John, As to that greenhouse height. Here is a suggestion. Build up a 1 foot high foundation of concrete blocks to hold the greenhouse frame above the ground. On the inside, go down a few more inches and put in a brick floor with sand as a filler between the bricks. I electrified mine with a single 4 foot outdoor type flourescent fixture with two 4 foot bulbs, as well as weather proof outlets. The wiring was done with PVC tubing used for electric outdoors. The wiring also as a GPF in the circuit to protect against grounding problems. In summer, I have fans running as well as leaving the door open. Mine also has an oil filled piston that will open the center roof panel to allow air to flow out too. Building the greenhouse up on blocks a foot high, and with a deeper floor inside, you can increase the inside height by about a foot . I also have a 6 foot long wooden bench inside that is narrow enough to get through the 2 foot opening of the door. Not only that, the greenhouses usually have aluminium channels that are the framework and these usually have slots for specially made screws that push into the slots and lock in place. Then, I place the shelf brackets they use for closets, and put a foot wide 6 foot long board on the opposite side of the bench. Mine can hold about 20 of the 18"x24" plastic plant trays. Check out Charleys Greenhouse Supply in Washington state. Here is a link that might be useful: Charley's Greenhouse supply

We're "mapped" as a Zone 5, but it acts more like a Zone 4 here, and early June is our planting-out date. I can put them out sooner if I make a tent for them in the greenhouse and keep it warm at night or during cold snaps. We'll have random cold nights and even a couple snows or frosts through most of June, so we need to keep on our toes. Starting indoors in January or early February, the plants are often so large they need two potting up sessions and it gets to where there is no room to place them where they still get enough light. Leaves begin to drop and I end up deep- or trench-planting 3-foot tall twigs. So I aim for late February germinating and get them out to the gh when room gets too tight indoors, usually sometime in May. I deal with the weather then as it's dealt to us, every season is a little different by a few weeks. Inside the unheated gh, with simple tents or covers for the plants, it only takes some Christmas lights or a small 60-watt bulb and a small fan to keep them happy, even when it dips down to 15 or so outside. Colder than that, I must add a small heater in the gh proper. A remote thermometer and frequent visits keep me advised. We enjoyed our first tom on the 3rd of July last season, that's the earliest ever for us. If I wait till mid-March to germinate, I don't have to deal with heating them in the gh as much, but it's also getting into late July or August for ripeness and late-season types barely squeek in before frost, so I need as early a start as I can manage. Too early comes with its own set of problems. But, if you can pot up adequately and give the whole plant lots of light (not just their tops from an overhead shop light), plus handle the much trickier hardening off and planting out of these overlarge "seedlings," it can work to your advantage. Since you have just the one or a few early starts, maybe just keep it to a large pot and set outdoors when it's a good time. That way, you can always haul it back in if there's a late frost or for hardening off. Just protect it from strong winds so it won't blow over! I also sell a few plants and getting that just-right combo of good size and vigorous health always helps sell them. Spindly, sickly too-early plants or too-late, too-small don't work. Timing your own season is the key, with proper light and space to grow indoors till then. -Ed

Small town life sounds good to me. As does living in the country. We had a few acres when I had horses and other animals back in the 60s and 70's. Phoenix is soooo big, too much traffic, and I hate driving even if it didn't cause my leg to go on the warpath. I was born in a small town, in Ala. I don't really going places alone either, and won't go out at night except to family gatherings at one of my kids. I'm waiting the arrival of my toile plates I just bought. Tho heaven knows what I can find to do with them, but will try just because of all the support I've gotten here. Any table settings I do will be just for ONE, maybe two if you're lucky. LOL. I'm going to be a one-trick pony, sorry about that. I just can't do full tables for many reasons. I've been 'planning' my Christmas decor. Really planning this year. Thought it might take some of the load off me being so over-whelmed with it when I go to unpacking a zillion things in the middle of the floor while telling two cats NOT to help me. A zillion times! One sleepless night I started plotting different places to put things this year. I want my newly begun collection of Nutcrackers (started last year) pretty much together. But I think the purple one should go with the Santa. And I have two golf Santas and two golf Nutcrackers that should stay together. Last year they were with my two other special Nutcrackers, a policeman and a fireman. These have a lot of meaning! I'm going to put my Village in the antique china cabinet in my entry hall this time I think, instead of Painted Pony Cabinet in familyroom. Tho I still have to move over a 100 statues from BOTH. I was thinking of putting Xmas horses and reindeer in the pony cabinet. I have quite a few of both now. Anyway, its fun to mentally decorate. It also doesn't wear me out or hurt my body. LOL. I think I'll start my Village next week in fact. First I have to make room for all those dog statues to safely go on closet shelves for the next two months! Ugh. hugs, Karen

dedtired, that's the "old" Annie. I used to decorate everything, indoors and out. I have Christmas mugs and Christmas platters, Christmas dishtowels and Christmas bowls. Ashley has a huge collection of snowglobes, probably 50 or 60 of them, and Amanda has nearly that many nutcrackers. Amanda doesn't even put them up at her house, LOL, they stayed packed in the basement this year. Ashley didn't get anything out either. ?Several years ago I realized that I just dreaded Christmas, I was learning to despise it with a vengeance, all the commercialism, the glitz, the hoo-rah. I spent so much time fiddling with decorations, baking cookies, mailing cards to people I haven't seen for years that I didn't have any time to enjoy any of the Christmas things I really loved. So I stopped. Now I watch the Muppet Christmas Carol and How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Charlie Brown. I bake cookies with the grandkids and I go to the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service and the family Christmas party. I even gave up the "Christmas Eve party for 40 family members where I did all the cooking". This year I blew $75 and rented the townhall and everyone brought a dish to pass. Now with Elery's family I have "Christmas stuff" to do with them too, so I need to have some time for that. So, now that I have Elery and his family to add to the celebrations and Dad's gone and the grandkids are here and Ashley's mostly gone, things are changing. What will Christmas eventually become? Darned if I know, but every year it changes just a little bit..... Annie