Jen, some of the best books are available used, at VERY reasonable prices. Search ABEbooks . . . I HIGHLY recommend Mrs. Keays book. It's one of the books I keep closest to my hand. "OLD ROSES." Everyone ought to have a copy of "A BOOK ABOUT ROSES" by Dean Hole. (You can find this VERY inexpensively, because it ran to so many editions.) For the sheer romance of the thing, look for "IN SEARCH OF LOST ROSES" by Thomas Christopher. (Just don't take everything he writes as gospel.) For warm-climate gardeners, the new book on Tea Roses is an essential. It's "TEA ROSES: Old Roses For Warm Gardens." AND "NOISETTE ROSES: 19TH CENTURY CHARLESTON'S GIFT TO THE WORLD" See if you can find a copy of "LANDSCAPING WITH ANTIQUE ROSES," Druitt & Shoup. That was my Bible, starting out. Of course, there are many more. That's just a start. I have Austins and Beales big books, but they are British-Centric. They don't apply well to Southern CA, so they are banished these days to the less-accessible bookshelves. Jeri

I am a secret tacky-Christmas-letter lover. When we get one where all the writer does is brag, I laugh and find it entertaining. Also feel a little pity for the poor souls who are in such denial of the real world. I really do enjoy hearing about people's lives. Some friends of my husband (people I have never met) send letters and now I feel I know them personally. We started writing one about 6 years ago when we had a disaster home problem (broke in half, condemned. sorry wrong forum) and everyone wanted to know every year how it, and the law suit was progressing. I got so tired of writing all the details over and over (especially because I have arthritis in my hands) so I just typed it all up, added a little info on our work, told about the dog's activities and sent it on. The first year, I changed the name at top and added a personalized paragraph, but since I print it out at work (sshhh) and use fancy Hallmark paper, it was taking up a lot of time. So now I do the tacky-Christmas-form-letter and hand write a small personal note. This way I can go in to work early one day and run them off before anyone knows. I absolutely hate getting a card from someone with just their names written on it. Even worse is the name stamped on it with my name and address typed on a computer label. I feel like I am just a nuisance that people feel need to be taken care of and do it in the quickest, less painful way possible. I am also very busy but start at Halloween and address just 1 or 2 a day. It's easier to add a personalized note when that person is the only one I need to think of that day.

My dad was an avid photographer (I am too), and left me thousands of negatives, prints, and slides from the 1920s to the 1960s. I bought a Canon 9950F scanner, which does a beautiful job on all three. It is no longer manufactured, but this one comes close and costs a lot less: Canon Canoscan 9000F Luckily for me, my dad was far more organized than I. All the negatives, all the slides, and most of the prints were neatly filed. Still, the sheer volume was daunting, as was the fact that I knew nothing about using a photo scanner. As a result, the scanner sat in its unopened box for a couple of years. But once I pushed myself to "just do it," it turned out to be an enjoyable and often exciting task. I've been doing it for about five years, a few at a time. My dad would be amazed to see the technology--and, thanks to the Internet, how many people enjoy seeing his photos. His photos are a legacy, and a valuable one. I'm so lucky to have them, and to be able to hand them on to the next generations. I hope they will feel the same way about my own photography.

I just went to an open house and I got a flyer from them....Here there example that you may want to use: 1st page: Should include address: #### address, city, state, zip code. Then a brief description of the house: EXAMPLE: Beautiful________ in truly " move in condition". This home is __ story w/hardwood, carpet etc... Formal living room and dining room w/ neutral painted walls throughout. Kitchen features include:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.The house has __ bedrooms and __ bathrooms. Master suite has spacious closet space.Finished basement is great for entertaining(or if you have a den or familyroom)Additional amenties include low maintaince lawn, 3 cable jacks,3 high spped internet jacks and a insulated garage. PRICE 2nd page : should have this info. GENERAL INFO: bedrooms:# Bathrooms:# subdivision or neighborhood: name if any PROPERTY INFO: approx. age: # style of house:-- square feet:-- lot dimension: # x # total acres: # INTERIOR INFO: attic: basement type: kitchen: fireplace if any: kitchen fixtures: total rooms: EXTERIOR INFO: porch or deck: UTILITY INFO: central a/c: what type of sewer: what type of heat: SCHOOL SYSTEM: elem. school name: middle name: high school: MISCELLANEOUS INFO: $500 FINDERS BONUS at closingfor a referral that leads...... I hope this help you in any way. Good luck and keep us posted. maria