Steve, you should push it to the corner of your driveway, so I can have it, then you can go out and buy a brand new mower! JUST KIDDIN'! Congrats on your mower! Is it your first LB? There are several LB fans here that wouldn't trade them or sell them off for anything, especially now since they're no longer made. It's amazing how well a 30 year old mower can still run and handle,almost like it's 3 years old! Like Walt said, those years had an aluminum tag riveted to the deck usually between the rear wheels. Later on, they used an aluminum backed sticker tags sometimes towards the right rear wheel, and some on the left side back at the rear wheel. Unless the deck had been reconditioned, those tags generally will still be visible. I'm actually getting ready to totally recondition one of mine with all new engine parts and powder coating the deck, new wheels etc. All my other LB's ran forever and well enough never for me really get the desire to do this, just something to do! This mower will no doubt be around long enough for me to end my mowing chores as an old man.

Hi Lilyfinch, Yes that Mexican Shell Flower is a sight to see,..it does multiply to more than double the following season,..they are by no means a small bloom as my smallest are 4 inches wide and the large ones 6 inches,..i collected the seeds last year and have seedlings just now as well as the mature plants,..the only drawback is that the bloom only lasts for a day however next morning there will be more blooms,..i have red,..yellow and pink just now but they have produced cross blooms. Keep daydreaming about where you will plant your new beauties,..gardeners dream a lot,..smile. =============================================== Hi midnightsmum, Ah so you were also smitten with the Mexican Shell Flower,..now you can understand my longing to have some. I will check my seed collection for yourself and Lilyfinch,..i am sure i have some left as i gave away quite a good few at the start of Spring. About your Hollyhocks,..it is said they grow in almost any soil,..i grow them myself from seeds and sow the seeds outside in late Autumn just before the frost arrives,..they do thrive on moist rich soil and a sunny location,..i also use Miracle Grow and a must is to spray the leaves with fungicide to prevent hollyhock rust which is airborne,..i will keep my fingers crossed for you with your Butterfly Bush. Philip

I have never had a subscription to a cooking magazine - the only subscription I did have was to Illuminatrice, an Italian lighting magazine, and that was at work. The only magazines that I buy at the newsstand are Italian design magazines, some of which are quite expensive (I used to buy men's Italian fashion magazines, when I was more fashionable), and I have saved every one of them. I also buy Architectural Digest, Interiors, Veranda, etc. when they publish photos of my furniture designs, and I keep these also. My old magazine collection takes up one shelf in my garage, and I do refer to the Italian magazines from time to time for inspiration. I do collect clutter, but books and magazines are not part of that. I have one shelf of cookbooks in the hall next to the kitchen. I once bought a magazine on Feng Shui, but I decided that the magazine was clutter and got rid of it. I spent last week-end trying to declutter my bedroom because I also bought a new mattress that will be delivered tomorrow, and I want my room to look nice. Yesterday I made a runner with the fabric left over from making new drapes for my bedroom (to be able to block out light) and put it on the wide dresser beside my bed. The dresser on the other side of my bed has a runner I made from fabric left over from when I made my bedspread. I find that decorating or trying to coordinate rooms helps me get rid of clutter. However, I did put a bunch of books on the wide dresser using bookends. I don't have room for another bookcase. If I need to get more books, I will get rid of old ones that I have. Lately I have been buying and reading books on Anthropology and early human evolution. I read them at night to help me get to sleep, and so it takes a while to get through them. I cannot stand to watch Hoarders, but I will watch Clean House if I need inspiration to declutter. Making my house and yards look as beautiful as possible is one of my top priorities, and this helps me let go of clutter. I haven't gotten rid of it altogether, however, and so I think it is an on-going process. I have a hard time getting rid of old clothes that no longer fit, and I am convinced that sometime in the near future, they will fit again. Anyway, that is my goal. They may be terribly out of style or inappropriate by that time, however. Getting rid of old clothes is my biggest problem. One of the things I came across yesterday while decluttering was a printout from a Cooking Forum thread from 2005 that I started asking what was in everyone's freezer. It included a post by Ann_T on pitahaya (I happened to have some in my freezer at the time) that she had copied and pasted, bad Google translation and all. The translation was hysterically funny. Lars

LOL mxk. That's exactly why I went with a redbud instead of another oak when I lost my beautiful oak tree. I figured I'd never live to see the oak! But what size are you looking for? If you are looking for a really big tree, that WILL be pricey, no? Especially a slow-growing one - those things are always more expensive! And you'd have to find it locally because it can't be delivered cross country. The redbud I got was 5 feet tall, and $150, to give you some reference. I was happy, but I realize it's a lot faster grower than a maple. :) Dee P.S. just re-read your original post and saw your second question. Yes! I believe I started a quest yesterday lol, for a tall, white-blooming rhodie hardy in zone 6. Every time I found one that sounded good, I couldn't find it anywhere! A winter project, I suppose.... :)