I just finished reading their catalogue and have to admit that I had to google a very high percentage of the listed plants. Woody plants were of my special interest and I see some cultivars that I wouldn't mind to drive there to get. How big their conifers if not specificaly mentioned 3G, specimen etc? Are they mostly 1G one year old grafts? BTW, azaela Koromo Shikibu is not flashy, but a truly interesting one-of-a kind plant. Could be overpowered if planted among same-time blooming azaleas/rhododendrons, but try to position it where nothing will bloom around it at the time of its bloom and it stand out. Mine blooms during the last week of May. It has a groundhuging habit, so lower branches could be easily groundlayered, if needed. Here is a link that might be useful:

When it comes to picking a car for someone else, I am a loss because in may be merely a matter of style of brand preference when choosing between models. However, you indicated that you weren't picky. I did note that your current vehicles are Toyotas, and the Corolla has given you more than the average US miles without serious breakdown. Needs: 1. Haul 3 people, 6 ft tall, at 250 lb each, or 750 lb. Add in 100 to 200 lb of other stuff and you are looking at 950 lb load. 2. Need enough space for these human bodies. 3. Reliable, repairable, and established dealerships and parts supply. 4. 20 miles/gal or better. 5. 4 doors. 6. Not too expensive. Look at these models: Pontic Vibe Ford Escape Hundai Sante Fe Saturn Vue Honda RAV-4 Toyota CRV Several of these models are available in 4 wheel or all-wheel drive. The Honda and Toyota offerings in used vehicles tend to be higher priced than comparable domestics. Check out reliability ratings in Consumer's Report and other publications. Once a model becomes 2 to 4 yrs old, user surveys can uncover shortfalls and likes.

As you probably know, the coolant level in the overflow bottle fluxuates; It rises as the engine heats up and should fall as the engine cools down. The coolant level after the engine is cold should be the same as at the beginning of the engine start. If the coolant system has been opened, it may take 2 to 3 heating-cooling cycles to arrive at a stable level, and it may need extra fluid added to the reservior. Howver, if you have to contine to add fluid several times to maintain a level in the bottle, then fluid is being lost somewhere. Check the condition of the hose that goes to the overflow bottle. Lift it and look for splits on its underside. If it leaks air on engine cooling, air is admitted into the system and the engine will not be kept filled - a bad situation. Other places where slow leaks may occur: 1. Leaky rediator -has a slow leak, slow enough that the evaporation rate of the fluid nearl matches the leak rate. sometimes can be detected by small wisps of steam while stopped with engine running. Odor of hot coolant may be present. 2. Leaking water pump. If the leak is small, it may be hard to see. The leaked fluid exits a drain hole in the bottom of the water pump hosuing. 3. Any hose in the system. Look at heater hoses. Lift up when inspecting. 4. Head gasket leak. 5. If the intake manifold has coolant passages, its gaskets may be leaking. 6. Leaky heater core, and this may make an oder in the passenger cabin. If you are having to add fluid on a regular basis, it is leaking out somewhere (unless it is ovefilled in which case, the excess fluid spills out the overflow tube when hot).

As a former business owner, I agree with this. DH & I were providing good, above-average for the area jobs for 3-4 full-time employees & one part-time. Sometimes we didn't get a paycheck ourselves, but we always paid our employees on time. We always had to make sure to set money aside to pay our business taxes. We could have used some of that money to give raises or bonuses to our employees, buy new equipment, etc. We could have also used it to pay down our debt, because we did incur some in starting two businesses. We didn't really have any time off. We worked whatever hours we needed, which was frequently 70-80 per week for each of us. Finally, we decided it was just too hard & we sold one business & closed the other. DH's boss is an excellent example. He took a small company started by his father & has grown it into a pretty large regional business, with offices in several states. He has so far avoided laying off employees or cutting wages, though there is a wage freeze in place. He & the rest of the management team there manage their business carefully & they were at least in a pretty good position to deal with the downturn. He does not like layoffs & has always tried to avoid them. Thankfully, he understands that the loss of an employee is also a loss of knowledge & that may not be easily replaced when things start to turn around. Recession is a natural part of the business cycle & we will come out of this. It makes me angry, though, to hear the talk of tax "refunds" to people who don't even pay taxes. DH & I have lived pretty carefully too. Our required expenses like mortgage, etc. are kept so that we can live off of just DH's salary (or any equivalent of the two of us together making that amount). We have no car payments & only a small amt. of debt besides our mortgage. We lived in a small, fixer-upper house for many years. During the years that we had our business, there was no fixing up going on. We finally, at age 40, built a nicer house. The main reason for that was a move for DH's job. When we started dating in 1992, he was making $8.50/hr & I was making $6/hr. We've worked very hard at our jobs, gained experience, & worked our way up to better paying jobs. Do we own some nice things & splurge on a nice dinner out sometimes? Yes. But we've WORKED for that. As the letter above says, there is a back story. That is the case with most people I know. They didn't start out wealthy, they lived within their means & worked hard to get what they have. I remember once I was talking to a visitor in the office about my commute. I said that I just turn on my iPod & it isn't too bad. A co-worker overheard me & commented that "Not all of us have an iPod." I decided to be nice & not say anything to her, but I wanted to mention that the total price of that iPod, which was over a year old at the time, was probably about equal to one payment on her new SUV. People see what they want to see. They are jealous when I can afford an iPod, but don't think about the fact that I drive a 2000 car that was bought used in 2005 while they are making monthly payments on a new vehicle. The people who own businesses & provide jobs should be rewarded, as should those of us who have lived within a budget & saved for our future. I get so tired of hearing about what people "deserve". So many people think that they "deserve" to sit home, watch tv & have kids they don't take care of while the rest of us pay for it. Why should those of us who really work have to pay for the others who won't? I'm not talking about people who actually have unfortunate circumstances due to things they can't control, I'm talking about the ones like in the letter - the ones sitting home waiting for their next welfare check.