Last time I purchased a mower looked at several brands, choose Sears because; more features for the dollar, had owned sears prior - it was still going after 29 yrs (1973 to 2002) with very few problems, but wanted to bag and could not get a baggers for the old sears ST10. This mower is used on my personal lawn and in addition I have a JD GT275 for Moms property which is 12 miles away. I also have a (1979) JD2040 w/ a FEL which I use for handling mulch and other landscaping materials in a part time business. Recently retired for full time employement and am going pretty much full time landscaping by default. Would like to replace the GT275 with a Zturn - probably a Scag Tiger Cub, because the amount of grass at Moms property and maybe do a little commerical cutting with it. I previously had purchased a Woods RM990 finishing mower for the 2040, but couldn't compete with the Zturns, so I sold the woods this spring. I've had good service from all equipment I've purchased - from sears to deeres, but like the original purchase price, Deere service is dear, but still very good. I only use purchase service when I have trouble finding time to do it myself, seems like a lot lately. Been trying to buy a JD gator TX model, best price so far is $6,150; way to much in my opinion. I should not be to tough on the TX, had it on demo for 8 days with 23 hrs my use on the clock. Had a landscaping contract where it would be highly visible - so dealer said why not. Turned it in yesterday "not sold" :-( .

Very preliminary plans here so much is subject to change. Splurged on land -- paid about 50% over planned, but got the land at 66% off original 1.2 million list. Since it is paid for, it is no longer a consideration. Probable Splurges: Interesting ceilings in main living area (not sure what yet) and 9' elsewhere on main floor. Maybe a nana wall (or similar) between kitchen and deck to maximize light (only natural light directly in the kitchen). Integrated plaster walls (although that may not end up being much of a spurge over good Sheetrock finish) because it is common in comparable new builds in the area (and not advertised as an upgrade). Large covered decks. Back if house -- Living room, deck and MBR will be cantilevered with basement patio below. ( probably not complete cantilever because it will be supported by stone columns) Nice fencing, but because the back yard is small, we won't need too much of it. Radiant hot water in floor heat throughout (again not much of a splurge because SIL in the business). Exterior must be 1/3 natural stone. Probably a nice chandy for the dining area, but the rest can be pretty basic. 8' doors in main living area. Undecided: windows, definitely want efficiency, but I can work with standard sizes; cabinetry and countertops, want nice and soft close, but flexible on wood type and finishes. Last time we shopped for granite for the ski house even though we budgeted for class 4, we found we really liked a class 2 stone better. Save: flooring (2) hardwood floors don't have to be anything special -- I have seen many midrange that I like, tile, again I have seen midrange options. I like. Carpet in bedrooms, office, closet and staircase except to the first landing because the rest is enclosed. Simple trim work (but also a splurge a bit t be sure it is beefy enough) Plumbing fixtures, I prefer simple and basic. Appliances -- been there, done that, on higher end appliances and really, I see no real advantage over my 10,000 range at home and my 2,500 one at the ski house and I cook a lot both places. Pantry storage will cost much less and pantry counters (as wll as laundry room can even be Formica. No fancy shower heads. No AC -- it's only needed a few days a year in our climate and we can survive without it. Upstairs guest room can have 8' ceilings. Of course, all this is subject to change -- we are waiting for the next plan revisions before we really start sourcing.

Just saw this recently. I liked the mystery and intrigue, and was even willing to forgive the incredible coincidences and ease with which Nicholas Cage was able to solve it, until... ***********SPOILERS************** Until it turned out the whole thing was about aliens and the earth ending. Ugh. I just have no patience for what this particular formula in movies. Even putting that aside for a minute, the idea that these aliens knew about the end of the earth years ahead, and that their course of action was to just let it happen and save two and only two children is abhorent to me. Why not save lots of children? Why these two in particular? Why only children? Why not give earth real advance warning instead of a cryptic note seen by three people a week before the end? My theory on this movie was that a couple of art directors/set designers/special effects guys were sitting around one night, sipping some wine, and wondering how they could get nominated for an oscar. The conversation goes something like this: - You know what always wins? - what? - Aliens with cool looking spaceships - yeah! Let's do one of those! Result: Knowing

Backs plashes are difficult because they are basically design decisions vs building decisions and while most of us are good at picking and figuring, pre-visualizing is tougher. Even some KDs aren't especially good at doing a back splash so don't beat yourself up. Tile design can be very challenging -- if the store will help out with it that's always a bonus. Some will for a nominal or no fee. They'll do the design and sometimes even help find an installer. . When it gets tough, instead of getting lost in tile world I think it might be easier to find a photo of a backsplash you love, or even of a tile object you love. If you post it folks here can give suggestions about how it will work in the kitchen and whether it will produce the result. Then it can be used as the basis for the splash (take it along while shopping). Here's an extensive list of tile sources which can help with some of the pre-shopping. http://www.atticmag.com/shopping/tile.html My backsplash basically sets the style of the kitchen. It runs from countertop to ceiling on 2 walls -- so it's the opposite of the 4" micro-splash. I began with the tile and picked around it (not typical). My inspiration was ceramic tile stoves. I drew out a scale "cartoon" of the splash and colored it in and taped it up to see how it would look. Tile has repetitive pattern so it always draws the eye. The cartoon was a bit of work but very helpful as it covered nearly a 2' x 3' section (paper taped together).