Hey! I got home from having more blood drawn, and there was my box from Joan on the porch! Paula helped me open it, and it was fun to watch the excitement on her face as she pulled out the shredded paper and saw the goodies Joan sent! Here's what we received... Plants... One Big Mystery Plant (Joan, what is this?) Mexican Heather Cypress Vine Rosemary Seeds... Sweet William Echinacea Spider Flower Blue Flax Goodies... Blue Terry Wipes Mountain Lodge Scented Candle Frog Statue (he looks like a tourist, how cool!) Garden Journal Gardening Gloves 3-Piece Gardening Tool Set Photo Refrigerator Magnet Catnip Toys for the boys Foot Cooler Black Iron -n- Raffia Planter (can't wait to try that out next spring!) All in all, a great box! Thank you Joan! ***now I'm off to investigate how to grow all the plants*** -Dan

Update: Before the install, I did wind up modifying the track in the air handler for the 1-inch air filter. I used 2 pieces of steel banding, 2 inches wide, cut to length, and placed them over the manufacturer's track using a few dabs of automobile body putty (Bondo) to keep it secure. It is now a smooth track for the filter to slide on. Goodman used the track as part of the frame of the air handler so it had some crimpings in it and the filter would not easily slide in. I also trimmed away some foil faced insulation that prevented the filter from seating properly. A 20"x24" filter now fits perfectly. I am glad that I did these minor mods as I would have been fighting this monthly when I change filters. The unit was installed Friday, 6/22, after I had it for about 5 weeks waiting on the installers. It took two guys 8 hours. I fed them both breakfast and lunch (I treat my installers well). The old supply air plenum and the plenum after the air handler had to be replaced to match the new unit. The old 5/16" liquid line had to be replaced with a new 3/8" line. 3 holes were cut into the finished ceiling and 1 in the wall so that the new line could be run. I'll repair the holes when I get a chance - no big deal. The TXV sticks out about 8 inches from the air handler. Looks funky and I have to be careful not to hit it while moving things around in that area. The old outside unit had sunk about 4 inches into the ground. I filled the hole with soil that I was saving, packed it down, put a plastic condensor mounting pad on the dirt, and used 3" thick brick to elevate the outside unit (which is huge in size compared to the old 7 SEER unit; 14 SEER = more coils = larger unit). The outside unit is much more quiet as expected but the new mult-speed air handler is also a little more quiet than the old one. The fan is set on low speed and I'm not sure of the setting of the old unit as the lables on the motor had worn away after 21 years. The sheet metal in the new air handler is flimsy and the track for the air filter can be improved by Mr Goodman. The outside unit looks decent. These comments were also noted by the installers. I plan on taking the outside and inside coils to a local scrap facility and sell the copper. Maybe I can get a few $$ for a couple cases cases of my favorite beer. I can now start saving 40% on the cooling and heating part of my energy bill and use this to combat the 65% increase in electric rates in the State of Maryland. All in all, I thought that I got a good value for the money spent (only time will tell if I made the right choice with Goodman). I got a 14 SEER system with Copeland scroll compressor, thermo-expansion valve on the air handler, hard start capacitor, 15 kw heat strip kit, bypass humidifier, and 10 year parts warranty for $2477 from a local HVAC supply shop. I paid $1200 for a pro install (needed the pro install for the warranty). Total cost was $2k less than...

I wanted to follow up in case anyone else out there is thinking about purchasing All-Clad. I placed a call to cookwarenmore, as suggested, to find out when their twice a year sale is happening, and it's going on now. The clearance prices aren't reflected on the site listings, but when you add an item to your cart, you see the sale price. This doesn't apply to the All-Clad prices posted in red, as those are already final markdowns. I also stopped into my local TJMaxx, just to check if they had anything. Turns out they are having their yearly "gourmet" promotion right now. The clerk said she had never seen them get such a good assortment of All-Clad and that they usually have only 1 or 2 odd pieces on the shelf at that particular store. So, luck had it that I hit it just right. I ended up with an 11" stainless skillet for $49.99. They had some 12" pans (which is what I originally planned to buy) but they were straight sided skillets and the one I have has sloped sides, which is a feature that's better for some of the dishes I want to use it for. I had never seen them there, and wouldn't have thought to look for All-Clad at TJ's. Thanks for all your help!

Sorry, no big deals here to chortle over. I can't believe this obsession with name brand clothing, etc. Seems to me that if the maker wants to put his name on a shirt, shoes, etc. that I'll wear (hopefully for years), s/he should sell it to me for half price. I advertise his product every time that I wear it. When s/he tells me that, due to the wonderful cachet of their brand name, exclusivity and all (but they willingly sell it to all comers) I must pay double the price of run-of-the-mill products for it .... I say that's *smart marketing*!! Seems to me that we should just laugh at them and tell them to get lost!! Momma Bird in good old Ohio - we're waiting for you to show us a picture of you modelling your lovely new suit. Kathy - sounds like a good idea to pick up a few of those wonderful desks ... and publicize them on eBay. Good wishes for stretching your dollars ... (I was tempted to add, something like, " ... but not your stories, please" but forebore - I have had no reason to believe that I've seen stories stretched around here. Accusing someone of lying is not exactly a laughing matter, in my book. Though I do enjoy a good laugh, as several of you know - usually of the rather dry kind of humour. Enjoy your summer, sharing good times with loved ones and friends. I just lost a good friend - a hard worker and smart - not yet 60. Lung trouble - he smoked (cigars). ole joyful