Hi Dan, The figures I have so far are this from their email: "Costs involved in exporting to Canada (or anywhere else) are high. Quarantine costs here would cost about $160.00 plus courier costs to AQIS for inspection about $120.00 and also export certificate about $100.00. These are approx figures but wouldn't be far out." That's more than $400 (canadian) and it doesn't include shipping yet, a figure that I should get sometime soon with more precision, so far I only have a very rough idea that tells me that the additional costs per bulb would be around $10 more than listed on their site (including all fees). I haven't had a look at their other stuff since I'm after hippeastrum only and found they had some cultivar not seen anywhere or different enough from the ones we know well, enough to be of interest, to me anyway, and may be to several other persons. I fully understand though that they may not be of interrest to many peoples, for all kind of reasons: not different enough, costs, etc. I suppose that if anyone wants anything very rare, he/she must find that one special dealer that has these items, establish a particular relationship in order to gain access to that treasure. At least, that's what I used to do when I was importing orchids for myself or for group orders similar to what I'm trying to do with this order. Say Dan, have you ordered from Maguire before or was it only from somewhere else in this country? If you have ordered from them, would you mind sharing what was your experience with them? They seem very reliable and Veronica Read only has good words for them in her book. Thank you for sharing that information Dan, and if anyone else has more to add, they are more than welcomed to do it. Laurier

I absolutely remember going to neighbors to borrow a cup of sugar on occasion. I also have a clear memory of playing in the backyard as a child, while my mother hung clothes on the line and chatted over the chain link fence with the woman who lived behind us. Times really have changed, though. We know the neighbors on either side of us, and have a passing acquaintance with another couple of neighbors down the block - but I have no idea who lives across from us. If they were to walk in front of me right now, I wouldn't recognize them. Sometimes I wish we knew our neighbors better, but DH and I are at heart very insular at home. We do have a very active neighborhood - lots of folks out walking dogs, exercising, strolling - so there is ample opportunity to get to know folks ... I guess we just don't take the time to do so.

Thanks everyone. Debrak...I have a similar problem with laminate. The house we are renting while the house is finished has laminate that has shown water damage and is swollen like that. Every time you lean against the sink, particles from underneath the counter will be left on your shirt. I realize it is old and maybe just needs replaced, but it has made laminate way less appealing. The mistake I made in all of this was to go shopping for granite before ever looking at laminate. I picked the granite that I thought would look best with my floors and cabinets....then when i thought I could save some money by using laminate, I decided to go shopping for the laminate. The problem that I kept having was that I was looking for a laminate with the same color background as the granite. I could never find a beige in laminate that didn't look peachy or pink against my beige walls. Then when I realized I was not going to save any money using laminate, it seemed a no brainer to me also. Senator13 I def. like the granite better. If I had really picked the laminate I liked best, instead of trying to pick what was most affordable...it would have been even more expensive than the granite that I liked best. Long story short....they installed the soft giallo ornamental yesterday. I am happy with my decision. Not because I am really that "granite centered", but it really was what I liked best color wise. I am however...not doing granite in the laundry room. It was going to require a whole slab more and cost almost as much as the kitchen and 2 baths. Laminate will be put in there. So I guess I am doing both. Had we been more "handy" and felt comfortable DIY...laminate could have saved us quite a bit...but diy's we are not, unfortunately:(

Back when we planned our 2001 house, I haunted GW constantly. That time I learned about the value of lots of drawers and got the courage to do a white kitchen. This time, I decided on drawers and a white kitchen on my own! But I wouldn't have known about Never MT, Silgranit sinks or plugmolds, all of which I used -- the plugmold at the end of the island where a conventional plug would have been unsightly. Just recently, Bob_cville showed his Lee Valley clips for drawer dividers -- I'd seen them in the catalog but he showed how well they work, so they're on order. I saw many examples of pulled-forward sinks, and incorporated that in both sink run and the server on the opposite wall. I have a trash pullout and will eventually install a foot pedal. The cabinet folks dropped the ball on that. I used GWer's experiences, both good and bad, to guide my applaince selection. I "borrowed" the courage to confront when things weren't quite right. Without your example, I would probably have let some things go by. More importantly, maybe, has been the raised awareness level about so many things. I learned to be there if possible during four critical days: Cabinet install, countertop templating, countertop install, and appliance install. I'm retired, but if I were working, I'd take vacation days to cover those times! I can't believe how many little questions I answered! And, to be frank, there are a lot of things that I could see "in person" and say, "Very nice -- but I don't think that's for me!!" What a big help that's been in decision-making!! I've enjoyed each and every kitchen that's been shared, and really appreciated the time y'all have spent posting. We're moving in before May 1, so one of these days I'll have pics to share!!