This is the first time I found a nest in my hanging basket. I wasn't sure how to manage watering it, I don't want to disturb the mother and her eggs but I don't want to dry the basket out and have the flowers die. And I am sure Mama Bird doesn't want that either, right now the flowers and leaves conceal the nest well. I've been using a small watering can and carefully placing the spout in the rim of the pot and watering. It seems to work out well, the flowers are fine. I don't know what will happen to it as the babies hatch and grow, probably then it will take a beating. But, after all, this is just a mother trying to raise a family, I guess losing one basket is not that big a deal. But next year I may use the skewers or plastic knives to prevent it.

Just a question: I was scanning this thread and didn't see if you took up the suggestion to take some dishes with you to try loading them into both the Miele and the GE/Monogram (I'm assuming the layout won't vary too greatly between the Profile and Monogram lines). I mention this because when I took this forum advice and went into the store with some of my biggest/most awkward cookware and dinnerware, I was disappointed to find that they simply didn't fit well into the Miele. Cost wasn't the issue for us. My main priority was flexible loading, and because of this we ended up with a different brand DW. I have nothing against the cutlery tray, but I needed a lot of height inside the DW, and so had to eliminate the third tray models. Like all appliances these days, there are so many different brands and models, you have to find something that works well for your lifestyle and cooking ways - because not every appliance is optimal for each individual.

Sorry to take so long to get back to this thread. Very happy to get so much input. Thanks! Sandy, good to know that you've used Seventh Generation and good to hear that Sears has one that seems to work for people. Thanks for sharing all the comments you have heard on different machines. cynic...Yes, I've heard that from the appliance store that we have dealt with over the years. They also do the service calls and he thought that a good portion of the probs people have are because they are either using cold water or too much detergent or not the right kind of detergent. Going to spend some time this afternoon looking into Speed Queen. Thanks mattstarr as well. Liriodendron....hello fellow gardener. [g] I LOVE to hang clothes outside. We bought two retractable lines for outdoors and haven't got them up but hope to soon. What's better than fresh sheets and towels off the line? We also try to buy no chemicals on our clothes and hate the 'no iron' clothes that are more and more the norm. No seasonal allergies here either. I also love sleeping with open windows. My mother used to tell me stories of how their family always had windows open in the winter but kept snuggly under thick comforters. I will make sure to look for that heater and figure out if it functions correctly. Thanks. Yes, I hadn't thought of the fact that using the front door dryer is already a fact of life, I suspect as suburbanmd points out, it would just be more of what we would like to avoid. Something to think about though. I have been told by the appliance dealer that with new Top Loaders you are not supposed to shove all the clothes in, but carefully load by dropping clothes in one at a time. Still they come out tangled and wrinkled according to some.

My favorite is really obvious - an old diaper pin I stick through the hand towel to keep the kids from throwing it on the floor every time they wash their hands. So simple! Old spice jars lining my window sills rooting plants (too cheap to buy them (plants and jars).) Jars of every sort to store rice, beans, sugar, etc. Sheets with those cool clip-on rings as curtains all over the house - give a prize to the one who invented those! Vinyl table cloth on floor in my daughter's art area. Blanket/quilt the movers left behind (they didn't want to come and fetch it) used as dog bed. Two terra cotta pots with a door on them as a table. A pottery chip/dip dish set on a log as a bird bath. Shoe boxes covered with pretty wrapping paper for art supplies. Ditto for photos. A wooden toddler bed used as a window seat - I covered the mattress with an old velvet drape - looks pretty elegant! Old coffee table painted and used as a bench in my entry way. Old cookie sheets underneath used as boot trays. Clothesline and clothespins running down the hallway holding my daughter's paintings. Book shelf turned on its side and used as window seat/toy storage. Video display rack from Walgreen's they were throwing away, got plastic bins, and now a place for the rest of the toys that rolls away. An old rolling metal typing table, painted cute and used as a tea table. File cabinets used as night stands. My dining table is an old conference table. Weighs a ton but takes a beating and looks great. that's all I can think of for now.... Best wishes to all my fellow inventors! Amy