Of the 6 that I kept, 3 of them survived the winter. The demise of the 3 were a mix of either constant cooler temps in the garage (30s and 40s every night) or just all around transplant shock for the 1 that died in the house. The place I got them at last fall is no longer in business; however they have other branch locations in the burbs, as well as nationwide. The place is called the Brickman Group and they are one of the largest landscaping companies in the country. Their West Side branch at 401 N. Oakley closed and is now an office building, so my source has been shut down (which is fine cause I'm moving to Florida in less than 5 months anyway). Also, Marina City Towers and House of Blues at 300 N. State has historically planted DOZENS or large roebies each year. I'm not sure what they do with these at the end of season, but I've heard they're tossed out. I used to live a block from that building and would always walk past the palms on the way to work. They plant them in late May and "get rid of them" in late September/early October. Brian--please let me know when you can come pick up the remaining roeby. I close on my house in a week and need it gone ASAP. Thanks man!

Can you post a pic somewhere? It doesn't sound like a machine made by National in the USA, more like a post WWII Japanese machine with a National badge. No American made Nationals had zig-zag or buttonhole capability.

Dahlia - I use satellite internet (WildBlue - through Dish Network) and it is OK. It was my only option other than dialup. Kids needed a faster connection due to online classes, so I upgraded to the mid level WildBlue package. Be prepared for a large up front fee (I went with WildBlue because it didn't have that large fee and free activation at the time - I am not sure about now) All satellite internet providers have a usage cap. It is called FAP or Fair Access Policy. It limits how much data you can upload or download. Hughes has a daily cap. WildBlue has a rolling 30 day cap. Once you hit your cap, the speed gets throttled back to basically dialup speed or lower. If it is just you and you are not a heavy user - you will never notice. You will NOT be able to stream video (Netflix, etc.) and you will not be able to do a lot of YouTube watching, etc. - but some. It is noticeably better than dialup - but it is 3X the cost for me. You will probably have to commit to a 2 year contract also. Make sure you know up front what you are getting.

Four - thanks for your comments - KD is hiding from me today - guess I will have to make a cameo at the store tomorrow.... LocalEater - those are cute - but probably too small for this space - but good ideas! I have lots of bears and lots of ceramic pots - but I think I need some height. We have these great whimsical characters in our bathroom but I like them there - I also have a sculptured tree over the fire place. Deedles- The ceiling is ceiling white - believe it or not, I never had ceiling white in my houses - so this is a first. eBay would be a good choice - I think it would be a great idea - I think I will return the copper tub - it shines so nicely - I was thinking of adding seasonal items in it. I looked it up and no red squiggles! Here is the spelling per Webster mascarpone Springroz - The tub is from Williams Sonoma - cost about 200 - but I can just return it. Can you use copper on induction? I know copper by itself won't work - but wonder if they ever bond it to other materials.