Hi Bonnie, Long Ago is working on their site, so the page being down isn't surprising. I know she's like Burling in that she's a one person operation. You can imagine trying to take care of hundreds to thousands of plants; propagate them all; handle all the "chief cook and bottle washer" duties for the business and household, etc., AND mess around with a web site. It will get there. I don't know who will have stock ready first. Remember Long Ago is on the east coast and doesn't ship west of the Rockies. Burling is less than three hours from you. Actually, I prefer receiving young plants during weather as we're "suffering" right now. Replanted in a larger pot, in good soil, placed in filtered sun and kept well fed and watered, most will grow like mad with this heat. It sets the stage for the perfect opportunity to push them by keeping them disbudded. I'm impatient when it comes to pushing plants. It drives me crazier for them to just SIT there, appearing to do nothing. Kim

Linda, Thank you for asking. Yes, I confess. I love cannas. In my climate, there are only a few people I know that can leave them in the ground year round and I consider them magicians with microclimates. The rest of us must store them over winter somehow. I prefer not to dig mostly out of laziness. You are exactly right about the bubble pack and brown paper. Brown paper for darkness and bubble pack to provide some insulation since my garage is not heated. Once they all green up, I will pull out all the brown dead leaves from last year and clean them up. In late May, they will be able to stay outside all day. For now, the canna trolley it is. I also gave them some kelp water about every 3rd water. And this year, I gave them a sprinkle of milorganite because I read that it can give you huge cannas. I don't know all the variety names that I have. I never really kept track. I do know that I have Bengal Tiger which I bought last year and a yellow one called Harvest Yellow. I actually found that out by posting on this forum which was so fun! I have a red one, a hot pink one, and I have a dwarf variety as well. The pots are pretty full and I should probably divide. I did divide the yellow one last fall so I'm waiting to see how that turned out before dividing others. I don't have the best pictures of mine, but promise to try to get better photos this year. Harvest Yellow - photo taken August 2016 (this one blooms really late)

We've been in for 4 1/2 months now and overall are very happy with how our new home turned out. Things I love: Wood floors - Ours are 4" white oak, site finished in a medium stain color, satin finish(not shiny). Dover white laquer painted woodwork, mouldings, and cabinetry. We have stained cabinets in a couple of bathrooms, and I'm glad I didn't go stained in the kitchen and rest of the house. The stained acts like a dust magnet and washes out the paint color on the walls. But most of all, white wood against painted walls and hardwood floors just makes me happy.:-) Love my kitchen. Thank you kitchen forum! Definitely pay a visit over there if you're just getting started. -It turned out beautiful(white custom cabs, arched hood, wood floors) -Lots of well placed lighting all on dimmers -Functional, large layout with specific work zones -Danze faucets and pot filler -Silgranit sinks(love the big single basin and the round prep!) -Bosch ovens -Dacor 36" gas cooktop -Kitchenaid DW and Fridge -Giallo Ornamental granite -Microwave built into the island -Trash pullout -Tons of deep drawers instead of cabinet doors -Step in pantry Smart Strand carpet - feels and looks great - LOVE IT!!! Love our huge paved, curvy driveway and walkways. Lots of room for the kids to ride bikes, scooters, and play basketball. Huge covered porches front and back Exercise room off of master for treadmill and weights Walk in attic access from upstairs Huge bonus room upstairs Big laundry room with 2 washer and 2 dryer hookups, quartz folding countertop, deep stainless sink, and plenty of storage. Love that the dryers vent right outside, not up through walls and then to the roof like our last house. Makes cleaning the duct a huge pain and cuts down on effiency. Sound system with speakers throughout and on back porch Paint colors - Tobacco Road(main), Dover White(woodwork) Lots of lighting throughout almost all on dimmers Schlage door hardware and deadbolts Love being out in the country on a little land with tons of trees and a pond. Peaceful and lots of room for the kids to play and explore. Things I'd do differently - Insulate wall where upstairs bath plumbing runs downstairs for sound reduction. Put in sprinkler system - On the list to do next spring Wish we would've upgraded to satin or eggshell paint in the bonus and kids rooms. Went with flat to save money figuring we could always repaint later.

My soapstone is Barroca from M. Teixeira. It is one of the softer varieties and we do have knicks and scratches. We installed it 2 years ago and I've oiled it maybe 4 times. I don't baby it, but I do put a towel down when I open a wine bottle and I make sure to only use my mortar and pestle on the butcherblock counter on the other side of my kitchen (never on the soapstone...it would be folly to bash a stone pestle into stone mortar on a soapstone counter, no matter how hard the soapstone is). I do love it and I love the patina it is developing. It is developing faster on the counter around the stove which is nice and black and doesn't need oiling. The best part is not worrying about putting hot things on it or that anything will stain it. When we cook paella on the firepit outside, we bring it right inside and set it on the soapstone when it's done.