Re: the rototiller, it was (well he didn't say, but I think it was $325 or so)...cheaper than renting, if you think about it, we have spent at least $75 a year renting the big beast from the rental place, and had to hork it into and out of our van, and use it ALL DAY LONG in order to 'get our money worth' and of course, he didn't do something quite right and I had to live with it (and it was too big for me to use)...this one is about 1/2 the size (but still much bigger than a mini-tiller). I told him, "this is something we will use for the rest of our lives, don't skimp!" He seemed pleased with himself, he's probably the only man in the world who doesn't like grass, doesn't like to mow, so he's perfectly happy to tear out as much of the lawn as I can fill up with WS stuff!

Dear: I don't know how religious you are, but even The God of the Bible had His limits. He would give a person, a family/tribe, or a Nation so many chances and then turn them lose to follow after their own way. In the 1980's a wave of personal responsibility went through the US encouraging parents of "children" with addictions, habits, or irresponsibility to mature-up/harden -up/straighten-up and let the individual pursue their lifestyle choices far enough away that their choices were no longer a concern in the mature person's daily life routine. It was called the "Tough Love" movement. Alcoholics Anonymous has a term called an ENABLER. This means you are making it easier for a person to continue in their bad choices, by protecting their health/safety more then they themselves does, covering for them to others, making excuses for their behavior, and providing a safe/comfortable place for them to practice their unhealthy choices. You might have slipped from helping to Enabling. The only way to stop being an Enabler is to follow the age old practice of "Tough Love". Then you can begin to live your life. There are better plans in life for you then to be an Enabler. I've grown up hearing the old saying: Life can not work on the person inside until the people outside let them stand on their own. It's time to stop fixing someone's life who refuses to fix their own and time to start living yours Hope you love the one who stands beside you more then you do the one who drags you down.

Sharon, Since I just got my Nikon D50 last month, I can assure you I was in the same boat! I had been using a Fuji point and shoot, but wanted more. The good news is that the automatic mode on my camera is easier to use than the old point and shoot camera. I was able to take great pictures the first day, even though I didn't know much about my camera. And, those first day pictures were of better quality than anything I had taken before. The colors were much more accurate. The camera did a much better job of keeping light colored objects from being overexposed. I was able to enlarge pictures without them becoming grainy. Knowing that you can take great pictures on auto mode, takes the pressure off. I will slowly work on the other modes, beginning with aperature priority. So, get out there and start shooting! We are waiting.

Like Alisande, I only see one about once a year...just passing through. I put out a lot of bird seed. I put black oil sunflower seeds in the feeders in the yard and I get a free mix that is a lot of milo and some sunflower seeds donated to me by Walmart, and I put it out along the driveway for the doves. It is so dry here. Right now I have 5 bird baths in the lower part of my yard, which is only about 1/2 acre big, but ran the horse water troughs over yesterday, and couldn't believe all the doves down there bathing. I guess I'm fortunate. I see sparrows in town, but out here in the country, we don't have them. Bluebirds can be seen in this area...supposedly, but the only time I ever saw them, was a pair in the yard of the old man that I look after a couple of towns over, and he couldn't have cared less. That was a few years ago. Now he has a pair of hawks nesting in a tree right out his door, and I can't even get him to walk to the door to look out at them.