Thank you all so much! I've been away from the computer for awhile tending to a cellulitis attack that's now diminishing nicely. No fun, though - don't try it! Andrea, wouldn't it be fun to clog? 'specially if I was lighter on my feet, I'd volunteer in a second. Thank you so much for the beautiful Senateur Amic. I've not seen it before and it's lovely . Melva, yup, I got your email. Just can't do any digging for awhile, so tell that Texas heat to hold off a bit, okay? Olga, thank you so much for the birthday wishes. Marji's mom in Rockville had hoped to join you all at the Maryland gathering but we were sidetracked with my illness and didn't get her the information in time. But since there were great photos of your garden, I'll encourage her to look at them. If you see a lady being chauffered through your neighborhood by her handsome son and peering into gardens, it's probably Marilyn searching for your roses! Susan, thank you so much for the birthday wishes. It's wonderful to hear from you. I'm so enjoying the saga of your garden and the results of your pruning and moving. More photos, because they're stunning! Melissa, what a splendid pressure to exert, that I MUST come to Italy. Oh break my heart! Yours is the first rose garden I'll visit and I so look forward to meeting you. Thank you for thinking of me on my birthday. Krista, can you email me again, please? Either because of spam-fear or a very high fever, I deleted it without reading. Forgive me! Sue Sue

Hello and Good Morning, I'm home but have to return to work Monday for a meeting but then will be off again until next Friday. I've been struggling with this cold/virus since last Friday and it has really knocked me down. I'm on my 2nd round of antibiotics for it. Tony, yes like Susie mentioned, with the economy being like it is, and with the many, many nice swaps there are. We just threw it out to get some ideas on what everyone thought about it, and if we would have enough participants for new swap. Carol, thank you for the input. Yes, to be honest I've not traded for much for hosta due to the hosta virus. I should have mentioned we can trade hosta as long as we are sure they are virus free. Sue G, we would love to have you! Susie, I hope to catch you on line this morning. I will be back later; I smell coffee, LIFE IS GOOD, Annie

We have the pull-out Grohe Ladylux Plus. Our next faucet will be pull-down. We don't care for it for a number of reasons, all of which I've detailed before (handle is difficult to modulate and gets filthy at the bottom, pull-out has to be manuevered with two hands or I'm spraying outside the sink - we should have mounted it to the side of our 33" sink, not the center). It is well made and heavy, but no more so than our Barand bathroom faucets. I do like the high arched design - we have REALLY large pots to fill and clean. And also the stainless finish - will definitely stay with that on the next faucet. This is the third faucet we've had since 1990. The Moen was a piece of crap, the Price Pfister drove us both crazy with its design quirks so we had it yanked after only three years. The Grohe's okay, but if I ever change the counters again (one of my 'wish list' items) it's getting dumped on craigslist unless one of my family members wants it.

Thanks for asking, Lydia1959! Sjerin told me you inquired (thanks!) I have been working temp and have also been really busy trying to reorganize my house. Things are progressing. I got an unbelievable bargain on ground chuck so I spent 2 1/2 days cooking it up and freezing it which is good because I start another assignment on Monday. Don't know how long it'll last and it may be busy as I'll be transcribing and taking care of Cardiology patients. Thanks for asking! Will try to post again as soon as possible. I feel bad as I can't read and answer all the posts so it's easier not to come to the KT, but anyone can always email me privately. I also have a deadline coming up to have my house like I want it, so I'll be back as soon as I can! Miss chatting about Survivor and Idol! :)