I suppose that it does become difficult to separate seedlings from their parents if they look more or less identical, even if you want to maintain clonal purity... :-) I hadn't thought that one through. It does seem that there is at least more potential for variation and eventual change in a variety's character through hybridization, even if selfed seedlings always come true. Along those lines, I would have to wonder if Millet's improvements could actually have been the result of hybridization rather than simple genetic variation - I guess we need more graduate students interested in violets to figure it out! At least seed generation probably helps to rid the genome of things like viruses and perhaps phytoplasmas, so it is certainly a good idea for a rather disease-susceptible plant such as the violet to be able to at least produce clonal (or nearly so) seed. If my double violet only could perform this simple task, it wouldn't be in such danger of being lost now! No doubt this is equally a failing in the Parmas, and just one more reason to try our hardest to raise new varieties from seed. Stefan

Slightly OT, but a couple of people were expressing surprise at the difference in food prices in different areas. The thing that always amazes me is how different the food prices can be from store to store, neighborhood to neighborhood. Here in my town, there are 3 major grocery stores and the prices vary wildly among them. There is the Raley's which is sort of the "high tone" store...very clean, attractively maintained, with a foo-foo coffee bar, deli, bakery, hot dish take out counter and even a Japanese lady who comes in and makes fresh sushi. Over priced plants and assorted gifts are available, and there is a satellite bank inside. The meats are sold both in packages and over a butcher/seafood counter. The only time I shop there is if I'm looking for some more exotic ingredient I might not find in the other stores because the prices are outrageous. Then there is the Save Mart, which also has a deli and bakery. The deli carries a few hot items, but is not nearly as varied as the Raley's. It has also recently added a butcher/seafood counter, again not quite as extensive as the Raley's. It also offers plants and a few gifts, though not quite as overpriced. It is clean, not as high tone in decor, the prices are lower than Raley's for the most part, though they have been creeping up. Both of these stores are in the heart of town, on the main drag. Last is a Cost Less Market which is in a run-down looking mini mall that generally has at least 2 storefronts vacant, as you leave town. The store itself is clean enough, it just doesn't look so because everything is old...no remodeling done in quite a few years. The aisles are cramped and crowded, the deli consists of a separate counter that offers a few meats and cheeses other than cheddar, Swiss, American and Jack, and a few breads other than what the bread aisle holds. The cashiers tend to be a bit more "earthy", not as er...urbane...as in the other stores. However, the prices are amazingly lower than in the other two stores on most items. Eggs tend towards a dollar less a dozen, milk as well. Having gone into the Save Mart the other day, I happened to notice that their red potatoes were almost 3 times the price they are at Cost Less, the apples double, and many of their sale price meats are a fair amount more expensive than the Cost Less non-sale prices. I know that some people might go to the first two stores because they want deli or bakery items and then just shop for groceries as well, but for a major grocery trip, the Cost Less isn't more than 5 or 7 minutes away from the other two, certainly worth the trip.

