Hi all, I just sent out the email with my address and directions to everyone who's sent me their email address. If it doesn't show up in your inbox (or your spam box!) soon, let me know and I'll try again. Here's the list of people who should be receiving it: aloha2009 autodidact b2alicia billie ladybug catnohat chcolatecat gardenfiend gjmancini jclepine juletee kvenkat lattefairy (+ gardendreamer) laura 42 lindy loo (+ 1) mayberrygardener milehighgirl mstywoods petuniamel polygonum provogirl pumpkin2010 redley_gardener serpentmoon singcharlene sorie6 (+ 1 or 2) sugaralice tobaira tommysmommy treebarb (+ 1) TVo Woliver ***** I STILL NEED EMAIL ADDRESSES FOR THESE THREE PEOPLE. ***** If you still want to come to the swap, Private Message your address to me by going to "my page" and click on "send me a message." We'd all love to have you come, but I need a way to contact you! dsieber lealeigh ragrif A couple reminders! Please be sure to bring a serving spoon if your dish will need one, and please be sure there's some way to keep your dish covered. If you'll need to reheat something when you arrive, the microwave/stove/oven will be available for your use! With any plants you bring, please be sure they're labeled some way\-\-\-more info about labeling in my very first post at the top of this thread. And please be sure your plants are watered the day before the swap\-\-so they're not too wet to transport, but so they won't be wilting during the swap. If you haven't already read all the Swap FAQ's at the top of this thread, especially if this is your first swap, I recommend you look them over so you'll have some idea of how we do it! It's fun to see several new people coming to this swap! For the demonstration, in addition to the propagation info, I'm planning to include some basic info on soil (gonna show you all why I say never, never use Hyponex soil!), on shopping for perennials, planting them, caring for them, and some other miscellaneous stuff! This is going to be an "interactive" demonstration, and I'll keep talking and answering questions as long as people are willing to listen\-\-and participate! I mentioned this on one of the other threads, but, again, if the weather is nice, as NOAA is now predicting it's gonna be, you'll be in the sun for at least part of the day\-\-\-so don't forget the sun screen if you'll need it! I still have several private emails that I was hoping to be able to respond to individually, but I may not have enough time to do it! If you emailed me and I have your name on the list above, and you got MY\-\-just sent\-\-address email, you're all set. I apologize if I don't get around to a private reply! If you have any general swap questions, please post them here, rather than emailing them to me, so possibly somebody else can help to answer them. At least a couple of you have emailed that you're not going to be able to make it by 11:00. That works just fine too, and we'll hold off on the eating until at least noon or a little bit later so most people are here before we start. And if people are spread out a little bit it'll probably work out better anyway since the walk into my backyard is only "one\-person wide!" So we'll see you all when you get here! ******* THE SWAP IS SUNDAY, MAY 22, STARTING AT 11:00 A.M. ******* If you're just seeing this for the first time, it's not too late to decide to come! As long as there's time to get your email address to me, and for me to send you the address and directions, everyone is still invited to come! The more the merrier! See you all next Sunday, Skybird P.S. LatteFairy, it was JUST sent, and I haven't gotten anything back from MailerDaemon, so wait a couple more hours to see if it arrives (be sure to check your spam box), and let me know if you still don't get it by morning. (I got your email and it's one of the ones I haven't had time to respond to privately\-\-but I have you and GardenDreamer down\-\-don't have an address for GardenDreamer, so you're the only one getting the email.)

While it is true that the EPA RRP Rule does not apply to homeowners working on their own home, there are still the health problems associated with lead poisoning for you and your family. There is also the problem when you go to sell your home, one of the documents you have to fill out as a seller is a lead disclosure form. I'm not a Realtor but I've been told by many Realtors that it's very difficult to sell a home that has been renovated, repaired, or painted without following the EPA RRP Rule. Another option on the covering is to lathe and stucco the house. My own house had lead paint on two sides. It also had very little insulation so we opted to place 2" foam board on the house, lathe and stucco. The lead paint is behind all of that so will only present a problem if someone decides to add a window or door!

Berniek is right: Much of the blame here falls upon the shoulders of the politicians (led by then-President Clinton), who forced banks to begin some rather foolish lending practices. Alan Greenspan certainly did his share to push this concept of "everyone can borrow" during his time as Fed chairman. Between creative financing, no money down offers, and other such options, the government has given people plenty of rope with which to hang themselves. We Americans haven't proven ourselves to be particularly strong in the moderation and self-discipline categories over the last 30-40 years. Also, remember the climate that existed in the 90s, when I bought my first house: Spurred on by the soaring housing prices, people were convinced that buying "as much house as you can afford" was a good move. Housing was considered an investment that couldn't fail. Yes, the experts began preaching about "the housing bubble" long before it hit, but the masses couldn't grasp how this sure-thing could ever fall. And there's always been a (faulty) basic belief that "If I couldn't afford it, the bank wouldn't lend it to me." I fully agree with those who say that Real Estate agents will push buyers to their upper limits and beyond, and banks will lend what they can -- it's all about profits for them. Yet, the home owner DOES also bear the brunt of personal responsibility. After all, who cares most about whether I can afford my mortgage -- and still buy groceries and other things I need? Clearly, it's ME! I reap the rewards or punishments of my decisions, so I should do the math and know whether I can comfortably afford a house (or anything else) before I buy it. However, we've sort of left that thinking behind in today's buy-now-pay-later society. We're constantly told that "we deserve" this or that thing. That if we're going to finance it, we deserve to have exactly what we want. That "everyone" has debt. We've got to get past that.

At age close to 80, living on less than my pensions, my assets are about 80% in stocks ... and I bought some more, a couple of weeks ago. I wasn't watching on Mon., but if I had would likely have bought something solid. Go to "Yahoo", click on "Finance", at top left there's a box labelled, "Get quotes", enter "BRK-B", then click on the box. You'll get a repoort of the open, high, low and close of the smaller Berkshire-Hathaway stock for the latest day, with current and average volume, and there's a chart of the price progression during the latest day on the right. Under the chart box, click on "6m" or "1 y" to find chart showing closing prices, daily or 3 days, for the recent 6 months or 1 year. If you'd like to see the price action during those days, above the chart there's a choice of "Bar" (which click on) or "Line" (or another for candlestick). Or try "JNJ" or "BAC" (Bank America). Or try "TD.TO" (Canadian bank, TD Canada Trust) or "ABX.TO" (Barrick Gold) or "ENB.TO" (Enbridge) or "TRP.TO" pipelines, "ECA.TO" (EnCana -natural gas), "NXY.TO" (Nexen - petroleum), "POT" (potash, a major fertilizer), all but the first are major resource providers, plus giving you some assets based in non-U.S. dollars. But - if the U.S. economy gets a cold, the Canadian one usually gets pneumonia. However, those resources are sought in many parts of the world. If you'd like to see a list of open, high, low and close, plus volume, and dividend rates (for some) click on "Historical prices" near top left. What's better than putting your money into the bank? Buying the bank! Let others' money work for you. Good wishes for wise use of your resources. ole joyful