I think if you read my message in it's entirety you would understand that this suggestion is an alternative to Phillip Hollsworth’s idea to not buying gas on a certain day. One that “makes much more since” Perhaps I should have made my point clear that, In my opinion, one should only buy gas from their local chains and small mom and pop stores rather then the big companies like Exxon. Yes, it is a bit lofty to think that the price of gas will go down to $1.50 a gallon . And yes I know I cannot do anything about the cost gas companies pay for their oil. However it IS in the power of the consumer to influence the cost WE pay for gas. If it became a popular and wildly practiced trend for Americans to purchase their gas from small chains then the big guys would be forced to lower their prices in a desperate attempt to gain back business. And at the very least we would be putting money back into local economies. Something most Americans do not think about and is a very real problem in our country. As a resident of Maryland who currently lives in Annapoils but has spent most of her life in the Baltimore metro area I am very aware of the mass transit system. And forgive me if there my husband doesn’t walk the 50 miles it takes for him to get to work In the DC metro area. And no there is no direct line of public transit from Annapolis to DC or is their a proposal for one (it was denied about 10 years ago) For him to take the bus to the train to another bus would be 4 hours out of his life a day. And yes he is on a carpool list waiting for others going his particular route matching his schedule. While public transportation is great for some it is not a practical option for everyone. Especially those in the Baltimore/ DC metro area. I will not take my 5 year old daughter and 2 year old son to the bus stop in Annapolis. I have been held up a gun point. I find it insulting that you would write a post such as yours without even reading mine. Perhaps it is my fault for simply reposting another’s bulletin. But I found the information worthwhile and something comparable to my beliefs. Despite the fast that it was not written in the most concise way I figured the members of this forum would also appreciate it. Perhaps it is something that would make complete sense to the people here. Something that they just haven’t thought about before? Who wouldn’t want to support small businesses? Who doesn’t want cheaper gas? Who wouldn’t want more money going back into their community? Money that they need to spend anyway. Gas is a necessary commodity. We can do what we can to reduce our reliance on it but the need will not go away. I know many people (especially those here) would rather buy goods from mom and pop stores. May people don’t because we cant afford it when the big box stores sell things so much cheaper. How often it is that something we need and want is actually cheaper from a small chain!? I know this post may be a little long to read but perhaps you will do more then just skim it through ? Respectfully, Annette

I know I would not mind if I were the dad in your situation to be taken to the store and told to pick out the trimmer I wanted. I would ask how much is set aside and go from there. If that is not possible than a certificate saying pick a trimmer of your choice and let's buy it today. Some possibilities to avoid the dreaded "that is not the one I wanted" scenario" :). All good questions above. Price will determine alot. I think the best all around trimmer/brushcutters are in the $3-400 range with $400 being high. You can get a really nice trimmer in the $200 range though. It is really a question of what exactly is needed and how much you want to spend. Your dad may have a preference for makers. I personally like the Stihl and Echo for ease of availability. The Kawasaki's I know nothing about and I stay away from currentl Homelite products although the older Homelite equipment was really good from what I have read. How old or how to spot them I don't know. I prefer straight shaft and a good harness. Cutting heads can be a personal preference. I like the bump and go, some like the quick insert and some like the fixed plastic blades. At the 3-400 price level, I am not concerned about the 2 vs 4-mix debate. The 4-mix's are young but have good reviews so far. Your dad could probably do okay with a good consumer grade trimmer with a flexible shaft. A solid shaft will be more expensive but will better handle brushcutting. I don't have much need for attachments but they make the units more expensive. I did the "cost analysis" of those models and it seemed that they did not pay for themselves until you bought 3 useful attachments. I could see the mini-tiller but an edger was really not necessary for me. A pole saw, maybe. Just little things that I could not really get alot of use from. All really good questions. Alot of the answers will be personal preference. Best of luck with getting your dad to smile on his bday.

My husband wanted to buy me a kindle for christmas and I said noooooo I have too many hard copy books I have not read yet. He said that is the point, maybe we could get into the guests bedrooms. Nooo, I said, I want to keep my books, what if the kindle malfunctioned and I lost all my books that I downloaded? Anyway he bought himself a kindle, but he did not get rid of his hardcopy books..but seriously Could that possibly happen, you loose your downloaded copy of books on kindle? I have over 521 books that have been catagorized, so far that have been counted and catagorized. That was several years ago. We have built in book shelves in both guest rooms for mine and my husbands books, plus the books our children left behind...if we both bought a kindle a piece do you think someone would be interested in these books? or just good for kindling? Who would you suggest we call?

I follow this consignment shop on Facebook. I love this sofa but I would have to redo my entire house - and the problem with that would be what? Having an afternoon nap on that or curling up with a book looks like it would be really easy to do.