Nice to see you check in treefrog and thanks again for the seeds,i have 2 of the goosecreeks growing now from seeds you sent and one brandyboy. Im surprised i havent read no where on this site or rthe other of anyone growing florida pink. These huge, 2 to 3 lb fruits are a gorgeous light pink. Extremely juicy, sweet and crack free, Florida Pink out-produces most plants in our garden. With very few seeds, huge production and great flavor, it is a favorite for cooking and fresh eating. Setting fruit well in hot areas, this beautiful tomato will be a fine addition to your garden. thats what laurel says about it. rowdy red is another i think will do well im growing. Named by Gary Ibsen, the seeds of this variety came to Gary from tomato breeder, Archie Millett, who crossed his favorite tomato varieties over many years to finally produce a disease resistant tomato with intense flavor. 'Clint Eastwood's Rowdy Red,' is an open-pollinated tomato (78 days to maturity). The tall, indeterminate, plant produces lots of 2-inch (6-10 oz.), deep-red, round fruits with a subtle point on it's end. Fruit has robust, 'not for sissies,' bold, tomatoey flavors, with a firm, juicy flesh, that invites snacking in the garden, cooking, canning and seed-saving. Its fruity sweetness is perfectly balanced with plenty of acidity, earthy nuances and complexity. kirk Here is a link that might be useful: laurells tomato plants

I am usually in the kitchen, bath or laundry forums and landed here today on a search, so hello. Like nini804, I live in the south where plantation shutters can sell a house. They do indeed cut heating costs if you leave them shut, and AC costs it you shut or at least tilt them against the sun. I also have cellular shades in some of the guest rooms, roman shades in my son's room, and blinds in my family room and office. Plus four cats! Cleaning cell shades was never a problem -- roll them with a lint roller, same for lamp shades -- but cords for both blinds and shades need to be secured if you have a mischievous cat. Kittens have strangled on them. I think of all the options you have presented, wood blinds let in the most light and give quick, easy flexibility for adjustment. Easily cleaned with a swiffer extender. They almost disappear when pulled up. The frames around shutters cut out a lot of light, and they look less good on small windows. You particularly do not want to "split" a plantation shutter on a small window. I think cellular shades give a soft, pretty look and come in more colors, but are best in bedrooms. However, you used to be able to get them with a sun reflective coating for hot areas, though they did give a shimmery look to your windows when viewed from the outside. Not sure if those are still on the market. You can also, I believe, put Pellas on a timer that will automatically raise and lower them at different times of the day, depending on how you preset it. Where we live, in a moderately upscale neighborhood in the south, it is considered good form to have matching window treatments on each on each side of your house. For example, most people here have plantation shutters on all their front windows, up and down. But they might have blinds or cellular shades on the back. My real estate agent says consistency gives a house curb appeal. But we have a mix on the front because that works best for our rooms, especially where the cats hang (dining room bay window) where shutters would restrict their view too much. All said, though, unless the window is a small one, plantation shutters are my favorite option. Hope my pros and cons can help you choose.

"like not having a cord dangling down" I have several Hunter Douglas corded cellular shades, and the cords don't dangle. They are fixed onto a small pulley installed at about my shoulder-height into the window frame which keeps the cord taut and contained and unobtrusive. I actually recall the installer told me they aren't permitted to install shades with dangling cords due to the choking hazard for children. I don't know if that requirement he mentioned is just for that installer, or a city Code, or a Hunter Douglas requirement. I've had my Hunter Douglas cellular shades for about 12 years, and did have to re-string the very large one once. It was not a big deal, and the shade was as good as new. I was told that the larger cellular shades will have the strings break sooner, just cause they are required to pull so much weight up and down. The smaller shades that I have, which have less stress on the cords, have not need re-stringing in 12 years. I don't know about the cordless shades, but I can tell you the corded ones I have seem like they will last longer than I will be in this house.

Good fabric, good interlining and lining and one has a curtain that will last more than 30 years and still look good. Obviously, if one is of the "I like change and often" school of decorating, it would be madness to spend a lot on curtains. I've always been an "investment decorating" kind of gal. If I love a fabric, I will love it for decades. I don't change things just for the sake of change - why would I if I love what I did in the first place? The DR curtains I replaced (and still loved!) were made in 1985. They lasted until 2016. The cream background had yellowed on the valances and I couldn't just remove them due to festoon blinds underneath and valance boards, whose removal would have destroyed the wallpaper, long discontinued. Didn't want to get into that! But oh, I loved those curtains - pretties ones I've ever had. I would used the same fabric again but it's now printed in the Far East, not in the UK, and it just doesn't look the same. Plus the trim has become prohibitively expensive. I went with another Colefax and Fowler fabric and the only trim is a fabric trim on the bottom of the valance, which is also simpler. They're lovely but they don't make my heart sing the way the old ones did - they were once-in-a-lifetime curtains. Grapefruit, I would agree that very few people today are willing to spring for lovely custom curtains - even wealthy people. They're a huge investment and most people today prefer change or what they see on TV, regardless of their wealth. But curtains can make a room, and if the headings are done properly, they can move from one house to another. It's really all about whether one is looking for trendy or timeless.