Ya - I've pretty much gotten over my squeamishness about squashing bugs! Can't say I'd squish a tomato hornworm bare handed - it would probably arm wrestle me to the ground, they're so huge, but anything else is toast if I spy it in time! I've been examining the leaves and stems of my plants and haven't seen anything yet. Anyone know the last SVB date, kinda like a last frost date? I did plant two more squash that are just putting on some growth now in case my first two plants got hit, but I'm not sure when the "danger" is over for this critter, if it ever is! Lisa

One of my machines is a Kenmore, too, PM. It was a gift from a boyfriend and the only thing I use it for is making buttonholes. I oil it and clean it before using it as I don't haul it out very often. You can indeed knock a machine out of time by hitting a pin, but that's pretty unusual. Generally speaking, sewing machines are amazingly resilient and will suffer untold abuse without breaking down. The number one cause of failure is LACK OF OIL; coupled with accumulated fabric lint (which soaks up the residual oil robbing the moving parts of it) it can be really bad news. After that, the wrong needle is often used in a machine, or it's put in incorrectly (either will result in failure to pick up the bobbin thread, often mistaken for a timing issue). And then there is the often frustrating issue of properly tensioning the machine... which is covered in the manual and only takes some guts and some practice to master. In fact, when faced with a new hire, tension and proper needle installation are the first things I teach. To make sure the lesson is mastered I deliberatly monkey with the tension while the person is in the bathroom, lol. I do not sew over pins. I tend to use only a few anyway, but sewing over them is asking for trouble. You ruin the pins (they bend under the presser foot and are harder to use later), you can break them or your needle, and when broken they often fly away from the machine. Flying bits of broken metal near eyes is a fully avoidable risk, right up there with not putting your fingers directly in front of the needle. ;) "Safen up!". More warnings for black ice this morning. And I instantly thought of V.'s daughter when I saw the cancellations at O'Hare. I always wear my boots, a holdover from living in the "boonies" and driving home in all sorts of weather, often not passing another car for the entire 20 miles. Best to be prepared for a long, cold walk. I have not left the Compound ONCE since last Wednesday, though today may break the run. On my list of things to do this week is buy some greens for the decorations, and some wrapping paper and ribbon. We don't have our lists ready and they won't be long or particularly tough on our wallets. I VERY much want to see the decorations from Monique and Less!! I love varigated Holly and haven't seen it available in my usual haunts. I'm actually toying with the notion of planting a couple of them... what do you think, too flashy or pleasingly sparkley for a dark time of year? Tales of layers of pastry and butter made my mouth water. I could almost feel my hindquarters spreading across the seat of my chair as I read... . Back to watery gruel for me! I have to get a coat/two of pickling on one more piece of wood in preparation for the helpmeet's assault on the stairwell railing. I'd love to hear from ailing Eden about her present project and it's progression. You've crossed my mind periodically as I've plugged away on my own.

Bob, I can't even find how to play much less download songs! I downloaded the program and when I open it from my desktop it is a complicated looking thing that looks like a soundboard with lots of options. As for the $10, I can't find that now. It was there before I downloaded it, it never asked for payment, but it downloaded this screen that I can't figure out. Raven, I read all those links, but none say that I can download music. Is Audacity maybe not what I am looking for? I want a program that I can legally pay a price to download as many songs as I want. I thought that Audacity was what I needed, but maybe not.

Yes we are buying a box. My family owns a flooring store So we won’t be buying online. Was just curious if anyone had pictures of it laid. Thank you.