Hi PG! I don't feel so bad now. I just paid $35 & $20 for two carnosas, both were in 15 in hanging buckets, the larger was over 4 ft long I incorporated them both into the same pot with a rebar trellis it turned out really nice looking. He was asking $50 for the smaller and $65 for the larger. I told him the larger was worth easilly $100. Anyone want some carnosa cuttings off of a really old plant? I had to take quite a bit off to get them on the trellis and in the pot I wanted them in. Pictures coming soon :) With those deals I felt like I got took when I payed $20 for a hindu rope with one branch 3 ft long and two about 8 inches, and $10 for a 6 in pot of KP. I choked down $10 each for a rooted foot long stem of Rhipsalis edwaldiana and about a 4 in rooted stem of variegated hindu rope. I thought $95 was a good price for all.

I am so glad to hear that I am not the only one who feels like that sometimes! We all work so hard on our gardens and have dreams of what it could be and then when nature throws hail and bad weather at us - it is just a little hard to accept.... If it were not for my newest front bed around the pin oak tree next to my driveway (which still looks great), I don't know what I would do! I did lose a bunch of heuchera, but most of the hosta in this bed look great - as opposed to the horrible way the hosta in the back yard look. The ones that look the best are Francee, Blue Mammoth, June, Guacamole, Christmas Tree, Pizazz, Paul's Glory, Abiqua Drinking Gourd, Dream Queen, & Krossa Regal. All of my potted babies from the White Oak sale look great and with the cool weather we had on Sunday, they all got planted (YAY!) Everything Ken says about gardening around maples has proved true for me... I just moved a few sad-looking backyard hosta and their rootballs were full of fine, maple roots and their leaves are crispy and ugly. Maybe I will switch to SEDUM there instead!!! BettyLu

Just this morning I spent what I consider a small fortune on doorknobs. I blame my DH though (who will probably have a seizure when he finds out how much they cost), as I was more than happy with the less expensive Emtek rectangular handleset, whereas he preferred the Baldwin Boulder Rustic w/interior egg knobs. Of course, we also wanted the more expensive distressed ORB finish. The mortise lock upgrade for our front entry doors was pricey, but recommended since our doors are so large. And of course, I wanted matching egg knob handlesets with a rosette backplate for all of my interior doors, so I didn't want to switch to a less expensive brand for these doors - again bumping up my total cost. With a 10% discount for ordering from the manufacturer rather than taking them from the shelf, my total price from a local dealer came to approximately $1700, including tax. This was the lowest price I could find after receiving several quotes from different online sites (although my local dealer also offers his products online). I saved some money by choosing to pick up my order rather than have it shipped. These are my choices (except with the knob rather than the lever) - I can't wait to get them!

BTW I forgot to thank you for the tip on the camera. I have decided to get the Nik D80 I was going to get the 40 but agree this is the better buy for me. I did post a question on online buying. Have you had any experience? I went to Nikon and they suggested BestBuy and a few other Stores. One some of the photo mags I get there are some very good kit deals and that is one of the suggestions to buy because one can usually-?- get the best deal with. I ahve one pick out, right now I can't remember the website or store listed but Popular Photography has a big page listing this place along with several others as safe. If not we are to contact Pop Photo..so time will tell.. Thanks again!