Sally, congratulations. I love porches you can actually sit on and the floors will be lovely when they are all polished up and done right. I actually kind of like the cabinets in the kitchen but the black appliances are kind of dark. Keeping the floor the shade it is, it will probably look a lot bigger with lighter cabinets, countertops, etc. Of course, I'd just paint everything white, LOL, except the floor! And I love that old tree, it would make a great "horse" for a little cowboy, also a fort to protect him from marauding Indians and a great outlook to spy outlaws ready to attack and maybe a ship discovering new worlds and very possibly a rocket..... Annie

I live in a rural area. Most of the people I work with are men. Making in-person and local friends is hard. I have one very close friend that I used to spend a lot of time with, but she is dying of cancer right now. She will probably not last more than another month at best. I will miss her terribly. I am spending every Sunday with her and also visiting during the week. She is on such strong pain meds right now that I am not sure she knows I am there....but I know I am there so that's enough. I have lots of internet friends that I have met through various internet boards. We have actually had several face-to-face get-togethers at koi shows in the past couple of years. I consider many of them to be real friends that I could count on in a crisis. None of them are local, the closest being 3 hours away. I do wish I had more local friends though. My grown daughter and DIL are probably the closest things I have to local friends. They are both wonderful to be with. Cindy

Thank you everyone. Tomorrow will be interesting to say the least. Only our contractor/carpenter crew were here today clearing out their stuff, wiping things down for tomorrow's move in. They ran out of time to move the appliances in the house. And they know they have to be here before the movers because their open trailer is still in front of the house - blocking the mover truck... But after all this, tomorrow all I need is a winter coat, comfy shoes and wave my arms around in different directions. I also have a clip board with our packing sheets so I can mark off the boxes on my copy as they come in. DH is having major joint problems today with the weather. I'm quite happy to leave him in the trailer with the cat tomorrow. He can make the coffee. So I'm heading to bed early tonight. Tomorrow night our own beds will be set up! Yippy!

Good morning :) I don't believe I ever posted a actual introduction, so here it goes! Hello everyone. My name is Brant and I am 26 and currently reside in Raleigh, NC. I recently purchased my very first Amaryllis (Stargazer) who is now sending up a flower spike and I'm very excited! My grandmother asked me what I wanted to Christmas and I told her another amaryllis :) I am definately hooked. I have always had a interest in plants which was spurred on by my grandparents and great grandmother and great aunt. I currently have 2 Phal orchids, a thanksgiving cactus, African violet, baby adenium, poinsettia (my first as well), money tree, lime tree, cenntinieal kumquat, and a plumeria. I see my collection getting a bit bigger come this spring :) As for a little about myself. I am lover of the arts. I am a actor/singer/dancer. I am also a avid Disney fan. I often get compared to Kurt Hummel from Glee and/or Mitchell from Modern Family. I also love fashion and shopping as well. I hope to make many new friends here as I do not have many garden friends. See you on the boards!