FELIX! We are obviously brother and (older) sister, separated in childhood!!! I bought the soundtrack to Meet Joe Black just so I could get Israel's version of Over the Rainbow, and I just LOVE it. It is the ONLY version (besides Judy Garland's) that I really love. I then had to look up all the info on Israel I could find, out of curiosity. A little while back, there was a tv commercial that featured him singing it in the background, too, though I can't remember what it was. Oh, and they played his version of it in the background when the character Mark Green was dying on E.R. I cried for about two hours. That song ALWAYS makes me cry. I will come to your house, and we will all sit around in your garden and cry together while Israel sings in the background! Hehe. Then we will wipe up our tears and look at your plants and stream. And my good birdwatching buddy, Gary, wants to come see your bees the next time I go. He has five wooded acres and really wants beehives, and I told him all about yours. Maybe we will come see you after Christmas and make plans for Spring Bees! Marcia

Oh goodness, it can be such a roller coaster looking for property. The thing about lakehouses is I find them a little less satisfying when they look like they could be in suburbia. Ideally a lakehouse has bit of a "roughing it" feel, or at least a veneer that suggests it! The lakehouse we owned was new construction and while lovely, of the vernacular, and certainly not a maintenance concern, it always felt a bit soulless to me.

The bedrooms and bathrooms are in the same family of colors but are a lighter shade. When you open the door to go into the bathrooms they are a lighter gray from the same color family. Nicely done. I personally think blues are hard to coordinate, but I also know my own limitations, and I know I am a total idiot when it comes to color. As far as my house looking real people nice .. you said it perfectly! That is exactly right on point and exactly what I wanted and could afford It’s just my family home, sweet, simple and a place that makes me feel happy when I look at it That's my goal too. Also, my bedroom suit was dark oak and in pretty good shape. I lightly sanded it, primed it, sprayed it and brushed the tops of the dresser, night tables, and chester drawers so they would be more durable It turned out beautiful and I finished the entire project in about 5 days You've convinced me to paint my bed when we move. but I can assure you that I would never paint my home again.. it would have been worth double that to pay someone It gave me a great respect for painters and why it cost so much .. it is a job that I would never want to do again.. I’m still touching up paint and if I could I would have used spray paint I don't mind painting a room here and there ... but to paint the whole house /I assume you mean interior only ... and to paint new drywall, well, that's a task. At the same time, $10,000 is no mean savings.

Thank you, everyone. He was a lovely cat, and he was best friends with the other two cats in that photo. The other two have been doing some serious meowing for him, especially the first night he was gone from here. Last night it was more quiet on their part.