fabulous, but damn, the produce section is to die for! Especially in spring. Andronico's is good too, but it's more expensive... Have fun! I'll shut up now, I'm getting homesick. You're going to do fine!

So sorry for late response (back from ski trip): kitchenguys.com 416 Roosevelt Avenue Central Falls, RI 02863 (401) 723-0500 Ian I also got my GE Monogram Advantium there also. (I recommend the 240 model; the 120 is not powerful enough.) Warning: they're not a showroom, more like where almost brand-new/scratch-dents go, instead of back to manufacturer. So I saw this Miele deal on ebay listed by kitchenguys on Thursday night. I called Friday morning about it. Problem was that I couldn't get there until Monday morning (I was in VT that weekend). So chicken/egg: should I make an ebay bid, or risk losing it auction to someone else? Ian offered to take down the auction, hold it for me until Monday when I showed up to test the cooktop with my pans (which turned out doesn't work w/ induction). Then he proceeded to hold it for me again until Tuesday while I talk it over with DH, before he'd re-list it on ebay. But I bought my new baby! Thank you Ian!

boxerpup, I'm a little late reading this but still want to send my heartfelt sympathies and say that I love that beautiful face. What many people don't understand is that losing a well loved pet is like losing a family member. I've lost many pets over the years and I now have four boys who's ages are 14, 11 and two are 9. I see age creeping up on them every day, especially the 14 year old and it breaks my heart to think of losing them. Unfortunately that is part of loving and having pets. I would rather love and be loved by a pet and endure the hurt tho than to do without the joy and love that they bring into our lives and it sounds like C brought plenty of both into yours. C will live in your heart and your memories forever and no other dog will ever take her place as she has her own special nook in your heart belonging to her alone. I'm sure, tho, there is still room in your heart for another furbaby to make it's place one day.

Wow, NHB - that is one gorgeous view. We've seen our share of houses perched on mountain sides and that's not for us. I love the more rolling land with the distance views of the mountains. It's not all about the land, of course, it's also lifestyle, and we love the slightly off kilter, hippy aspect aspects of Asheville along with the great dining, outdoor activities, entertainment options, the variety of festivals in the area etc. Last year we went down there with friends for LoxFest which was a hoot! bgj your trips to Knoxville sound like ours to Asheville, looking for the area that fits and is far enough away for peace but still allows us to get there and enjoy the aspects we love. I do want to go to Oak Ridge, though, just to see it! I would prefer to find an existing home and remodel it like we did this one but we haven't seen anything worth putting the time and $$ into. Biggest issue for DH is he won't accept a block basement, it has to be poured so I imagine we'll build. that's another thing to freak out about. We want a smallish house on acreage and if the land is there the house is 3500 sq ft and up - way more than I want to deal with. ellendi I hear you on the need for medical care. Privacy vs isolation is the tricky part but DH and I are partners and neither one of us is going to play the martyr for the other. We'll find a balance or we'll move on. Bottom line is, when I'm happy, he's happy ;-) bpathome we're really neighbors, you know? Several friends live on the main drag east of town. You probably knew/know one or two. And do not get me started on the library! That is honestly one of the hardest things for me to leave - we have the BEST library. shee that fixture is from Sea Gull Lighting but it's old and certainly not current stock. I spray painted it with Rustoleum ORB paint years ago when the look of brass was totally passé.