Thanks everyone. When I bought my house in Wauwatosa Wisconsin in 1989 there were lots and lots of challenges, But what drew me to the house was the tree out front and I think the tree in front of this house with the three trees out back are helping balance out the blue countertop and carpeted bathrooms. This was what the tree in Tosa (city's nickname) looked like originally. I had it pruned which I had to do because I had the house trim and gutters painted and put on a new roof and the lower back tree branches were dead. I would be staying here at new place for 13 months or so. Right now the current rental home lease ends on December 31st 2008 but I have to negotiate for more time. If you all were landlords what would you think about the offer of leaving a newer washer and dryer instead of the full rent? I could buy a new set if I ever needed to in the years to come. Or shall I just take them with me and store them in the garage until the next house? Another advantage of the new rental house is that the home has no mortgage so if the owner wants to do improvements he has lots of equity to work with. The new landlord lives in Chicago. I think his mother lived here and he grew up here. There are all these pencil markings with names on a kitchen wall. I think I would take a picture of that wall before I paint and send it to the owner in Chicago. Now I will have to read up on how to take care of orange and lemon trees and when to pick the fruit or see if there is a reasonable tree care company. I do have a guy who comes here and cleans up after the dog in the yard. He comes every 2 weeks for $29 a month. I can have him come once a week for $44. That's an awesome service they have here. It works here because it never snows and hardly rains and the doogie doo dries up super fast. It's like picking up rocks. My daughter reminded me that I love to do projects. I love decorating and fixing stuff up. I will certainly pace myself and not overdo it. But first I have to be accepted by the new landlord. Wish me luck. If I get this place I will take and post interior pictures and take measurements so I can start to figure out where everything goes. Right now it appears that my glass top small kitchen table and 3 leather chairs from Pier One will not fit in the kitchen so I may move them outside. And of course this art piece - where it will go. This will be fun! While my friend in Tosa thinks moving now is too stressful for me, I think it might be just the thing to help keep me creative and focused on more positive things instead of my pain and side effects which will get two-three months from now. Plus by the time I have my surgery in June I should have everything in place. Thank you. Eileen in Phoenix

Hi Caroline! I was going to say I'm going to be brutally honest with you, but there's really no reason to be brutal, is there? :-) I'm not a licensed or certified or degrees interior decorator/designer. But when I first went back to college in 2007, I struggled between interior design or cultural studies as a major, lol! I know it seems incongruous, but like most people, I have more than one interest in life. So I can offer these unofficial credentials. First, I occasionally help a realtor buddy stage homes for her open houses. By her own admission, she has no eye for design, so she calls on me when she has a house where she can't figure out how to make it look its best. Second, I've decorated rooms or entire homes for a lot of friends and relatives. Third, Joy and I are currently writing a book (in our spare time, haha!) on home organization and design. Finally, I would offer that I have a very thick skin. It will not offend me in the least if you hate all my ideas and tell me to go jump in the lake! :-) So herewith are my thoughts. You are free to take them or leave them. 1. As I read your OP and subsequent responses, you are adding more and more and more stuff. You are bound and determined to fill every square inch of space. Space is one of the most important elements of design. Most people can't stand to have an empty space and rush to put a caninet, plants, chairs, etc. wherever they can. Please resist this urge! Fewer items make the house, especially a smaller home, look more spacious. When selling a home, stagers always take out more furniture than they put in. Watch any reveal on HGTV. Lots of space! 2. Since you are calling it a "breakfast nook," I assume that is the purpose you want that area to fulfill. Whenever you are organizing or decorating a room, always be firm in your mind about what the room IS. Then organize/decorate the room around its intended purpose. Do you have another eating area such as a dining room or eat-in kitchen? Do you only eat breakfast in the nook, or do you eat all your meals there? I'm going to proceed as if this is a true breakfast nook. If this is your main or only dining space, you will have to change the name to the dining room and adjust my comments to fit that concept. If you don't know what the room, or area, IS, your decor will always be muddled. 3. If I were staging or decorating your breakfast nook, the first three things I would say absolutely have to be changed are the light fixture, the window treatment, and the paint. And yes, I would most definitely use an area rug. (And NONE of these things need be expensive!) Let me explain: 4. LIGHT FIXTURE: What we are trying to accomplish is that when anybody walks into your home, they immediately see a breakfast nook, not a random table and chairs in a little bump out. The light fixture should be more casual, even whimsical. Colored glass or fabric. Cheery! I love the transom in your front door! Something that plays off of that would be great! If you can afford to have someone move the junction box to be centered over the table, that would be perfect. If not, you could get a fixture that you can swag over to center it over your gorgeous table. 