There are a few good sources for native orchids, one is Vermont Ladyslipper Co (www.vtladyslipper.com). It is virtually impossible for the average gardener to grow these plants from seeds, since there must be a certain fungus in the soil that helps them geminate and grow. Your best chances are with a company like this one that RESPONSIBLY propagates and grows native orchids. Please beware that some plants offered for sale have been dug from the wild, a practice that is often illegal, jeopadizes their long-term survival in the wild, and provides you with plants that will most likely die in your garden, since they cannot adjust to being uprooted and transplanted. Good luck! Bruce

The item in question was at Christopher & Banks - and it was only one item. Everything else was made in China. I wouldn't jump to any conclusion that it was better quality though. I actually thought it was kind of flimsy which is why I looked at where it was made. I think quality is probably determined by the company that contracts with the supplier - they provide the specfications and determine what cost they're willing to pay for production. I bought another sweater yesterday that was made in China and the quality was much better in my opinion. It was a higher end brand though. I think we get cheap quality because consumers want cheap prices. I'd been looking for a very high quality winter coat for years - wanted quality similar to a coat I bought about 30 years ago. I looked and looked and thought I'd never find one. Finally I looked in a kind of expensive store that was having an end of season sale and found exactly what I was looking for. Normal list price was far more than I could ever bring myself to pay for a coat. At end of season closeout I still paid about twice as much as the last crummy coat I bought but a great value for the luxurious fabric and high quality construction.

My comp quit working and I finally got a new one. When we lived in Bismarck one of my DD friends won a trip for 4 to the MOA. The kids were about 9 years old. It had to be taken before school started and I was the only parent that could take them. I had only driven in Minneapolis one time before and I was following my husband then. One of the kids had an Aunt and Uncle who lived down there and he helped guide me a little bit. There were 2 girls and 2 boys who went. The package included 2 night stay in a Double Tree Inn, tickets to Camp Snoopy, tickets for the Aquarium and food at the Rain Tree Forest Cafe. I can't remember if there was anything else. I know this isn't very nice but I let the kids do anything they wanted at the hotel. The first thing one kid did when we got there was spill a bag of chips on the floor. We kind of made a disaster out of the room. The kids had a lot of fun. When we went to Camp Snoopy it was on the last day and I knew I had to drive the 400+ miles back to Bismarck and I was tired. I layed down on one of the benches and went to sleep. One of the security guards came over and asked me if I was OK. The kids got a laugh out of that. All in all we had a good time.

Malls are definitely not on their way out around me, in suburban DC/Baltimore. Where I live, in a large tourist town, we have our downtown/Main Street shopping district with its touristy shops, boutiques and restaurants. Unfortunately high rents and parking issues mean lots of turnover and some businesses fleeing to our huge mall a few miles away, as well as a Towne Center (funny it's called that b/c it's not the center of town!) just down the road from the mall and an additional large strip mall another few blocks from there. Our mall has been around since my childhood and has expanded several times in the last 30 years. The anchor stores are Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor, JCP, Macy's and Sears. It also includes Crate and Barrel and all three Pottery Barns. I almost never go to the mall though my teenagers do. Not to hang out - my dd17 loves to shop and ds16 will meet friends for a movie. Our Towne Center is huge as well with a high rise high end condo complex as well as Whole Foods, Target and stores like lulu lemon, and Anthropologie and numerous restaurants. Kohl's is a stand alone store across the road from there, then TJ MAXX is at another strip mall across from the Towne Center. A couple of blocks from these shopping areas is yet another large strip mall with Nordstrom Rack, Barnes and Noble, Fresh Market and a movie theater as its anchor stores. I used to love shopping but since having kids, it's more of a burden. When I do shop, I tend to hit the strip malls rather than the huge mall b/c I typically just want to go to one or two stores and then flee. ;). I rarely buy shoes or clothes online b/c I need to try them on first. I will if I already have the item and just want a replacement, or it's something where I know the fit won't be an issue. I do often buy my kids clothes online, esp my boys. I do use Amazon Prime but not really for clothes or shoes. I also try to buy from locally owned stores as much as I can. But all that said, I don't see our mall going belly up anytime soon. Our anchor stores never seem to be the ones to close when retailers announce they are closing some of their locations.