Welcome Slinkey, You couldn't have come to a better place to hang out. It would be hard to find a more caring and dish crazy bunch than everyone here. We love to see pictures of your great finds or tablesettings. Thanks everyone for your welcome home greetings. Cat scan today showed the pockets of infection have shrunk so we know the antibiotics are working. Now I will say goodby so I can catch up with everyone else's posts. Betty

Thanks everybody! LOL, I'm glad I'm not the only one suffering the echo effect right now. I found out today that my furniture's not coming until mid-November!! Also, what really worked for us and our cats was to lock them in one of the bedrooms while we moved. Then after everybody had left and we were getting ready for bed, that's when we actually let them out. It was quiet all night for them while they got to explore their new home. Charliedawg, I saw your pics very soon after you moved in and am jealous how you got rid of your boxes so quickly. I must have re-organized my kitchen a 100 times already lol. Here's a cute picture! Somebody better explain to Duke that he is a CAT and not a MONKEY lol.

An energy audit is the place to start. I can't offer too much help as I live in 160+ y.o. house in northern NY, so my situation is considerably different from yours. However, for what it's worth here the first thing you would do is install attic insulation, then concentrate on caulking to prevent infiltration (that might not be in your second step). And only then, would the upheaval and potential damage to antique-/historic walls be worth taking to install in wall insulation. This depends a lot on what your interior walls are made of; in my case I have intact historic plaster and almost no cavity space, so I've opted for no insulation in the walls. Other people nearby who have damaged or modern walls in their old houses are willing to remove the interior walls to access the wall cavities for insulation. Because of the extremely cold weather here, we have unique issues relating to condensation within wall insulation that I doubt are concerns for you (lucky you!) A thing you might find particulary useful in your climate (since cooling, not heating is your main energy user) is concentrating on increasing shade on your roof through trees or vines and installing awnings on your windows to decrease heat build-up. I am sure your state (or energy supplier) has detailed info that is appropriate for your climate about which steps to take, and in what order. I wish I could add more info, but I hope this helps, a bit. Molly~

Congratulations and welcome home Penny! I thought about you on your wedding day ... it's one of my daughters' birthday too. Can't wait to see the pics and want to hear all about everything. I know you were gorgeous in your PINK wedding gown!! :)