zookeeper, that is not enough space (the circle of bricks)for a live oak. In the next 10 years it will probably outgrow that space and you will have more patio paver trouble. Which do You want, the patio as it is or the tree? Not sure exactly how close the tree is to your house, but if there is one oak tree that you could have close to your house it would be the live oak. It is very wind resistant and the wood from these trees was used to make Old Ironsides because of its physical properties. They usually survive huricanes very well. That said they also can die of a fungus depending on where your are at. Then you are faced with removing it. We have two 12" diameter ones at 24 ft. from house. Every other year I prune lower branches to direct them away from the house, other wise they would grow over the roof. Eventually the upper limbs may do the same, but we're not there yet. There are hundreds of houses in Waco built just as close to large live oaks as yours seems to be without too much obvious hassle, so it can be done. If it were me, and you need the shade, and tree is in open with no other competition for sun, I would leave just the middle fork so you can have a balanced tree, one that grows limbs out in all directions and doesn't lean toward the house. With every other year pruning you should be able to keep limbs off of the house without much hassle. These trees typically don't get over 45' tall unless they are in a lot of competition for sun. If you're from a drier part of the country where trees seldom exceed 35' you might leave all 3 forks.

I buy the single fans since they are cheaper and I wouldn't be able to afford some of the newer lilies as double fans. Just like seeds, I'm willing to wait a little until they bloom to offset the price. As far as bonues go, I'd rather have bonus of fans of the lily I purchased than something I don't like. I've thrown out many a bonus because of this. And I've never noticed this "bonus policy" except in the daylily world! I always thought it was nice, but strange. I don't get bonuses at Walmart, so I wouldn't expect one here. Nice, though, don't get me wrong. As far as the auctions, I got rid of a ton of daylilies in 2012 so I could make room for some newer and fancier ones. I've gotten some great ones this year with some good prices. I've got about 10 more lilies on my list to go and I've already purchased 5 in the Fall and have 7 coming in the Spring. I can't wait!!!

Hi, Terry. I am undergoing a similar decision at the moment. I am in Columbia (and agree with some of the above posts that Howard Cty. is likely to be a better draw when the BRAC comes than AA because of schools and the reputation of Columbia, whether one agrees with it or not). I bought this single-family fixer in 2003 for $292; have put $65gs into it (as of tomorrow, when the installers arrive to put in the new AC/heat pump--not something I planned for but now unavoidable). I am trying to decide about leaving and am more and more leaning toward NOW. This is so even though our prices on average in Howard are up a bit (I think around 3%) over last year. Good looking, improved, well-presented property gets into contract in six weeks to three months these days; the rest sits, prices are cut, and so on. With the many improvements (and my house backs to a lake/woods, has a garage, fireplace, and other such goodies), I'm not too worried about selling. My issue is more about where to go, which is into a condo (there are many, prices have dropped some, but perhaps no longer). Our "family" realtor (not a relation but he has handled purchases and sales for us for almost a decade now) advises me: if you want to go "soon-ish", do it now. Why? While he feels prices could continue to go up a bit--and the BRAC will help, when it hits--he feels that interest rates are the thing here. If they start to climb, buyers will have to drop prices and/or drop them more. Your comfort level with your sell price is something only you can determine (as with all risk), but I wanted to share that. Also to wish you luck: it is a very tough decision to make and it is worth thinking it through, pros and cons.

Thanks. I have also heard it said many times, "A clean house is a sign of a sick mind." I have also heard, "A clean house is a sign of a broken computer." Chasing dust has never been my forte. Many times when my sister would come to visit, she would be quite critical of dust. After she had a baby, she no longer 'fretted over dust' at my house or hers. I even saw dust bunnies at her house, but never mentioned it. I was glad she had gotten a life, and it was no longer centered around chasing dust. One can dust well one day, and it will just be back to some degree in a day or so. I prefer to just do a really good cleaning every so often, in my 'spare' time, or before I expect company. Please don't date my dust Sue