"Unfortunately, the system encourages hostility/resentment by those who feel they are due more, as the OP, and those who feel they are charged with paying too much, likely as the OP's ex" Here's the problem, in my situation: BD has no idea what the costs of raising a child are. Nor does he care. When we were married, we started off with a joint checking account. He didn't like that because he didn't want me spending HIS money (although it really is OUR money). So he decided to divide up the bills. He paid house, car and groceries. I paid all other bills including ALL expenses for our DS. If I ever ran short, I would just ask him to pay or buy whatever the difference was. He liked that better because he had control over his money. But what happened is that he got a very skewed version of what our household costs were. So now, he doesn't see the CS as support for his son. He sees the CS as the Ashley bill; much like the electric bill or the water bill. He flat told me this "You know, now that child support is raised I don't have to help you with sports costs anymore". I said "whatever". So he thinks that his $90 a year he paid in sports costs made up for his not paying the correct amount of support for 4 years. I'm not hostile at all. And the "system" didn't cause my resentment. I was resentful before the "system" was ever involved. It has always been his view that I take care of all DS's expenses. The difference before was that he was paying for food, shelter and transportation. Have you ever been so broke that you had to sit down with your bills and figure out which ones are urgent to pay and which ones can be put off until next month? I have. Well, BD does that with the Ashley bill. When he's broke or out of work (like right now) or moving or whataever, he decides that the Ashley bill can be put off until next month. Because he doesn't see it as supporting for his son. So he missed his May payment. By that time, he had been out of work for 3 months. I was actually very impressed that May was the first payment he had fully missed. He had only paid partial in March. So, I called the AG and asked about the procedures when a person loses their job. Basically, they don't garnish unemployment until a payment is missed. Okay, that's cool. But they also don't charge interest until a full month's payment is missed. So, basically, if he makes his June payment on time, there are no penalties. That makes no sense. So it's as if he never missed May's payment at all. I'm not out for penalizing him, but where is the incentive to make the payment ontime? I bet he makes his credit card bills ontime. BTW, gini, thank you for correcting my mistake on the calculations. I knew that was the right way to do it, but I was trying to get a quick number and figured it up that way.

Wow Bigbird, I'm guessiing you're not in balmy Ontario! I'm in Kamloops BC and we've already had more cold days than last winter already - and double digit minus temps are forecast for the next few days yet.... Thanks for point out the thirty minute thing, which I was going to - I'm not doing it for comfort, we're not even using both vehicles every day, it's more for protection. My truck's cooland was replaced last may and was supposed to be good to -45C but when I tested it myself it read more like -15 C (I don't know if there's a trick to testing I don't know) - I want to replace a couple of hoses that leaked (ok after tightening clamps) when it first went cold and I'm not working right now, so can't afford to do anything right now, so am just trying to keep it safe for now. I've been running it on a timer, 15 mins on 45 off (I can select as many on/off events I want) just to keep it ticking over, I suppose if I was going out in the morning I could set it to come on continuous for a bit, but at the moment I'm leaving the heater on 100% for safety. Bigbird, I doubt your vehicle is affected by windchill, since that's related to evaporation and therefore more related to skin temp, however, -36 is close enough to the -45 I know most antifreeze is only good for, so I'd' say you're smart to play it safe. Can you plug in at work? My garage stays above freezing usually, thanks to the dryer vent duct running through there (free heat) plus leakage from the house, and residual heat from the car, unfortunately all our stuff from Australia arrived - well, it's unfortunate since all the boxes are filling up the garage and there's no room for the car - it was fabulous having a (relatively) warm car to get into in the morning, I'm sure my wife is missing that! We also probably get some heat from the bedroom above the garage, the floor in the bedroom has been feeling pretty cold. I'm wondering if the floor/ceiling's insulated or not - garage ceiling's clad in plywood which I doubt is wise (or legal) and I was going to put drywall over it, but I'm wondering if I should pull the ply off and check for insulation, or drill some holes in and place expanding foam, or just put battens over it and sheet foam insulation, then drywall. Only downside I can see is garage will lose some of its default heating, but floor in master b/r will feel a little nicer. Mark, have you considered putting a battery heater in your car? They're not too expensive, I've seen them in places like Canadian tire. Given the conditions you're experiencing, might be a good idea.

