We went with Blockbuster online because at the time it was less expensive than Netflix at the time. Now that they've raised their rates to the same as Netflix I don't mind since I can return movies to the store on the way to work and they get counted as checked in a day or two faster. Also, I get coupons for a couple of "free" store rentals each month. Still, being summer I'm not renting as many. Mostly I'm getting old comedy series, e.g. Kids in the Hall and Strangers With Candy and special interest documentaries like The God Who Wasn't There and Walking with Prehistoric Beasts, cable stuff I don't get like Penn & Teller's BS and of course a lot of mainstream movies. I agree about Walk the Line. Quite good but seemed much like Ray. (We tend to get Academy Award nominees/winners for the few months after the ceremonies) And as for 28 Days Later, that was fun to watch with my epidemiologist. We laughed our butts off. Atrophying biddies. That's funny! What is it about fussy, ugly flowers that draws that crowd?

The "urban" squirrels where I live are either black or grey. It is my understanding that they are simply colour variations of the same species, and both colours can occur in the same litter. They are bothersome in gardens and inovative at besting bird feeders, but nevertheless entertaining and not seriously destructive. ON THE OTHER HAND, there are red squirrels at our cottage. They are a different species, quite the cutest animals ever, a rusty brown colour with white bellies, big eyes, and smaller than the black/grey types -- not much bigger than a chipmunk. However, they will happily EAT YOUR HOUSE if they decide they want in!!! They don't seem to bother gardens, but wow can they be destructive of anything else. They have colonized the cottage next door to us and I understand that the ceiing cavities are filled with walnuts; we watch them entering under the eaves and are glad they haven't set their sights on us! So we thankfully tolerate the black/greys at home. Jan

Hi, lavender, I feel as if we're old friends from Smaller Homes/Old House sites, so I came looking for you, after reading your current threads in discussions. Thank you for the 'shout-out' about my hood. It was kind, as every post of yours that I've read has been kind and helpful. Also--keep your chin up! We've done what you are proposing, on a very small budget, 'paying as we go', although that did involve refinancing our home several years ago, for the biggest project, a 30'x12' story-and-a-half addition, with a partially covered concrete porch. In all it's taken 16 years, and I'm not finished yet! When we bought our house, it had been a rental for 10 years, on the 3-acre remnant of an old dairy farm. Many potential buyers had viewed it and said that it would take too much work. But I had a vision (actually not my vision at first--my parents saw it and convinced me that the property would work for our then-young family). The yard had been neglected, and sadly all the original woodwork and trim had been removed, but the structure was basically sound. As our family grew, we added rooms and made other improvements (new roof and septic system, as needed). We are DIY'ers, and have an extended family-and-friends network of contractors, woodworkers, excavaters, and painters, so our projects have been made much more affordable than if we'd had to hire out all the work, but you may have the same resources, too. I just want you to know that I understand your dreams, love your ideas and pictures, and I know it can be done!!

Scott, forgot to mention the other day that I am glad that you and your son was not hurt during the storm. I had a close friend that lost his little girl many many years ago during a bad thunderstorm. She was opening the door as a power line came down and the electricity arced from the ground up through the door. She'd be in her thrirties now, if she were still with us. I'm REAL careful now, especially since I now live in the lightning capitol of the world. I've seen lightning "balls" move through a room after it entered an outlet where a lamp was plugged in. When it comes to sensing "ghosts" I once saw a documentary about a study the military did, with the belief that humans actually have extra senses in addition to ESP. It is believed that some people can still tap into some of that, but over thousands of years,( due to not using our full senses), have lost most of our abilities in that regard. Most of us still have good gut feelings though, which I believe is part of all of that. Cats are fascinating creatures. My vet thinks I'm a bit soft in the head when I mention that I feel they communicate with each other via telepathy. I've witnessed where nothing else could explain certain behaviors. One of my cats also knows the second I open my eyes in the morning, and he is not anywhere near our room at the time. I can also put the flea control on one of them, out of sight and smell, and immediately the rest of them know and go hide. There was a story in either a magazine or newspaper one time that told of a cat that lived in a nursing home, for the benefit of the people that had to live there. The nurses knew when someone was going to die soon because that cat would go and sit with that person, and not leave their side until after they passed on. Haven't figured out who the conversation police are, but I think we've made it clear that we are all pretty independantly minded, and don't care what they think, or even if they like us for that matter. We're certainly not hurting anyone, nor are we bogging down the forum. Worked on floor plan stuff this weekend. I was very cranky and not very pleasant to be with. My poor husband! He knows I like lofts and told me to design one in. (Anything to get me out of my bad mood....). But, you know, I keep talking to people that have awfully huge electric bills this year that have lofts in their homes. The other thing that made me think twice was looking at some really cute tiny log cabin package deals with the Cracker Style Log Home people. The kits are a fraction of what it would cost to build a nicely finished loft, AND it would be considered an outbuilding for tax purposes. We would just factor in the materials rather than get a kit, since I feel it's a bit less expensive to do that, and I can get the windows I want through Home Depot. (I like Andersons). I do think we are getting close to hammering out the blueprints. If I have trouble posting the floor plan idea, would it be O.K. to e-mail it to one of you? Sandy