I'm the guy from SC pnbrown was referring to. In 2002, my father and I built a road worthy vacuum from an old 2-horse trailer and an 8HP Agri-Fab vacuum. I attached 6 feet or so of PVC pipe to the end of the flexible hose as a nozzle that I could hold. I soon found that it was easier to lay the nozzle on the ground and rake to it instead of moving it around because it would get jammed pretty easily if it was overwhelmed. I used it for a few years and then moved to another place where they bag their leaves, so I quit using it. I still have it. It should still work with a little tinkering. I'm in the process of upgrading, though. I have found that I have a tendency to bring home plastic bags and dump them whole and then they turn into a mess in the spring that I don't want to clean up. I do dump a lot when I get them home, but when I haul 200 at a time and head back out for more, I can't dump them all on the spot. I got over 1000 one year a few years ago. i still have plastic bag pieces all over the place when I till in certain areas. The upgrade... Same vacuum mounted on the rear of a 16 foot flat bed trailer with 6 foot sides and a conduit top covered with a heavy tarp. That's the plan anyway. I calculated it and with 4 foot sides, capacity would only be double what I had in the horse trailer. Maximum possible, that is. Not that I ever filled it that full, but it did come close on occasion. I have acquired the trailer frame and need service on the electic brakes and other wiring. And safety chains and a jack. And a tray welded on the rear for the vacuum to mount on. Once I get that done, I can add the bed of 2x6's and build the sides. There are stake pockets on the front and sides. I'll use metal roof pieces to make the sides solid. Then I'll cover it and give it a go. I drive a F-450 with an 8x12 dump bed on the back. So it's not great on fuel. Having a larger trailer means more collection per trip. More efficient (yeah, right). I have a couple of sub-divisions close enough that don't bag their leaves that make it worthwhile enough for me to visit. I live in Pendleton (Anderson county) about 2 miles from the county line (Pickens) where they vacuum all leaves in the city of Clemson. They will deliver vacuum truck loads of leaves to folks in the Clemson area if they are in Pickens county. Otherwise, I think they haul them 20 miles to the landfill site where they are composted. They will not deliver them to me even though I have offered to pay something for them. A vacuum truck load of leaves is worth paying for. So if they won't bring them to me, I'll take them. I got the funny looks from folks when I'd pull up with the horse trailer and start sucking. But quite a few folks would come out and talk to me about it. I can't wait to unveil the new and improved version. Probably next fall. I'm already popular with the baggers in Pendleton. They see me coming and some actually help load them. One old guy was complaining about how expensive the bags are, so I brought him a bunch back one time. Nice ones like he was using. What I really want is for some of the folks that are putting out bunches of bags at a time to quit using them altogether and let me suck them up. They'll like not having to bag them and I'll like getting clean leaves. Often pre-shredded and mixed with grass clippings! I love leaves! Here is a link that might be useful: The horse trailer vacuum - 2002

AAHH besides the little green house, I have an L section of "cold frame" made of landscape timbers and old windows on my back patio, my version of winter sowing, currently has about 10 flats, only about 1/3-1/2 full,not to mention those still under grow lights, so now- Crazy!!!- LOL i really just love to garden, next I'll be starting annuals-so they're blooming by mother's day and my cold season crops( spinach, cabbage, ect) Now you know all you Mid Ohio swap attenders will be reaping the benifits of my Lunicy, provided I don't have anymore close calls-haha

I own two silk (all silk) rugs I bought when travelling in Turkey. I bought them whilst with a colleague who grew up there, and who took me "where his Mom shopped". Mom was doing okay, it seems. : ) This was a very high end shop, and I had thought id get some great bargain. I fell in love with a small silk prayer rug that was way over what I'd planned to spend. I agonized and decided to splurge. Then, I also bought a larger, 8X10 rug, too... The credit card slip could not fit all of the digits, because the exchange rate was 240,000 turkish Lira to the dollar, so the transaction was in the billions of Lira. Crazy. At any rate, I was told it was best to hang them up and NOT use them on the floor. So, of course, I used one in my entry hall for several years, and the little one I now have in front of my pedestal tub. I have had no issue getting them cleaned, but have done so only twice for the large one, and never for the small one (more on that in a bit). A tipsy guest spilled red wine on the large rug once, and it came out. One of my kids tipped over their bottle another time, and, that stain did not come out 100%. You can see it in certain light. Recently there was a mysterious leak in my BA and my small silk rug was drenched through. I was on my way out the door for a school trip w one of the kids, so I asked DH to try to address it. This rug is one of my fave posessions so I was so distraught. I was so delighted when I came home and it was in place, perfect, looking especially clean and new. I was so delighted with DH! I asked him how he did it. "I hung it up, it dried". The same leak occurred a few weeks later. The rug once again was fine once it dried. Short answer: get it, enjoy it, be a little careful. PS Make sure everyone puts the "telephone" back the right way on tub hardware. The cleaning person would use the hand sprayer to rinse the tub, and replace it horizontally, causing it to drip onto the floor.

Alanna, I think MOST of us feel the same way! Those of us that have to grow them inside that is..Can you imagine how many people that don't even come here have the same issues? And worst yet, I have been growing them since I was 10 years old!! I have never had a perfect banner year with every tree, but thank God 99 percent of them do ok and the 1 percent that does not do well, goes in the trash! I feel your pain too. There is no perfect environment to grow them perfectly unless you grow them in an area they are accustomed t Oh the joys of this hobby...lol