there is a plant propogation book i have wherein the author describes his own mist system. that author has a large black coil of hose in the roof of his greenhouse so that water can be heated before reaching the mist nozzles. that's at least one vote for using warm water and keeping the cuttings reasonably warm as they root. just thought i would toss that in! lol. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted by: mosaic z8 LA (My Page) on Sun, May 11, 03 at 11:59 With such a setup you could probably root roses under mist all winter here in Louisiana. And then as an added bonus, you could save on your power bills all summer by using it to steam your veggies :) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted by: tammyinwv z6/WV (My Page) on Sun, May 11, 03 at 16:05 i have been unable to find the mist heads even within an hr from my home.Someone mentioned here they found them for .50 each.would anyone be willing to get me a couple and mail them? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted by: wild_garden virginia z6b (My Page) on Sun, May 11, 03 at 16:32 at my lowes store the mist heads where in the indoor gardening area next to the register, i doubt the people at lowes would have even know what to look for. it was with the drip irrigation supplies, as i said in the indoor gardening area next to the big outdoor area where they sell trees and things. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mist heads supply source Posted by: RoseHawke 7b AL (My Page) on Mon, May 12, 03 at 10:37 For you folks that haven't been able to find the heads locally, try going to this site: Dripworks or here's a direct link to one of the pages with some heads:Misters . I just a couple of weeks ago ordered some irrigation supplies from them and received them quite quickly. About 4 days if I remember correctly. Haven't had a chance to put it together yet, which is probably just as well as the flood we had last week would've probably washed everything down the creek ;-). I also have the Melnor timer, and it does seem a bit confusing about its ability to do a mist cycle, but what you're doing is programing it to do one cycle (on in the am; off in the pm) and punching in a choice of watering pattern, in this case the off for 10" on for 2" pattern. I believe the idea behind the pattern was/is actually to help prevent water run-off when doing overhead watering by allowing the water to soak in between the on phases. I bought this particular timer though because when I looked at it my mind said "Ah! Mist!" (heh), even though the reason I bought it at the time was to keep a new patch of zoysia sod watered until it rooted in. My batteries did last all season last year, but it was only opening that valve 4x a day for 3 weeks, and then 1x every 4 days for a couple of months. I can see where a misting pattern of opening and closing that valve many times during the day may eat batteries, but as ShamanSherpa pointed out, it's still cheaper than a $100+ misting timer! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted by: patclem z7 (or 6) TN (My Page) on Fri, May 23, 03 at 8:32 Regardless of how much water it wastes, etc, I decided to experiment with misting. I am TERRIBLE at rooting cuttings. I've tried baggies. I've tried jars. I've tried special cutting trays with plastic domes. I've had one rooted cutting out of probably 50. I had the same problem finding true super-fine mist systems in the south. None at Lowe's, none at HD. They're not popular here because they don't have the same evaporating effect they have in less humid areas of the country - they make you wet here. Here's where I found mist heads. They didn't charge me anything for shipping. They were super-good to deal with online. Web Page - Phone/Fax 888-693-0578 Local/Fax (719) 495-2266 Qty: 4; Sku: 6W401; Product: Monarch Misting Nozzles M-1; Amount: $7.40 Qty: 4; Sku: 6W519; Product: Reducing Tee for Monarch Misting Nozzles; Amount: $4.40 You have to go to Lowe's or local hardware store and get a hose adapter, timers, 1/2" PVC, PVC caps, etc. I have mine set up with 2 mist heads, and about a 6' diameter section of my grass is soaked! I don't have mine on a timer yet. Results? I don't have any yet, except none of my cuttings have turned black yet. PS - I AM NOT AFFILIATED WITH THIS BUSINESS IN ANY WAY! Here is a link that might be useful: Mist Heads -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted by: fuselighter 7/WA (My Page) on Thu, May 29, 03 at 21:41 I am so excited about the misting bed. I went out and bought all the supplies today. Total cost was about $15 (my husband had PVC and elbows left over from installing the sprinkler system). I would like to go to an intermittent system eventually, but for now I am going with continuous. The water bill is not an issue because we have an irrigation system (there is an annual fee but it is not based on usage). I set the whole thing up in about an hour. