Thanks for the info re the leaf oil I will get some. I am digging everything up from my front flower beds and moving it to an area in my back yard as soon as it is warm enough. There was frost on my daffodils this AM..I have bermuda grass invasion in my front flower gardens so those gardens are going to be covered with horse manure white oak leaves, misc food scraps and lots of newspaper covered with mulch. Then next spring I am going to plant something new. Hopefully covering the beds for a year will kill the bermuda. I plan on digging a giant hole around the Gardenia and transferring it with as much dirt as I can..In the hope of not disturbing the roots. The Gardenia is in Red Clay right now and was happy til the leaves just started turning alittle yellow. The area where I am moving it was wild thicket, that is now cleared and prepared for new plants.. The ground is brown and seems to be very aerated..Hopefully the condition is better for the Gardenia..I plan to feed it some root food when I move it and then Miracle Grow.. I feel awful about my neighbors dog..She looks so sick..Hopefully she does not have something that will transfer to my dog...These people live across the street from us. I do not talk to these people; They are the only neighbor I do not like..Because; I always let my dog out in the front yard at night. I sit out there and watch him so he does not go out of the yard. One night I let him out and went back in for a second to get a cigarette. I smoke on my front porch. While I was getting a cigarette he ran across the street. Those neighbors were having a loud party. He loves people, I am sure he heard the noise and went to say hello to all the humans..He has never done that before. I started to go and get him, by the time I got to the bottom of my LONG yard I saw them taking him into their house..NO KIDDING. I did not have his leash so I went back up my LONG lawn and got his leash. By the time I got back down the lawn he was running across the street. When I got him in the house he was shaking and look sad. THEY HAD STABBED HIM. He is ok..I did file a complaint..I do not talk to those people because of that...THAT IS JUST CRAZINESS...I would never think to do something like that to their dog or any other dog for that matter. I will get some pictures and file a complaint...Recently they got another dog..So now they have a puppy that stays outside and the old female..They should not have any pets since it appears they do not know how to take proper care of them. I so badly want to feed her myself. But because they are MEAN people I won't.

I still say ignore Consumer Reports and you'll be far better off. They're way too biased. If you try to use a FL on a non-basement floor, make sure you get it in writing that you have a full-credit return option if there's any problem. And now there's options for heaters on TL models too. Harmony has one, Oasis has one and if rumors are true, Bravos will soon have one which would mean the Cabrio wouldn't be far behind. Speed Queen and Fisher & Paykal TLs would also be good options. With both you can have deep rinses. SQ gives a decent spin speed and the F&P is a high spin speed. I was skeptical so I decided to do a quick search on the comment that everyone says you must have a FL with a heater. I looked at the first five links and not one made that requirement! One of the first sites on the list, along with a lot more, had this to say: Washing Machines A simple, inexpensive top loader cleans best. Some families actually buy a second washing machine, and love having 2 machines for their growing families long after the diapering years are over. That's not an option for everyone, but if you do find yourself in a position to purchase a new washer, do NOT buy a low water machine, unless you have a very real need to conserve water. A standard, simple top-loader cleans best. Super-heated cycles on expensive washers are not recommended for diapers since they will destroy the cotton, and the super-heating is not necessary. From our experience, very expensive front loading washers and automatic water level top loading machines make diaper washing more difficult than a simple, inexpensive top loader. More expensive does not mean "better at cleaning" when it comes to the price of washers. Except however, if you can get a warm rinse that is nice to have, because warm water helps rinse detergent residue easier than cold water. So, if you were about to buy a $1,300.00 washer, buy a nice $300 or $400.00 top loader instead and you just came up with $900.00 to spend on a very fancy cloth diaper wardrobe! It went on to say that FL will work fine too. Interesting comments. Many here admit that cotton diapers are best, and many here also concur that high heat damages cotton. Therefore it lends credibility that the heater might NOT be nirvana when it comes to washing diapers. The warm rinse comment was interesting too since Consumer Reports maintains that there is no difference in rinsing at cold or warm temps. But, considering CR.... I maintain there is no one best machine for everyone. Any of these mentioned will do a fine job IMO. Learning to use it properly is normally the key.

I admit I haven't read all the responses because I got tired of the judgemental and flame responses. I do have two thoughts. If, at all possible, create a small enclosure outside a doggie door so the dog can "go" at will. Yes, the door creates a loss of heat or cooling, but all pets are costly in some way. I would be concerned that on some days the dog, just like a human, may find it has to urinate more often than usual, even though they aren't ill. A thought about using piddle pads--if that is your solution it would be wise to get a female who doesn't lift a leg and urinate against something. You will probrbly have fewer "misses" that way. There is a TV show on TLC called "The Littel Couple". They are professional people who have a Boston Terrier that uses pads and he does sometimes overshoot the pad. I am a fierce dog and cat lover, active in rescue, and I have 4 Siberian huskies and 3 cats, all adopted rescues. I would never feel comfortable asking them to wait 9 hours between bathroom breaks. My dogs, who are always separated from the cats (Sibes have an enormous prey drive and I can't trust mine around cats), have a 24/7 doggie door to a fenced acre. This is what I have decided I HAVE to do in order to feel I am treating my pets well and I have chosen to budget accordingly. Responsible pet ownership is expensive, even for one dog or cat. I respect you for asking for suggestions prior to getting a dog. One last thought; I am retired and at 65 found that social security and Medicare represented a big decrease in available funds. I did plan for inflation, but I never realized how the present resession would strain my pet budget. I am committed to feeding only top quality food, the likes of which are never sold in a supermarket. All my animals are nutered and all are kept current on shots and at least annual physicals. Occasional illness or injury visits are unplanned expenses. I expect I will outlive my dogs, but the cats are young and have a long life expectancy. For that reason I have made arrangements for their care if anything happens to me.

My 'got to pee" pooch is a product of two blue merles mating. He has anatomical issues along his throat . His exam showed that the orbits would not support the surgery. His third membrane advances and recedes on both eyes but the left is more severe. The vet said that a surgical repair can be done but will fail shortly after due to the eye shape itself. I was told the membrane will just advance again. He enjoys running around the fenced in yard and also in the fields. We just installed an inground pool this summer. He loved the pool. Since his vision is compromised the pool gave him a security cause he could only go the perimeter of the pool. I purposely installed a swim out ledge for the dogs. He was a calmer dog once he got a chance to swim. When we covered it for the winter, I showed him the change and he has not stepped out on the pool . He is a sweetheart but this peeing has got to stop. He has learned hand signals for sit, come, No, bathroom and just starting to get stay. I had used the come signal and placed him immediately in his kennel that he thought oh I got to go into my kennel . Confused him when the kennel was not around. I let the other dogs out to pee before him which helps stop the marking. When we are out playing he needs to mark on the female when she relieves herself. No doubt they are keeping me in shape but the winter has arrived and i can no longer hose the dogs down. How do I teach him not to mark on my clothes and the female dog. I guess tether him on a shorter lead. I can not give praise vocally and touch can be misconstrued. SInce he is truly deaf his other senses are more keen. He finds the moles in one second and he alerts me to thunder a good thirty minutes before the storm arrives. I hate the smell of pee. I am no mother theresa. I just knew I had the patience and the pack to give him a good life.