Wonderful bold bright washes of color everywhere Pauline, I love your gardens! It's all so beautiful and so neat and orderly, no weeds in your gardens. I did love the shot of the deer eating the rose blooms though, that was thoughtful of you to fill them up and maybe they won't come on in:) I'm sure they appreciated the extra bounty. Thanks for showing us so much, I'm sure you have other areas you haven't covered. Maybe when winter hits and you're not so busy you'll catch us with some blooms and bush pics:) That'd be a treat too:) I'm glad your holiday was such a treat with a gorgeous center piece like you had. As warm as it is here, I may still be able yet to have such myself. Thanks again for all the pics, I really enjoyed all of them:) Les

The building company we like has a web site with their floor plans listed and all the options available and the cost of the upgrades spelled out. As I said before, most of the items available we have researched and we like what's offered. On those areas we don't, we will have the ability to tell the company what we would prefer to use and then they will order it and install it. For example, the company uses Mohawk carpet. We don't care for any of the levels they offer. However, there are higher levels of Mohawk that we like. Given that it is still Mohawk, they will order it through their supplier. The same holds true for the Congoleum vinyl they use. How much extra is unknown to me right now given that we aren't ready to break ground. The company sales rep said the company doesn't begin to start talking numbers on items until we put down a $500 completely refundable good faith deposit meaning we have a floor plan in mind and are ready to act on it, which I can completely understand. I will know how much it would cost retail (which I completely understand is not what the company would pay for it) so I can at least compare the price they give me to what it would cost me to have it done on my own. That is an option, as we were told the other day by the carpeting sales lady we were talking with regarding our current home. In fact, she was preparing for a meeting with the building company next week on a whole-house install. If I don't like the price the company offers then I'm free to have the work done myself as long as I'm willing to foot the costs. They will tell me how much of a credit I will be getting for them not doing the work or providing the material. Again, that was spelled out to me in the email with the company's sales rep and confirmed independently by a friend. Another example is in the appliance package. They offer different levels of GE appliances, which I hate. I prefer LG. The only thing I will be required to do is to purchase the appliances, provide the builder with the measurements, as it will affect the kitchen cabinet sizes, and then pay to have them installed. I understand the builder will not warranty them, but the installer I hire will and so will LG. Maybe this company is different from other production builders, but one of their advertised promises is that they will take any of their floor plans and modify them however you want with whatever material you want. They are even willing to do some structural rearranging. We want a pantry in the kitchen, which their in-house architect will work into the floor plan before the contract is signed, and which we will then be presented in terms of how much it will add to the cost. We also want a different style of backsplash in the kitchen incorporating a tile mural I love. I will buy and supply the tile and they will provide the installation based on the detailed plans I am required to provide. Again, I understand that all that will come at a higher cost, but before the contract is signed all those costs will be spelled out in writing. When it comes to the main structure of the house, I know this company's reputation. They build solid homes. We will see the floor plan we like in a few weeks as they are currently building it as a market home. At that time I will be able to judge how well it will work for us. Where the structure of the house is concerned (the bones) from the experience of people I know and trust the house is fine. Where we will want changes are in the areas I've previously mentioned, and they are willing to accommodate us in those changes. If I think I can get a better price on those cosmetic areas then I'm free to do so. Even the pantry isn't that big of a deal as we know a couple who did the same thing. They spent an additional $800 for it and was given a $250 credit for the cabinet they chose to leave out.

The builder needs to learn how to properly deal with the structural design issues before making decisions about how to install flashing. For instance, he should have looked up the shear value of the lag screws he was using in the NDS. By taking the easy way out regarding flashing and ignoring the structural requirements he created a dangerously weak ledger design. And adding more lag screws is not the appropriate solution at this point. You should introduce him to the Maine Deck Bracket or a structural engineer before someone gets hurt. The link below might be a good place for him to start his education. Keep in mind that the snow live load in your area might be greater than the 40 psf assumed in the article. In MA the snow live load is 60 psf and we're on the ocean. I worked in Aspen in '66 &'67. It snowed so much a large old commercial building collapsed in the center of downtown. In the Rockies decks the size of yours should always be designed by an engineer, not builders or building inspectors. If an engineer is not available I recommend using posts on all sides in addition to through-bolting with spacers to the house. Here is a link that might be useful: deck ledger options