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted by: debbinard Z4CO (My Page) on Sun, Jun 1, 03 at 10:54 Shamansherpa -- I could not open your picture! I live in Colorado, it gets very warm middle of June (up to upper 90's) and stays low humidity. We are on outsidewater restrictions 2xweek, so I'm not sure this method would fly. Am wondering how visible this is, or if inside is an option under lights. At any rate, I would like to propigate some rose cuttings now (is this a good time?) My daughter in law is moving and would love some plants from a rose with sentimental value. Is the rooting hormone used just the usual or special for roses? Thanks Deb -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted by: mytrid Zone8b Florida (My Page) on Sun, Jun 1, 03 at 13:48 Deb, Maybe you could call your water extention office and see if you can get special permission, exsplain to them how little water it uses. Yes you use rooting hormone, there are many available. Dip and grow I here is supposed to be really good. I got some of the more exspensive stuff from a friend whom bought it threw rose imporium on line. But you can always use something like dip and grow. Deanna -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted by: rose_enthusiast z7 TX. (My Page) on Sun, Jun 1, 03 at 15:47 Hi there Deanna! It seems to me you've managed to help a lot of people with your invaluable info. And I would like to thank you for inspiring me to start a misting bed to root my cuttings. I have one question to add to the many others you've been getting though... What rose company is it that you get your rooting hormone from? Is it Rose Emporium or the Antique Rose Emporium? I would like to purchase this product as well, since you and this company are using this to successfully root your cuttings. Thanks Again, Carlos -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted by: mytrid Zone8b Florida (My Page) on Tue, Jun 3, 03 at 1:31 Carlos, Thank you but we should all thank AngieAnders, she is the one who did all the research and work to discover this method and then post it here for us last year! She truly diserves all the credit. I just wanted to keep any new people aware that have just started rooting this year. Best of luck all and don't forget to post your sucess! Deanna -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted by: epiphany z5b PA (My Page) on Tue, Jun 3, 03 at 9:28 I found the Arizona Mist system which is by Orbit as mentioned at Wal-Mart. It has 12' of tubing, end cap, six misting heads and hose adapter for $14.95. Of course, it is once again cold and wet here,......all of a balmy 56°. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted by: auntnana 6 TN (My Page) on Thu, Jun 5, 03 at 13:06 I ordered the misting heads mentioned above from Dripworks last year and they don't put out a fine mist as much as they do a fine spray/droplets. And even though I had a pressure regulator on there, I kept having a problem with the heads blowing off! (Their drippers work perfectly by the way so it's nothing against the company) I ordered foggers from Misty Mate this year and they put out a super fine fog. Perfect for propagation. They are a litte more expensive than the ones from Dripworks but worth it. And if you ask they will ship the misting heads for $1.50. I went to HD and bought a 10-24 tap and drill set (3.00) and drilled holes in my 1/2" cvpvc and the heads just screwed right in! I bought a Melnor timer at HD for $39 and it has 1 minute spray options so I've got it set for 1 minute every 10 minutes. Can't remember the model number but it's not the one on the HD website. I hope to finish my new propagation box soon. I built one on a stand this year so I can move it around easily. Wouldn't you know, HD has plastic sheeting made just for greenhouses that I used! It's not the real thick heavy stuff either. It's only 4mil and is crystal clear see-thru! Hopefully I'll be finished this week!

So Cal here-were quoted for approximately 12 K after asbestos abatement (house is late sixities), and without moving plumbing around, and not counting finishes(tile, etcetera), and without expanding, on a small hall bathroom (say 36 vanity, toilet, shower/tub combo) So pure labor cost without moving plumbing around or materials included. So i believe minimum 30 K sounds about right in your case..but does depend on where you live, how old is the house, etc. Also on what finishes you choose, of course.