Yes it has cooled down a bit, but this is Central Texas. Right now "cooling" means going from highs of 98-99 to highs of 88-90. Lows of about 70 at night. I suppose the water is about 80 F but have not measured it. I do have quite a bit of string algae clinging to the stems, but the water is pretty clear, just dark color. The string algae seems "dusty" with dark algae the falls off when you go after the string algae. Wish I had a digital camera so I could easily post a pix. One of these days I'll break down and buy one. Howard

Michelle, no need to think you shouldn't come without anything to swap ie nothing to offer. Just seeing that huge grin and smiles on your daughter's face as she pics out all the "yellow" bloomers is offering enough. That smile was greatly missed. I'll have plenty of yellow offerings for her. Has she added to her color choices since last year? Angie, I haven't even thought about what I'm looking for in seeds this year. I've purchased some seeds from T&M on their sale and now have to start thinking about that "want list". My trade page is not updated from last year yet. Give me some time to think as I don't post for trades until mid Sept. after I've collected enough seeds to be sure I have enough for me before trading. Fran

Here is our living room. About 20 years ago, it had wood paneling, and we replaced it with dry wall. The color has changed a couple of times. Our most recent color is Macaroni, which is an off-white. Considering the darkness of the room, it is hard to go much darker. As I mentioned in an earlier post, our house is not level. By viewing the following picture, if you can imagine that corner close to the kitchen, by the rocking chair....that would be the highest point in the room, and from that point, it tilts downward every direction. As I stated before, the original hardwoods were covered with tile. Such a shame. The original hardwoods are actually wide-plank. I actually prefer narrow plank wood, as when I imagine older homes, I imagine narrow plank wood. Anyone else? This couch is less than 6 months old, so we anticipate it will be with us for a while. Yes, it is very dark. I knew that a lighter color may help lighten up the room, but I just wanted the easier maintenance of a darker couch, so...here we are. The recliner is on the downhill portion of its life here, and will likely be replaced within the next 2-3 years. The wood furniture in the room is a few years old, and was very pricy. It also provides us with much needed storage. In order to even dream of getting new furniture, we'd have to sell the existing furniture for a decent amount. I don't think replacing the furniture is really an option at this point, so whatever we get has to work well with it. Mostly everything in the living room is light oak. The door and trim obviously. Picture frames, mantle, etc. There are three things that are not. The clock, which was a gift from my husband's work, a coat rack on the wall that has been there for 40 years, and the fan, which is very old and will likely be replaced when we reno the living room. Some of the other finishes are "gold" frames throughout the room. The lamps are black with crystal orbs. The curtain rods are black with nickel touches. Oh, and the TV and it's stand are black. The curtains are about 2 months old. They are gold, with beige and black detailing. Don't even get me started on the ceiling. That is unfortunately not something that we will be tackling this time around. Here is the view into the next room we will be looking at.

hi i agree that you will not have enough wall space if you go with an even larger tv. so the longer wall would be better. in which case you can place the sofa in front of the windows, facing the tv or you can have it facing the fireplace and far enough back that the chair can face the tv while sitting next to the couch, and in front o f the windows. in regards to the fireplace. would you believe people are still installing them? if you have none you want one, if you get one it is never the right one. Anyway, I am never nuts about painting fp. I would do a smaller less showy screen as they show above. I would then put a floating wood mantel. gives you a modern lodgy feel. perhaps rest a large more modern artwork up there and a larger vase or candle sticks to one side. I see you like red and gray?