Yes, Jodi! They do get quite healthy, and I am proud of them. To think that they made it in such flimsy nursery pots when it got that cold several times amazes me! I am such an overprotective Mom! The brownish skin layers can be a pain to remove, but I have noticed that if the wet the dead skin, you can easily wipe it off with your figures. When they are outside, I choose not to remove that old layer. First of all, it protects the newer, inside scales from sunburn. In the winter or cooler months, it is an extra layer of frost/freeze protection. I also do not cut the necks, for the very same reasons. I am attaching a link because I really don't have time to upload a separate .jpg file. This is a new bulb to me, and it is called Milady. I was in awe when it first opened because it is so different than the other pinks. Notice the broken color on one of the lower petals... Makes me wonder if it is related to Gervase which I didn't manage to get this year, hopefully next! Here is a link that might be useful: Milady

"Inventories of unsold homes dropped to 7.5 months at the current sales pace." To me, that is probably the most important statistic in the whole piece, and that it, while still high, is improving, comes as a surprise. However, missing in this article is news about what is happening with foreclosure rates - I read somewhere that july 2007 foreclosures were almost double what they were in july 2006. That can't be good. I think inventories are likely to start rising again, unless new construction really comes to a standstill. Add to that a record number of ARM resets coming in october and it is still difficult to feel optimistic.

I buy and sell at least a house a year, and have done more. I like to buy places like yours...dated, that others won't make an offer on because they can't see through the skin to the good bones :) So for what it's worth...here's what I'd do to get your house off of my hands :o) Your kitchen is horribly dated, and you know that. So what can you do cheaply to fix it? First, pant the grout black on the floor. Don't do anything else with the floor, just paint the grout. You'll have a high contrast floor that pulls in the black granite. Second..do the granite...it's huge, the fabrication costs aren't the major expense at all there...you have free granite available...take it! Tile right over that backsplash. 4" square tiles are very dated. I'd do white subway's (cheap from home despot) with a grey grout. Then change out all those knobs for black knobs. If that BS is solid, you can easily tile over it, and even do it diy if necessary, but changing the shape there will be a big deal. Then, paint those cabinets. And if it were MY kitchen to sell, I'd not only paint them, I'd trim them out by adding a molding strip to the inside of the existing strip (glue and some pin nails...not hard...I've done it a few times). And I'd paint the cabinets in a heart beat. Their shape and color are frankly horribly dated. Cleaning them up with paint is a big deal. It does NOT Matter what the future buyer does with the kitchen "after you do all that work". What matters is that you catch their eye and sell the danged thing in the first place! This is NOT a cool 1940's kitchen...it's a dated 70s at it's best. (I am currently doing a dated 70's kitchen myself...I will be doing the cabinets in a soft yellow). In yours I'd go for a white that works with the floor tile. You give yourself a crisp black and white theme that way. I don't like the white walls on a tall room like that. After all is said and done, I'd paint either a pretty butter color, or perhaps a soft green...gray would work as well, just paint some color! I am just one person who has an opinion :) But I do buy and sell houses and I drool over houses like yours where the stuff is left as is...because I'm one of a few (and I'd count many of the folks here like me) who can see beyond your "Stuff". But 99% of your prospective buyers...they can't see that. Some elbow work and a few bucks would help a lot here. Get rid of everything in the dining room except a table and chair. Edit to death. Those wires make me crazy, and they'll cost you thousands. I would add a chandelier or I'd buy a cheap oblong or rectangular table and do pot light conversion kits on the current pots. (You can't do that with your current table). If it were me, I'd do that before I'd add a chandelier. I would however change out that fan for a chandelier over the kitchen. Keep to simple black and white lines which will make your floor tile look great (if you paint the grout) verses doing something else that will highlight the out of date features. And change out the appliances. People do notice that. You know that :) I've never used an agent to sell a home, (I do it myself) but I will say....most agents I've run into have no clue what it takes to stage a home for sale. Typically they're failed workers elsewhere who go into real estate for a few years then fail again. (I've worked in real estate...I see this all the time). And then there are the top preformers who are really good...they can be of help, but you still get their opinion most of the time. If you really want to sell..consult a professional stager...not an agent.

I see the plane remnants washing up as comforting, like coming home, a sign. Jackie Kennedy Onassis' property is a reflection of what I've read and seen of her throughout my lifetime--beautiful property, luxurious, but not ostentatious. These properties may go the way of the "Downton Abbeys" of the world--they are expensive and labor intensive to maintain. Real estate cycles we can always depend upon. WSJ printed a recent article on Miami--which was in dire straights some years ago, came back full force and now luxury properties are being discounted. Seems foreign investors have backed off a bit. I imagine there are strict zoning laws as to what can happen to this property. As to Caroline and children, on a much smaller scale, my observations are that our children and grandchildren generally do not want to own property that takes so much of their time and resources, for the most part--out of sentiment. That goes down to family heirlooms, jewelry, furniture, etc. They usually want a few things but not everything we have inherited. Styles have changed, younger people seem to relish experiences more than possessions. Not a bad thing entirely; I suspect some they may regret later when they long for a historical connection to their ancestors. Caroline possesses more heirlooms of all sorts than most of us; there comes a time it becomes a burden, and yes after around fifty-five years of age most of us get a heads up from life to get our business in order and enjoy what life we have on our own terms. That property is a nice reminder of our history and glamour, the enigma of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, walking on the beach in ankle pants, a scarf and sunglasses, an enigma to us all, captivating. If only we did not know every detail about so many now!