Susan. 74..hey you're still a young chick..:) TKR, you've got it. You must have ESP, lol. Truthfully, I firmly believe it's more of an insurance issue than age. As soon as one of three MRI's were diagnosed, my doc said it was kneed'ed, lol, pun intended, even if corny. The specialist agreed. Suddenly, I'm too young... I had two, unsuccessful surgeries, 'not TKR, however, the same area,' 2000 and 2010. Don't plan on a third. After the doc gave me the news, I asked if there were other options. His reply, 'yep, live on pain meds!' He wasn't the first doc who came to this conclusion. When is your surgery scheduled? Have you done research? All I can say is prepare for horizontal hobbies. Seriously. Since you enjoy reading, stock up on books. Writing, keep several note-pads, paper, pencils, markers, and a laptop handy. Sewing/knitting, whatever..keep items nearby. I've read some people are ordered to total bedrest, as long as 10 months! For me, lying in bed for one-month is impossible. Not with 4 birds, 2 dogs, and 350-400 plants. 'My son is grown, Susan..no other children.' My BIL had TKR done last year..he said he never felt better, wish it was done sooner. I wish you the best of luck and good health. You'll be in my prayers. No inclination or time. Besides, I cannot tolerate rejection...after opening an envelope, unfolding a clean, type-written sheet of paper, then reading, 'Thank You, but,' I gave up. Don't get me wrong. I have plenty ideas, 'but,' :) Susan, after all you've accomplished, your foot is in the door..now all you have to do is open, and step inside. A novel is nothing more than several short stories blended together. A bunch of adjectives, nouns, pronouns, etc... :) Who knows, after surgery you might conjure the perfect, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven King, or Grimms'. You wouldn't feel comfortable in my house since you're a minimalist in decor..lol. The only rooms without plants..a back bathroom...reason, no window..bird room, reason, birds like munching greens, and closets, obvious reasons. It's funny you said your 28-yr-old friend is a virture, regarding your book. Lately, several authors mention and describe numerous plants unrelated to the story. Have you read Wendy Staub, Nora Roberts, Lisa Jackson or Sue Grafton? If you enjoy mystery/suspense, you'll like the above authors. Of all four, Staub really gets into plants. Over the years, a few people have been to GW inquiring plant info. Said they wanted to learn, add to their MS. Wonder if these people were published.. Susan, I enjoy talking to you, too, and wish you the best. Keep me posted about surgery. Or any other topic you wish to discuss. Toni

The next thing to consider is how high up into the tree that broom may be. If it's more than head-high up into the branches, I really don't see an office manager cutting scions for us. Plus, would a non-expert really know what they're cutting? This looks like a job for a conehead, and I'm still contemplating doing the job. @Shastensis, how high off the ground is that broom? ~Dave

The onemy Mother has is the same as the one in the photo. It has a handle on the back and is used as a milk/cream pitcher. I remember seeing them on the shelf at the 5&10. There was another one exactly the same size only it did not have a handle on the back and it was made in two pieces. The red base that you see was a sugar bowl that extended up as high as the hands on the figure and the yellow shirt of the figure extended down over the top of the sugar bowl. There was also a set of salt & pepper shakers in the exact same design, but they were only about 4" high. One had three holes on the top and the other had a single hole so you could tell salt from pepper. If you look at the hands in that photo it appears that the red paint on the shirt cuffs has chipped from age. Now I am not saying that the paint won't chip off, but many of them had those same type of worn spots in the store as if that was the original design. I remember that the salt & peppers were $.15 each or the pair for $.25 and three or four times I saw my Mother pick them up and ask me,,"What do you think your dad would say if I got these?"

One of the gals in the Garden Junk forum uses a "marine varnish" on her outdoor wood pieces. I've not used it before but I would think two or three coats of the varnish to really protect the shutters - depending on the brand used. Would love to see pics of the shutters if you can post them. Sal