I love them too. Have bunches of them and they do re-seed all over. Just finished cutting off all the old leathery leaves on mine because a few have buds already. Jim, I checked my notes and I'm showing zones 5-7 on these... I'm guessing you might not have enough of a cold period there for them to do well, but I don't really know...If you want to try some I've got blooming size plants I can send you. It takes several years from seed to get blooming size...

I sold my manufactured home this past December and moved to an apartment in January. I had owned two manufactured homes over ten years but became tired of mowing the lawn and shoveling snow in winter. Now I am in a ground floor one-bedroom end unit apartment. It has a really nice den area with a large south facing window. There is plenty of green space and there are trees outside my unit, then a freeway and beyond that more woodland. There is a rail/trail at the bottom of the hill which extends into the woods and the other end into town. Just this morning I took a long walk in the woods and it was wonderful! With regard to noise; I do hear some of my upstairs neighbor's activity in his kitchen and bathroom from time to time, but I have never heard blaring stereos or TVs. Other than that, it is very quiet here. Since this is an end unit, I only have two neighbors attached to my unit; one upstairs and one behind my unit. Below me is a maintenance/storage area used by the maintenance staff. Since this is a college town, there are plenty of students in this and just about all other complexes in the area. It seems that most here are graduate students, though there is a mix of ages as I have seen middle age people like myself and some senior citizens as well. The kitchen is small, but adequate for my needs, but I especially like the den as it is almost like a sun room because of the south facing window. This makes my unit very bright. The other side of the building faces the parking lot and those units never see the sun. I am only 2.5 miles from work and can either walk or ride my bike into work when the weather is nice. I have done this all of this past week and it is great. I could not do that from where I lived before. With gas prices going out of sight, this is great! I am more and more happy with my move.

I don't have a tablet, but I luuuvvv my iPod 4. It does everything a tablet would. It uses the iTunes format, but I'm sure the other devices have the same Apps. I do have the Kindle App if I want to "read." It's not a full function Kindle, but I do have 1,200+ print books in it, right in my iPod. 1,195 of them were free! I am nearly always listening to audiobooks. I tuck the iPod in the strap of my running bra; it stays in place and I don't even have to wear earbuds to hear it clearly. While I'm doing my mindless work of laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc. I'm being entertained. The audio book is the foreground and the daily grind becomes the background "noise." I will list some of the Apps I use daily with links to their sites if you want to check them out. Of course, I have dozens more I wouldn't be without, but these are a few of the ones I use daily. MyStuff2 - Inventories and manages everything! I'd be lost without it. http://www.maddysoft.com/iphone/mystuff/ Pray! "Pray! helps you keep track of people you need to be praying for in a simple, intuitive, and efficient way." That way when I tell someone I'll be praying for them, I have their names and concerns before me. http://pray.zerodeviation.net/ iBird Pro Spendy, but worth every penny. Snoop around the site and you'll see al the features. A detailed bird guide with videos, sound clips, photos...everything! I also have the iBird/UK version because they had a special sell on them. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibird-pro-guide-to-birds/id308018823?mt=8 Sewing Kit "Sewing Kit is your new home for all of your sewing needs! If you have ever been in a sewing store looking at patterns, but couldnâÂÂt remember if you already bought the one you like, or if the fabric you like will work with the project you are working on, then you will love Sewing Kit! Sewing Kit lets you search through all of your patterns, fabrics, projects, and people to make sure you are not buying something twice, or getting home and finding out you forgot to get something you really needed! With Sewing Kit you can store and search on all of your: - patterns - fabrics - projects - measurements for people All of these things, all in one place." https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sewing-kit/id382162683?mt=8 I don't play any games or do FaceTime, but I do have links to all the Garden Web/Home Site forums on the iPod screen so I can check in often and easily. I also have apps for Etsy, Ebay, Amazon, Houzz, Pinterest, Flylady, Pioneer Woman, Bernina, Schmetz, Learn Spanish, Project Quilt, Ian's Laces, How-to-tie-a-tie, History Here, Weather Channel, PBS, NASA, KJV Bible, TallyThings, Convert (Measurments), and on, and on, and on, and on. I use them all at least weekly.

As Divamum noted- I am amazed at the change in quality of life for our whole family. We went from tiny horrible nasty 1920's kitchen (fridge blocked a doorway, no counter space, stove blocked doorway, no vent....) to a marvelous kitchen that has the perfect feel. We captured 1920's charm with modern convenience. The space is so functional now- so much counterspace that it doesn't matter if there's a mess, there's still plenty of room. There's better lighting, more room all over. Not to mention a Wolf range that is amazing and a nice new fridge (Thermador freedom). Nothing hides in the back, nothing freezes in the fridge. We have this marvelous invention that is called a "dishwasher". My whole adult life I'VE been the dishwasher... On top of the function, there is beautiful soapstone that goes without oiling for months, and a beautiful floor of checkered marmoleum. Most of all, the function and space have now set me free to cook with my kids and throw dinners together after a long day out at work. We did tons of holiday baking and used cookie cutters for the first time (never had a clean enough, roomy enough kitchen to take that sort of time and care). The sheer space and pleasantness make the kitchen a focus for lots of living and entertainment. I'll also note the little desk we worked in to the side corner allows my husband or I to work late, but still be with family, and/or allows my daughter to do crafts galore. I knew I was yearning for a new kitchen, but I never thought it could make this kind of difference.