Aren't Monarchs fascinating?! Scientists still don't understand their migration -- but the monarchs you saw just might actually make it to Mexico. We get a few here, I guess just before they make the turn to head for the mid-west. I saw a couple last week, checking out the scarlet salvia (planted just for them) and then they kept flying over to inspect the phlox and the asclepia -which is not doing well. I hope they don't change their genetic coding to eliminate my area on their route. I think they find the preferred flower by sight more than by smell, and remember, they can see some colors into the ultraviolet range.

I still haven't brought them in because the containers they are in are too big. I didn't plan this when I bought them, I didn't know anything about them and thought of them as annuals. I don't know if they will survive until the weekend as tonight it will be in the low 30's as will tomorrow. The only hope for them will be to dig them out of the containers, which will cause root damage. I'm not sure what to do. I grow orchids and my house is overflowing with them. I'm not sure whether to put the Plumerias in a dark place over winter or grow them under lights with the orchids. I fear bringing mites into the picture. I've struggled all summer with them on my orchids and think I finally have it controlled, but I'm sure the Plumerias have them. I don't want a reinfestation. I don't know what to do with them. I should have researched them before buying them. They won't survive much longer outside. Jane

I don't follow the fashions, I just see the flat shoes available in stores in such a variety of colors and designs. Also, I've received a couple ads in email for clothing stores and the models are wearing flat slip-on shoes. So, I am making the conclusion they are "in" again. I had a hard time finding new shoes when I needed them for a couple years b/c they styles that I prefer to wear were just hard to find, replaced on store shelves by the "in" shoes w/heels and platform soles. So, I went without new shoes for the most part! LOL. I hate to shop and gave up easily. I wasn't waiting for permission from the fashion police to wear what I like, I just couldn't find shoes I liked. Now, the store shelves are full of flat-soled shoes, little slip-ons. As for what else is "in" this season... NOT ME, how about that? LOL. I just have no idea and don't do much shopping, only when I need something.

1) I didn't even think about custom cabinets as an option because I assumed they would be too expensive. When I received a quote for the semi-custom brand I planned to order, I was shocked at the cost, so decided to get a few custom cabinet quotes just to see. They were surprisingly close in price (some custom lines were actually much lower). Since I wasn't limited to specific sizes, it greatly improved my whole design, allowed me to get a bigger sink and some other custom options. It also changed the entire look of what I originally planned. I went from full overlay, raised panel to beaded inset, recessed panel doors. It's really more like the look I wanted all along. 2) After demo, we decided to move the main kitchen doorway over a few feet, which allowed us to include a buffet which will house a much needed appliance garage and provide a lot of extra storage. 3) One of the last minute changes was to a farmhouse sink. I had originally ruled it out based on the likeliness of it chipping, but someone on GW mentioned the video demo of the Kohler cast iron apron front sinks and I was sold. 4) One change early on in the planning stages involved the windows. We had a large, beautiful bay window where the kitchen table was and a very small window over the sink. There was no question we were going to change the sink window to three much larger windows, but I was playing around with the idea of eliminating the bay window altogether and extending the run of sink windows. We did that and it brought in so much more natural light and we gained so much more cabinet space. It greatly enlarged the whole kitchen area.