Okay, Smith Red Valencia is frequently available - I would try calling around your local larger garden centers. Usually Walter Andersen Nursery in Poway or San Diego has it or can get it, same with Armstrong Nurseries - they can usually find one for you. Not sure if Clausen's has them, you can try calling them to see. Lee x Nova is carried by Walter Andersen in Poway, that's where I got mine. Valentine is propagated by Durling Nursery in La Paz/Fallbrook. That is a HOOF, let me tell you, but they do deliver, and frankly, it's worth the delivery charge as they are way, way the heck west of Fallbrook literally out in the middle of nowhere (almost up against the east side of Camp Pendelton). You can also ask them if they ship their Valentine's to a nursery close to you, and possibly set up a special order with your local nursery through Durling's. CCPP allows you to order budwood. You would have to know how to cleft of bud graft, you would have to purchase rootstock, and you'd have to have the ability to keep your grafted trees in a moist environment. Citrus grafting is a little trickier than, say, stone fruit grafting. And, there is a wait of several years before you would see a tree large enough to support fruit. Patty S.

GL, It was $3 at a thrift store, and that's Aloe divericata. Stush, Thank you - I hope the content's readable as well. IMO, the Chinese terra cotta is substandard to that of the Italians, French or Germans (I find all three in the thrift stores) - there's a thinness in it I don't enjoy, but others do, apparently - it's all over the place. Dz, Too right about that RoRo sentiment! Yes, it changes colours, like the Aloe marlothii here, in winter. Email me privately please if you want them to come home to Papa. We need to swap some plants anyway. Don't you want some Canadian Crassula ovata? - I know you're one for exotic species (witness the predilection to Harrisia). I've got some small Agaves that might be ready to go East.

Oh Patty, sounds like you had some fun and found some real treasures. Isn't it great to do that and NOT spend very much money? I've bought some lovely pitchers at TS, my DIL loves them, and I've even kept a few for myself too. I was lucky enough to find one of the butter dishes too, even had a glass liner in it. I had planned to paint it like one I had seen in one of my painting magazines, but it is pretty just as it is so I've left it. I figured I could use it on my desk to hold paperclips, and I got a really fancy handled knife to use as a letter opener--fun to take something and repurpose it and give it new life. Karen, you are so right. I'd buy Judith's book in a heartbeat--she wouldn't even have to write a word if she didn't want to--just a collection of pics! ;o) Jaybird, don't forget to post a pic of your decorated sideboard so we can ooh & ahh over it too, okay? Luvs

I have a motor on one set of blinds that's not easiily accessible (I'd have to climb over a chair to get to the cord) and we really like it. The blinds were "Prestige" from islandblinds.com and while the motor cost as much as the blind itself since the blind wasn't terribly expensive it was no big deal. It was no harder to install than any of the other blinds since the motor was self-contained in the header bar: screw brackets into window frame, pop blind into brackets, attach valance. Big whoop. The hardest part was getting the darn valance snapped on, to be honest! The motor is battery-operated and the company said maybe once a year or so at the most often we'll need to take the blind down to pop in new batteries but after 10 months they're showing no sign of running down with being operated at least twice a day. (I think it takes AAs?) Obviously mitchdesj got something FAR more expensive and complex than we did to require hardwiring and an installer there for 4 hours!