I have had an 2 unsuccessful hip replacements and going for 2 more....just read below. I have been in pain since Oct 2007 when the 1st surgery was done. Here is my story: In Oct 2007 I had a full hip replacement the Dr that did the surgery positioned a stainless steel cable around the femur due to the leg being cracked either before surgery or during surgery (even though I told the Dr before surgery I was allergic to stainless steel). I continued to have alot of pain after surgery and the dr had no idea why so he referred me to a pain management clinic. The pain management clinic after several months referred me to a Dr who specializes in revisions of implants. He found the bone and the hip were not growing together at all spots but I explained about being allergic to stainless steel. The new ortho decided to take the stainless steel cable out to possibly solve the pain issue on March 5, 2009. This was a simple surgery w/ an approx 3 1/2" incision. On March 12 the hip started to swell. It swelled to the size of a softball at the hip. On March 16th I went into surgery for an I&D (incision and draining) for the swelling. The Dr said there was no infection just a clear fluid buildup. On approx April 6, 2009 the hip started to swell again and the Dr said go, stay off of it and keep ice on it. On April 14th I saw the Dr at his office because the swelling kept increasing and the pain was horrible too. He stated he would put me into surgery on April 15th and he would go back in and do an I&D this time all the way to the hip joint and if needed he would replace the cup that may possibly be loose and was not growing to the bone as stated above. The Dr said he would keep me for a few days this time so he could watch it and keep the IV antibiotics running longer.I lost alot of blood and he transfused me 2x (by Sat April 18, 2009 my blood level dropped to 23). This time the Dr said it was again a clear fluid that grew nothing on cultures and he replaced the ball and socket so no infection or anything could grow out of those areas. He released me on April 20, 2009. On April 21 the day after being released for the 3rd time from the hospital, my hip started to swell again. It swelled fast and very hard and even more painful than before. The Dr wanted me to sit with the swelling over the weekend of April 24, 25, 26th. By Fri the 24th I was vomiting as the pain was so bad and the swelling was the size of a small watermelon cut in 1/2. My ins co. and home health care workers said to go to Vanderbilt hosp instead of St Thomas where I had been treated cause my Dr did not want to see me. I went to Vanderbilt around 6pm Fri4/24/09. (This is another story on how Vanderbilt dumped me and sent me back to St Thomas). Vanderbilt was confident of the work my Dr was doing and would not treat me and said I should go back to my Dr at St Thomas Hospital. I was back at St Thomas hospital by 10am and admitted to a room by approx 3pm on Sat 4/25/09. It was determined a vein was bleeding out and my kumadin was stopped, Vencomycin was started again and pain meds were started. The bleeding was stopped by approx Mon 4/27/09. They continued to treat the pain, run the antibiotics etc. I was released again on Wed 4/27/09 after the pain meds had been adjusted in a fashion to possibly keep me from vomiting and allow me to function at home. Note: This is another issue as well** I was released and instructed by my case manager at the hospital that home health care would be at my house at 6pm on Wed 4/27/09 to run my iv antibiotics as per my discharge instructions that I am to have iv vencomycin 2x a day. Home health care never showed due to the hospital not giving them correct information and instructions. That as I stated is another story. before discharge the Dr stated he felt the clear fluid pockets that he had done the 2 I&D's on were from a staph infection that I have had since the hip was put in back in Oct 2007 and after the iv antibiotics and the Cipro antibiotics are stopped on June 1, 2009 there is a chance that the pockets of clear fluid may come back again since it a staph infection. He labeled my diagnosis to the home health care agency as MRSA. For my ins co he labeled it infection and inflammatory reaction. On Tues 5/19/09 I went back to the Dr because though some of the blood swelling had dissepated, the swelling started again like before. The Dr finally stated it was a staph infection and the only way to fix it would be to take the ENTIRE hip out that had been installed in 2007 and insert a spacer w/ antibiotics in it that would course thru the body for 3 mths. I will be able to drive when im ready but I will be on cruthches the whole time. He feels this should cure the infection. In 3 mths from now I have to go back to surgery and take the spacer out and insert a whole new hip again.He has taken me off the IV antibiotics for the next 2 weeks to hopefully get something to grow on the cultures but w/ it being a very slow growing staph infection it may never do that. I have been told by otho chief of staffs at other hospitals along w/ several other drs that if the antibiotics were stopped it left me w/ a 10% chance of surviving. I continue to pray and pay attention to how I feel because even a slight chance of sickness i will be on my way to the hospital. I am only 48 w/ a GREAT life and am not ready to die by any means. I feel that a staph infection was presented into my body in either Oct 2007 during the 1st hip replacement or in March 2009 when the stainless steel cable was removed. I really do feel for you and your situation as this will be my 5th hospital stay and 4 surgeries since March 2009 for this infection due to someone's negligence! When you have it replaced if you must again they must place a temporary hip that has antibiotics that will release into your body throughput several mths to rid you of this infection. To simply replace the hip is not enough. IV Antibiotics 1500mg 2x a day....cipro antibiotics 500mg 2x a day was not enough to fix this. But they will do that same course of treatment for 3 mths along with the insertion of a spacer/temporary hip loaded w/ antibiotics should do it. I can let you know how I do if you want to send me your email address. Talking w/ people and research into this is very important for you. Best Regards, Margaret