Thanks, Wanda! I looked in a couple of nurseries and a big box store, but didn't see any (except ferns, which I'll likely buy there.) There were other salvias, but not black and blue. I know Turk's Cap will likely make an appearance later in the season, but I'm leaning toward the variegated type, which I haven't seen in widely available in past years (though in a different state.) And I want them planted sooner so that they can grow and flower by the time summer is in full swing. I'd love to visit and browse more nurseries, but with a toddler and baby and being a one-car family, I don't seem to find the time to do that. Unless I know for sure that a nursery would have them, but I haven't found that yet. I'm definitely open to suggestions on where to look though!

Lynn we are in a very similar place about our house - it's too big for us at this stage of our lives. We use most of the square footage in some way - because it's there - but could easily manage with half ! Our youngest will be graduating from college next May and HOPEFULLY will be employed and able to support himself but who knows? Our older son works for the forest service but those gov't jobs are shakey, to say the least, so we always want to have a place where they can land if needed. So.... we keep the big old house - for now. Stuff? I reached a saturation point many years ago and continually work to pare down. But it's back to that big house thing again - I'm not going to live in empty rooms so there's still far more STUFF than I actually need. When my mom died and I helped my dad move into an apartment, tons of family stuff came my way. Eleven years later when my dad died, the rest of it came to me. We've all talked about this before - the pull of family items and how hard it is to get rid of some things. But it has to be done so over the years I've pared down to the things that have the most meaning and passed the rest on in one way or another. I have dreams (nightmares?) about moving into a small home and having boxes and furniture stacked everywhere because I didn't sort and get rid of enough before moving!! Gifts? I could write a book. Christmas at my in-laws used to make me physically ill with the insane buying and giving of cr@p. It doesn't matter to me a bit how much time is put into the shopping and wrapping, or what the item is. When someone (namely my MIL) is purchasing *stuff* because of a date on a calendar and is obsessed with getting the same # of packages for each person, because that's "just what you do for Xmas" I want no part of it. We'd been married only a short time when I told my DH that I was opting out. He was totally on board. It was a sore spot with everyone in his family for many years but we held firm. We just stopped buying. Our kids would get everything they needed and some of what they wanted all through the year at a time when it made sense to get the item, not an enormous pile o' stuff, all on one day, much of it to be returned, exchanged or donated. And that returning/exchanging all fell to me, of course. A few years of that and we started just donating everything, in the boxes, tags still on. Give me a quiet day, with my family cooking together, laughing and going for a long walk...... THAT'S the gift I want.

moccasin - those are some nice lights! i can see why you like them. I bet they're more than 20-30 $s each tho... I loved that the globes come in colors... I'd stay away from the red tho. OTOH that could be good for an emergency signal to a neighbor. I'm too poor to pay much for the lights - even if I find a SWern one i like it's sure to be more than 30.00 and I think I should limit it to that. I need 3 - plus a few (plus) inside need replaced based on they are UGLY. I found these 2 at lowe's. both plain but would do the job - cheaply. it'll probably be the first one unless I find something better for the price in the store. around 25.00 with clean lines. I'd have to see how my chubby little fingers fit for changing the bulb. it's better I don't have to mess with those little screws and chance dropping the globe since things seems to jump out of my hands. I remember changing bulbs in the screw on globe type yrs ago. max wattage is 100w this one is about 21.00. I like it, again clean, simple lines - this one has a frosted globe. has the little screws tho and max wattage is 60w.

I have one wood chest dedicated to memories. It rarely gets opened, but I do feel good knowing the memories are in there. Most others I throw away or donate after I have had them for awhile. I am doing a major decluttering now to make room for recent purchases. Read the Marie Kondo book to learn how to let go of stuff that does not "spark joy". I have been purchasing a lot of colorful dishes and decor to decorate the dining table with and it makes me really happy. I can change up the table when I feel like looking at a new color palette or theme. I love putting new combinations together - it makes the house feel like home, and gives me something new to look at when I feel like I need a change. Most importantly, it is a creative outlet. So, it may not be memories that make you happy when you are older. It may be color, shape and form. Or scenery or photography. Or kitschy stuff. Or little toys, or flowers or candles or shiny things or antiques. It's ok to let go of stuff and replace it with new stuff. Down the road, you may want to replace the new stuff with different stuff. Anything you donate has the potential to make someone else happy for a time, then they may let it go, and so on, and so on.