Hello to all. I'm taking a break from a short burst of energy outside. I went to the neighboring town with DH to deliver a tape to a school and on the way back it seemed to have warmed up substantially. I decided to tackle that bleeding heart/redbud in the front disaster bed. I dug down about a foot and pulled out the dirt - the bleeding heart came apart in 5 pieces since the redbud was smack in the middle of it. I then cut the tree off below ground and planted a piece of the redbud back in the same spot. I think if any new shoots come up off that root I'll cut them off right away and see if the root will die back. Spread the other pieces of the bleeding heart out around the yard, one where I seem to have lost my white one! There was another redbud tree growing there I had to dig up. It's still cool and the plant was not more than about 4 or 5 inches tall, so hopefully with the cool weather and rain in the next couple of days the pieces will all take and make nice new plants. BTW, Deanne, do you want a redbud? Now would be a good time for me to dig one up for you (small one) if you want it. I have them growing all over the place. Volunteers... LOL on the "Rambo Gardening". I try very hard not to do that any more, because it leads to suffering. I raked half the front yard of sweet gum balls (that translates to one very large trash bag full), picked up a large can full of sticks, cleaned out a peony/daylily bed, and the bed behind the deck which consists mainly of removing about an inch of pine needles each spring. That amounted to a bag and a half of pine needles. We won't talk about how many are on the deck to be cleaned up, but the trash men only take so much and I don't want to overextend their generosity. At any rate, I'm feeling muscles I forgot, of course. Not too bad but enough for Aleve...and a good hot shower. I'll go out later and do a bit more, perhaps. I think a trip to the 'mart for weed and feed is in order since rain will be coming tomorrow night. I could spread it in the morning. Bug, that sweater is adorable, your grandbaby is so lucky! What an heirloom to keep someday. My mother still has a little cotton dress of mine. I still have a lot of the boys' clothes, I really should get rid of most of them. After all, they are nearly adults! Deanne, your bird and flower pictures are always stunning. I love to look at them, you have a great eye. Last year I had a fuschia in a basket I kept alive all summer, first time ever. I considered bringing it in the house, and I guess I should have, or at least taken cuttings. My coleus are still in water in the window upstairs. OH, and the hoya you sent a couple of years ago is blooming...again! I guess it likes my window. My roses regularly die back nearly to the ground. I think they are doing better though. Age and better soil, and I plant the crowns deeper than I did at first so it gives them a better chance. And the right varieties help. I just had to realize that I have to grow what I can, not necessarily what I like, in the way of roses! What I'd really like is a gigantic climber that flowers all summer, that wouldn't lose leave to blackspot, that the Japanese beetles would hate, and that required very little care. I don't ask for much. I have two hellebores this year! One I've had for several years and it looked pretty bad up until about a week ago. Now it's sending up lots of new growth and has it's first bloom of the season. The other one I planted last year and it's taken, also. I have tried a couple of times to get a second one to grow and this is the first one that has succeeded. It looked pretty sad until about a week ago also. Kenzie and Bella are both adorable. Maybe someday there will be little grandbaby GIRLS around here. But not too soon! Cindy, the euphorbia still looks dead. Still waiting to see if there is an "opportunity" there. I have no prior experience with euphorbias and I was so pleased with this one and the plants I put around it, it made a nice grouping. I'll still wait a bit. Chelone, sounds like a doorwall is what we midwesterners call a sliding glass door. I love French doors, and would like to replace our slider with those, but really our room isn't set up well for that sort of arrangement. If we left the door open, for air, it would be blocking other thngs (like television). My parents have a slider that LOOKS like French doors, it's nice. Oops, had to chase Mystique across the basement with her favorite toy. She sneaks it down here and if she were to lose it that would be sad. Our basement is a bit of a catch all area, so lots of nooks and crannies just big enough for a kitten to wander through. She's allowed to explore, but no toys! Honey, sorry to hear about your colleagues. I dread funerals, too. I'm glad your kitty is better. So pretty! The other day I was at the grocery and the cashier asked me if I'd been pruning roses. I haven't done that yet, and then I realized she was seeing all the scratches up my arm - I told her no, I have a kitten. Better get back out there for a bit. suzy

I wish we could do seed. It just isn't possible with the grass we selected. Also, the grass has to be complete when we move in. From the UF Extension: With one exception (not Empire Zoysia), zoysiagrasses must be planted vegetatively by sod, plugs, or sprigs. I may request smaller plants on the inner courtyard, as that will be hidden mostly by the front gate & wall of podocarpus. That is a good idea. The landscape budget was set by one of the landscape subs, so i don't think it is out of line to want to stay in budget. I also just think the 2nd sub was trying to rip us a new one with the sod, so I am hesitant to trust them. Our GC really doesn't want us to DIY anything. He offers basically a lifetime warranty on the home (his quality of workmanship, not the obvious like normal wear & tear), & he wants all work done by his subs so he can guarantee his work. I definitely am capable of doing the shrub plantings, if I could get him to agree to it. My brother is a small builder in another part of the state. He said in our price-range, most people get ripped off because the subs get away with overcharging, the GCs tolerate it, & the homeowners don't always do their homework. I have reached out to a third landscaper for a quote. If she comes back high, then we will cross that bridge. This post was edited by wishiwasinoz on Wed, Oct 23, 13 at 10:42

Why Zillow didn’t change it to “pending sale”? It still shows for sale. When the seller accepted our offer on a property, the property status changed from for sale to sales pending on Zillow quickly. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/612-Wellingham-Dr-Durham-NC-27713/50001938_zpid/

@bry911, you just proved my point with this statement: There are some "would be" buyers who are serious and could get financing that don't have immediate access to 5% to 10% of liquidity. Lets assume you could find a home in the $77k price point here in Palm Beach county (not likely). Lets also assume that the seller accepted a financed offer over the many cash offers at that price point (also not likely). But if it were financed FHA, for example, the buyer would have to have 3.5% as a down payment plus 4% minimum of the purchase price for closing costs and pre-paid expenses. Probably more since the HOI is high here. If the buyer doesn't have access to the funds for the 5% EMD then that discussion is made at the time of the offer and the buyer has proven he doesn't have the capacity to close. Could he get gift funds? Yes, but then that discussion is known right up front too. Could the seller contribute toward his costs, only if it's agreed to in a contract, but then all the buyers cards are on the table. Same thing for VA mortgages except that the down payment is zero but the closing costs and pre-paids are similar. We don't have USDA here in PBC. The point is to not obligate the seller without also obligating the buyer. Your point is that the buyer is never obligated to follow through with the purchase right up to the day of closing and that losing $4-500 on an inspection and $500-600 on an appraisal is enough deterrent from a buyer that doesn't have the capacity or ability or desire to close. And then the seller has lost that 20 to 30 days entirely with a buyer that can't close and they knew it when they made the offer! My point is, if the buyer has no intention of actually closing, we would rather know up front before the seller signs the contract so the seller can choose not to accept an offer where the buyer doesn't have the capacity to close. All of this comes to light when we see the EMD or lack of EMD as a point of information separate from the "pre-approval". Then the seller can make a choice to go with one of the other buyers.