I hate the key cards, won't use them. If I feel that I must sign up with a store for their discount, I use a work number that is attached to our automated line. Recently, a long time local drugstore sold out to CVS Pharmacy. And since that store is right in the shopping center where I work, they were getting a lot of my casual business for makeup, food items, and sometimes pet food. Well, CVS has a policy of NOT giving the sale prices unless you use their store deal, so a couple of times I walked out of there having paid full price, since I wasn't going to fill out the long application for sale prices. I know they are tracking what I do, that's patent. But finally, I had enough. I went in to return some stale cookies (went to car, opened package, and bit into Dust!!, went right back into store to return) and you would just not believe how big of a deal the clerks made that "She doesn't have a CVS card!" "How can we give back your money without a CVS card?" "We have a policy of giving you $2 in CVS bucks when you find something expired on our shelves, but don't know how to do that without the CVS card!!" All this was called out from one register to the manager at the other, until I just wanted to drop the $4 bag of cookies and go. It was almost a crime that I don't have the card. And the phone number thing didn't work there, because they said it takes their system 3 months to acknowledge the phone number. Anyway, it Was super convenient to wander down their on my break and pick up kleenex or whatever, but I think I'm done. Red

Precisely. That's why I went to all this trouble phoning back and forth. I *know* Abt is highly respected (wait, did I actually let drop their name? I was trying to be a little circumspect. Ooops)... and I've had some really exceptional experiences with them. That's why I wasn't so terribly impressed with the "policy violators" page -- showed up my prejudice too. I was perfectly happy to believe the less-reputable folk (did I let their name slip already too?) were on that list, but I became instantly skeptical when I saw Abt. Which isn't fair, perhaps -- but called the whole thing stem to stern into question. Hence a flurry of phone calls, etc. Most of which have been moderately polite at least with the exception of this new clutch of snotty-plus emails. It's been pointed out, as suggested above, that Franke doesn't even make this stuff, they're "consolidators" of parts... whatever. But the take-home message I got which I agree is hard to swallow from Franke, is that 'they just don't know where this equipment is being gotten from, don't know how "they can be selling it so cheaply" and perhaps that's why they're on the violators list .... though at the end of the day they told me they couldn't even tell me why a company was on the violator-list (as in they did not know, not that they would not). Which I should think is at least unfair and at most unlawful since aren't we all guaranteed by law to face our accuser? Or perhaps not for the "state of Texas" - aka an institution. That's probably only constitutionally protected for individuals ... unless it isn't. Am I ranting or what? Bad day here. I suspect at the end of the day there's a huge amount of grey-area behaviour going on in all kinds of directions. I suspect consumers, while getting their fair share of breaks, are not coming out ahead.... dunno about that either, don't know what would be proper, actually, But as I said in the beginning, it's really hard to know how to act morally in such an unregulated, opaque atmosphere.

You know I feel just the opposite. I have never seen so much creativity. When we were growing up, people just had furniture by necessity and homes were not really decorated, they were just well, functional. Now I see young people doing all kinds of things, painting, learning new ways of doing things with what they have, going yard sale and fixing up. I'm so amazed and proud of them for finding something that looks like it could go to the dust bin and they make it into some really great and useful item that is distinctly unique. I've seen them make an ugly place into an amazing abode that just says so much about them. Even people who had never had any training learned how to faux paint or stencil (not the ugly stuff or bunnies or ducks but sophisticated patterns) wallpaper like motifs that look really great. In my mom's day they never did stuff like that or even thought of it. The odd person here and there did but were often thought of as eccentric! I don't see too many cookie cutter PB houses around here, some will incorporate pieces here and there and I do love some of their accessories such as the pewter or faux silver pieces and some of the mirrors and bedding, pillows. There is no doubt that TV is what changed the world. You can view the same programs around the world and people are so easily influenced by it. But I don't feel there is a hard line about what furnishings are in or out. I think cookie cutter neighborhoods are the result of builders coming in and throwing up a bunch of homes all at once. It's cheaper for them and less risky to stick with something they have had success with, they don't really care, they just want to sell them. I do lament the feeling that no matter where you go you could be anywhere with the malls all being the same, this holds true around the world actually. It's surreal to be overseas and see the same things in their malls! The one class I wish they would bring back to high schools is Home Economics. I learned to sew, design and cook, grocery plan and shop and how to write a check and balance a check book, etc., in home ec. Those are the things that helped me the most once I was out of my parents home and living in my own apartment going to college. Of course the core curriculum of the math and sciences did too but the practical truth of home ec really saved me. My high school was pretty good looking back on it even though it was a small town and county school. We had languages, art, art history, literature, writing, phys ed, Latin, speech, drama and home economics ~a lot of these things have gone by the wayside to make way for the almighty computer classes which I will never understand because you could teach computer in an afternoon. I will never understand all this emphasis on computer literacy especially since it becomes outdated so quickly. To actually think of giving up cursive writing classes because they don't have time for it? How is that possible? I'm sure it is frustrating for teachers as well.

jjpeace, and anyone interested my first 3 Pomponella from Palatine where huge for my zone also. Buy the 3rd year many thick canes would reach over the top of my head ( 5'5" ) then fountain out making her anywhere from 8 to 12 feet across. The grafts eventually rotted out. She had gone own root so I was able to save a good hunk of her own root and replanted else where. She's making a come back as an own root. I also planted a new one from Palatine just in case. hcarnevale, I really miss those beautiful blooms. Yours is gorgeous. Bonnie I don't think I've ever seen a warm zone photo of Pomponella but I have visions of a disappearing home.