Hmmmm.....I hadn't considered what to do by the time they are too big to tie, mad gallica. The problem is, not a whole lot of shrubs will fit those particular screening needs in small spaces. Have they stopped being recommended, I wonder? Brandon...we get lots of heavy snow most winters. This is my first winter with the Sky Pencil. I think I will be happier in the spring having it tied so it won't splay out. It was so easy too. Not having to tie it is one of the advantages of your zone and less snow, enjoy it. :-)

Guidelines for a cookie exchange? Yeah....no jello jigglers, no pretzel rods dipped into cheap melted chocolate, no pretzel wreaths, no flourescent popcorn balls made with jello, no rice crispie or any other cereal based bars, even if they do have crushed peppermint in them, no haystacks made from chow mein noodles and melted almond bark. I am sure there are more but I can't think of them right now! And yeah...it IS all about presentation. As I learned from funeral lunches (well really I knew ti way before that!) Put a table cloth on the table and some sort of centerpiece,e ven if it's only a pumpkin and some fall leaves and people think it's fabulous! many years ago, a friend and I particiated in a Christmas bazaar where the cost of the space went to charity and the entrance fee from the buyers, and what you sold you got to keep. We were not really into tiny painted birdhouses or dressed dolls etc... what we sold was really pretty lame... On the day of the sale I got there about an hour before Liz and set up the booth...had a frame so I could raise a checked table cloth high so it could be seen....and we were swamped. Liz said when she came all she could see was this great mob around one booth....and lo and behold it was our booth. Presentation...pricing and product. Linda C

Angelo Menna - (845) 469-8606 Please tell him it's from Melinda Koss. I live in Rockland, he lives in Orange. Will go to Westchester (asked him today). He's fantastic. As I mentioned, he built my house 11 years ago and we were happy then too. The house was being built as a spec house and was mostly done when we got involved in it. He saw that I was 100 months pregnant and had a 2 year old running around the back yard one day and said "I gotta build you guys a fence". The house is on a hill. Didn't charge us. We were thrilled when he agreed to do this job. An update - I sold the old kitchen via Craig's List. Sunday theis guy came over to see it and gave us a deposit, but said he needs the kitchen by Thursday. After speaking to Angelo yesterday morning, he sent his main guy to my house today and the two of them demo'd my kitchen. It's all sitting in my garage waiting to be picked up. Everything came out in great condition. That's a lot of service. Now I have no kitchen - weeks before the cabinets are due in - oy! Anyone want us to come for dinner??? :)

I didn't see it so I can't say. It hits a little to close to home. My DS and SO were there three years ago, backpacking for a month. I gave them the lecture, you know the one all moms give their kids, and told them to run like HELL toward higher ground, if the water disappeared off the shoreline. While they were there, there was an earthquake off shore, and tsunami warnings were out. I was frantic trying to find out if they were alright. It was three or four days before I heard from them. They were fine, on the other side of the island when that happened, away from the warning area. I never want to go through that fear again!