I see very few comments about peacocks and your neighbors gardens. My neighbor has decided that free ranging his flock is a good idea in our area, sadly it is not. We are in a farming community and properties are used for growing food, raising food/animals et etc. Some enjoy growing flowers and having good sized yards for the kids and dogs to run wild in. Previously around here and other nearby communities, owners of pea fowl have either lost track of their birds or just abandoned them outright..eventually they become a issue with other people and get eradicated simply because they have become a pest. Since my neighbor has owned them before, I am hard pressed to think he didn't know how destructive they are. They have continuously ripped out young plants and shredded landscaping fabric in my garden beds. Free ranging these birds also means that they can holler right in your neighbors open windows during warm months too. Not so nice for people who have a hard time staying asleep and working a regular professional job. Personally, they are pretty to look at and that's about it, I don't consider these birds to be farm material as they are def not vegetation friendly. If you are thinking about having these birds, be considerate of others and do not free range them.

Timely topic, as I'm right in middle of granite installation now w/HD. I paid back in early Feb, but had delays with new cabinets till now. HD still honored the promo pricing I had at the time of purchase ("D" level granite for "C" level price, plus free undermount sink.) I thought their price was good...I did some research and it seemed in line competitively with what others were quoting....not ridiculously low or high. Someone who works at HD once said they often negotiate really good prices from fabricators since they represent so much volume to a local shop...and if you catch them during a promo, they can offer some pretty decent values, even with their middleman markup. Not saying their price is always best, but wouldn't count them out right off the bat. They definitely let me choose slabs - in fact, they stressed that I must do so to make sure I got what I wanted. Local fabricator they subcontract to has been in business 20 years and granite yard is one of the largest in the nation. Doesn't mean my experience still may not go horribly wrong, but I feel I've covered bases as much as reasonably possible without over-obsessing any more than I already have. (And according to my husband, I'm a big time over-obsesser!) HD does have the 1 yr labor and 15-year stain-resistant guarantee. As someone here mentioned, can't say how well they'll honor guarantee if a problem arises - and I have polished black granite, so I already know I may have specific problems related to that color - but the kitchen/granite places I've checked offer no guarantee at all. So it's something. Chose slab yesterday...install should be within 8-10 days. my fingers are crossed that all goes well. (Tip: one thing I did as soon as I found out who they sub-contracted to was to Google that business's name along with "complaints" in search box, as well as check BBB to make sure there were no red flags. I think the #1 risk with HD all comes down to who they choose do to the work.) Hope this helped someone...

I appreciate everyone's input -- pro and con. That's why I asked. Part of the reason we are considering the pool is because there isn't a neighborhood pool nearby and we aren't really the country club type. We are members of a health club with pools (indoor and outdoor) but that means packing up and heading over there which can be a real hassle and that would be true with a neighborhood pool or country clue. Right now I work full time but when my daughter starts school next year I am contemplating switching to teaching ( I work for a community college) so I don't have to hassle with finding care for her during the summer. A pool would be a great way to get her outside and have fun. It would also make it easier to be the house where she and her friends want to hang out as she gets older. I would much rather have her at our house with her friends so I can be the one keeping an eye on things. That being said -- I know its a lot of money to spend and I do agree that it doesn't mean we will never take another vacation elsewhere. I do think it will cut out the mini-vacations to Texas beaches -- an easy thing to give up for me. I also am not counting on big bucks on resale -- that's why I think it is important that we don't plan on moving unless there is some unexpected career change. Another plus for us regarding resale is that we have a big enough lot that the pool won't be the entire backyard. That was one reason we didn't buy a house with a beautiful pool that we looked at -- you walked out the backdoor and were practically in the pool. We have almost 1 1/2 acres so we can have a pool and still have a yard. Maybe that only makes a difference to me but I have to think that factors into the purchasing decision for others as well. I also think it helps a bit from a safety standpoint. We will be able to fence a pool separately from the "play" area of the yard if we want to and not have it look strange. And no neighbors that can check us out from their backyards or the second story of their house. Finally -- I am married to a 50 year old kid so he will probably be the number one pool user -- whether our daughter is around or not! =) He is a SoCal native and misses the water. Of course he is no help with this -- he told me if I wanted a pool to get it -- he doesn't worry about the finances. He knows that I will spend all this time figuring things out and researching before I do anything. I guess opposites do attract. =) Keep the opinions coming. I really appreciate the input. I probably will post on one of the other boards as well. THANKS!

Glenda, I'm a 33 year old female who started having acne at about age 12. I had all kinds of acne, cystic acne, pustules...it was so hard on my self esteem, and not just through high school. I saw at least three different dermatologists (on top of my primary physicians) before I found one who prescribed me accutane at age 31. I had tried various types of topical meds, oral antibiotics, different oral contraceptives...I took one 6-month cycle of accutane and my acne cleared up virtually completely. My skin was incredibly dry and sensitive and remained so for several months after I stopped the medication. I was sensitive to sunlight (use lots of sunscreen) and noticed that my skin took longer to heal from damage (little scratches from my kitty would take a week or more to heal, rather than a day or two). I did not experience any of the other negative side effects, but I will tell you that I honestly would have suffered through some of them to be rid of my acne. My younger sister also took one 6-month cycle of accutane as a teenager and it worked just as well for her as it did for me. As far as I know, she didn't experience any negative effects other than the dryness. My son, who is almost 15, is now on accutane. The change for him has been practically night and day. He had a lot of pustules and blackheads, new ones every morning when he woke up. His acne also started at about age 12. He didn't complain about his acne, but I can tell that accutane is important to him because he takes it on time, every single day, and is on top of me to get his prescription filled ASAP. So far, he is not having any problems with the meds. He is now on his fourth month and I expect him to finish out a full six-month cycle. The only issue he's had is sun exposure, since he was taking it over the summer and spent much of his time outdoors in boy scouts. I have to be on him constantly about sunscreen. Accutane is serious business. It should not be used until other avenues have been exhausted. This means *at least* six months of other topical and/or oral meds. You don't have to see a dermatologist to treat acne, but it is a good idea to get a referral if you can. Primary physicians can be hesitant to prescribe accutane because of its teratogenic effects and other serious side effects. Your physician should have labs drawn when accutane is started and occasionally throughout treatment because accutane can cause liver damage (this is why accutane is taken in cycles, to allow the accumulated metabolites to be eliminated before toxic levels are reached). Females have to have blood drawn every month (plus the month before treatment starts) to ensure they are not pregnant before they receive their refills. I respectfully disagree with the comment that acne will eventually go away. I was experiencing the same acne at age 30 that I was at 13. I did not make the decision to start my son on accutane lightly, but I would not forgive myself if I didn't do what I could to help him with his acne, knowing how much it affected my own self-esteem well into adulthood. The other major consideration that I haven't seen mentioned yet is cost. Obviously, costs will vary, but this is what I see on my bill: Dermatologist exam once per month - $120 Labs - $90 Amnesteem (40mg/day dose x 30 days)~ $300 (when Accutane was the only brand on the market, it was over $600/month!). Part of the reason that I chose to go forward with the accutane treatment for my son is because my insurance covers the majority of the expense, so in my mind, there really was no excuse for not giving it a try. I'm sorry this is long, but having been affected by acne for over half my life, I do feel strongly about the potential benefit of accutane. I know that many people have experienced negative effects from the medicine, so you should be an informed consumer and be aware of the possible effects before the medication is started. And you should not expect "miracle" results. My son will probably end up taking at least one more 6-month cycle, and I know some people take more than that. Send me an e-mail me if you want to talk more about this. Sydney