5. WINDOW TREATMENT: I don't have a polite way to say this, but those white miniblinds and wood trim are horrendous. They steal the focus from the star of the room, which should be the table. Miniblinds are OK if you need them either for privacy or to not have the sun in your eyes over breakfast, but get colored ones in a shade that goes with your overall color scheme. AND add light, airy curtains. Cafe curtains are always cute in a breakfast nook, or go to the bottom of the sill, but most definitely NOT floor length. It's a breakfast nook, not a formal dining room. I'd personally go with cafe curtains. 6. PAINT: Remember, we are designating this space as the breakfast nook, and wall color is very important in defining a space. Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with your color choice! It's lovely, actually. So you obviously don't want to go with a completely different color, rather just a shade or two either darker or lighter than the color already there. Painting, especially if you DIY, is the cheapest thing you can do to transform a room. Looking at your second photo, the one with the shower cap tablecloth, lol, I'd paint the three walls of the space. I'd probably go lighter, but a 3/4 shade darker could work IF you have a ton of natural light. 7. WALL ART: While we're at it, let's cheer up those walls! I can't see exactly what that one lonely picture is, but I can see it doesn't go with anything else in the breakfast area. Put something up that's bright, cheery, and makes you grin, even early in the morning at breakfast. :-) Use an odd number (greater than 1) and hang them non-symmetrically. And move the plant out of the nook. 8. LET'S TALK FURNITURE: The table is fabulous!! And you're hiding its light under a bushel, or in this case, a tablecloth, lol! I hear you about your mom and grandmother and tablecloths, but lace tablecloths do not belong in a breakfast nook. If you simply can't function knowing you have a naked table in the house, then go with a short, simple linen cloth. But honestly, the very best look would be just the table with a very simple centerpiece like a stem vase with a rose or a couple of other flowers (good, high quality silk flowers would do). If you simply MUST have the shower cap on when eating breakfast, take it off immediately after breakfast and never, ever, ever let anyone else see it. ;-) You are right about the chairs. They don't look right in that setting. I have huge regard for Lass's opinions, but in this case must respectfully disagree with her. You don't have room for a banquette. And I LOVE banquettes! Go hunt garage sales and antique shops, etc. and find two DIFFERENT chairs in the same shade (or close to) as the table, or that could easily be stained in that general shade. With the more casual feel of a breakfast nook, you don't want to be matchy-matchy. You don't want it to match, but you want it to GO with each other and the table. They don't have to be expensive! People get rid of great furniture all the time, just because it's old! Check CL too. And Freecycle, if you have it. 9. AREA RUG: Last (for now, lol), but not least, I absolutely would do an area rug. Joy and I have one under the kitchen table and don't find it problematic with the chairs, and I'm a total klutz, haha! You want to pick a complementary color and you don't want it to be too fancy and definitely not expensive! We want hubby to be comfortable and not stress about spilling a few bites of cereal, or even strawberry jam! As Chris mentioned (IIRC), get something durable and machine washable. If you go lighter with the wall color, then go darker with the rug (that will help hide spills until next washing too!). Either solid or a very simple, perhaps geometric, pattern. Round could work, oval or square definitely not, but I'd go rectangular. You don't want it to be too big. The chairs shouldn't be able to be comfortably sat in and be all the way on the rug; it's an area rug, not wall to wall carpeting. The area rug is used both to define the space ("Hi! I'm a Breakfast Nook!") and to soften the hardwood surfaces of the table and floor (both of which I love!) So your nook could be whimsical, casual, or understated elegance--it's up to you and the feel of the rest of the house. Whew! That's enough for now. I'll talk about what else could go in there (not much!) next time. And maybe about your entrance. I truly hope you know that I'm saying all this in an effort to be helpful and NOT to criticize your home, which I think is lovely and has major potential and a lot going for it!! I would never want to offend you or imply that I know more about your home than you do. Sometimes I see a space and just immediately see a vision of what it could be. But my vision isn't necessarily your vision. I definitely have my own biases, as we all do, when it comes to what decor and feel we want for our homes. In a few days I'll post reveal pics of my kitchen "refresh" that I'm in the middle of right now. You might HATE it, haha! And I won't be offended in the least. Different strokes for different folks. Just don't expect that Thanksgiving invite. (Haha, just KIDDING!) Have a fabulous Saturday!!! :-)