Congrats on beating the Big C. I too am a cancer survivor, but mine was one that is rarely ever completely gone, so I just stubbornly stay one jump ahead of the obits by planning new notions for my GH. If I'm planning on someting new, I HAVE to be alive to pull it off. LOL! Okay: Height. Correct me if I'm wrong, but in Z-7, wouldn't summer heat be more an issue than winter cold? If so, the the higher the roof, the easier it will be to keep your GH cool in summer. If you get your side purlins up to at least 8 ft., you could stretch a piece of plastic across the entire interior of your GH in winter, to create an insulating air pocket between it and the roof, and concurrently, prevent a lot of of the warm air from rising above that "dropped ceiling." Just a thought, but when building your own from scratch, you can add a lot the GH mfg. never seem to think about.

Thanks for your help. I will check for the lock washer, it might be it never had it. This particular machine has leaked from the beginning. I always just lived with it because I was in the middle of processing. Should have addressed it ages ago. The gasket indeed did break, not dry rot with age, or breakdown. I am unsure as to when and how, but it did. I know I can replace it. Not argueing, but I do know how to assemble this machine, been doing it for years. Something is wrong though, because it does get hot from the friction, even processing slow and steady. The spiral never quite fit as well as I remember my old machine did. We do empty it out frequently and at the time I had problems it was newly cleaned - mesh had been scrubbed clean. I thought at first I missed a stem and that got jammed, but not the case. I will go over the parts again to make sure all are there. Anyway - still looking at a stainless option. Just wanted to see if anyone had any opinions or owned one that are offered on the web. ....We do have an old Foley - why didn't I think of that when we were stuck the other night?? too tired. Thanks again - I do appreciate it.

Hi...sorry I took so long to respond. :-) mes444...Not sure I want to be his 'sole' avenue for tech support. [g] Especially on a machine that I have no warranty on and then I have no where to go if he has a problem I am not able to troubleshoot. Maybe you are more computer confident than I am. Why would you say Apples are annoying and hv problems too? I had not heard that about them. mikie...yes, we had planned on upgrading out of the celeron processor, having heard in the past they were not so great. Why do you recommend a very large 2nd hard drive? The mini towers are desktops right? We are set on getting a notebook. So evidently on the list of things we plan on using the computer for, downloading DVDs would require more than the lower end computer offers then? Jane...Sounds like you bought a nice configuration on your machine. We would also go with the extended warranty and already deciding to stay away from Vista. We also don't need Office. We will take a closer look at the business machines. Thanks for that link poohbear...looks interesting. owbist...we live in the same house, so I guess we can go with the 'lo tech' way. lol Nice idea about the headphones though, I am going to look into that Skype. Yes, glad to have this forum to ask questions on. asolo...we do have an Apple store nearby and planning on looking into it. We looked at their website and they are offering $1,000. systems, which I didn't think they had any systems in that price range. Of course that is with one year warranty only. So I am sure it won't end up that price. They do offer tech support at the store too and classes, so we are going to check it out. I always have steered away from Apple, because people warned me about software compatibility problems..but I thought they had Apple versions of all the software? Plus, I am now on my 4th computer and I rarely add another piece of software once I get my computer, so everything that comes with the original machine should be compatible, right? So what is the drawbacks of going with Apple? The latest CReports shows the Apple to need more repairs then all other manufacturers, did you see that? I was surprised by that. But their tech support is supposed to be very good.

thanks again to all of you, i guess i was a little quick to jump the gun to what i really ment to say, the thing is im not interested in wanting others words to say to her, i say what comes into my mind and heart. what i was looking for is exactly what i've been doing, and the answers from all of you have just proven to me that im doing the right thing. i guess there really isn't anything to say at sometimes, and sometimes my hugs are more than words can express. even my light kiss and i love you, on the cheek works. i was really upset because i just didn't know how to be there to help her through it, but with what you have all said to me, and what i have already been doing, is exactly the same. so i must be on the right track. shes taking this very hard, and i feel that in my own opinion just being there for her isn't enough, i wish i could do more, but like everyone had said, sometimes more isn't better, and just holding her and listening to her is better than anything else you could do. thanks again, for all your help, i have been coming here for months, but never wrote anything, and im glad i took that that step to write, thanks again. lostsoul