I live in Northwestern WI. The USDA Hardiness zone map for the division of 3 & 4 runs right through my area. But I am also on a small strip of land on a hill between two lakes, surrounded by trees. I've easily killed zone 4 plants that were suppose to be indestructable. The electric company cleared out quite a few trees, so it might be closer to six hours now of sun, but it is definitely part shade. The intesity of the few hours of direct sun have killed shade plants (I lost a brunerra and a really cool looking geranium[cranesbill]). The lack of sun also decreased the pallet of my garden to pastels. Lots of pinks and purples and yellows. That New Dawn might just be the trick. It's lovely, and the pale color at that higher field of vision should play well with my other lower plants. I still like the Dr. Henry Upshall. It was cultivated by Hortico in 1993 according to Google. Still not sure if it can handle the lack of lots of sun though. I won't put anything new into the garden until Mother's Day, so I still have lots of time to research. Will be putting the Godkids to work in April on hardscaping after the frost finally heaves. Dr. says I can garden in April, but I doubt that means I can haul rock.LOL

Ellie, DD was one of my very first DLs and I still really like it. Joie de Vivre is supposed to poly sometimes, but hasn't yet for me in two seasons. Today I finally had a better bloom on Crystal Rapids: Flameburst had its FFO for this season (bad pic - it was in an awkward spot to get to) Greek Goddess - I'm a sucker for this kind of form. Thinking of You. I like the ruffles, but am not bowled over by the overall effect. Sunset Lagoon - not something I'd have chosen, but was a bonus from John Shooter. I'm liking it very much - good substance, commanding color. By the way, as you can see, we finally had rain! Happy Dance! Elizabeth

Christine -- I am very happy to hear that part of the burden has been lifted for you. I am always impressed with your positive, can-do attitude. Please talk to a qualified tax professional about your 2012 taxes. While cancellation of debt (COD) income is generally taxable, there are exceptions. The following is from the IRS website: "Is Cancellation of Debt income always taxable? Not always. There are some exceptions. The most common situations when cancellation of debt income is not taxable involve: Qualified principal residence indebtedness: This is the exception created by the Mortgage Debt Relief Act of 2007 and applies to most homeowners. Bankruptcy: Debts discharged through bankruptcy are not considered taxable income. Insolvency: If you are insolvent when the debt is cancelled, some or all of the cancelled debt may not be taxable to you. You are insolvent when your total debts are more than the fair market value of your total assets. Certain farm debts: If you incurred the debt directly in operation of a farm, more than half your income from the prior three years was from farming, and the loan was owed to a person or agency regularly engaged in lending, your cancelled debt is generally not considered taxable income. Non-recourse loans: A non-recourse loan is a loan for which the lender�s only remedy in case of default is to repossess the property being financed or used as collateral. That is, the lender cannot pursue you personally in case of default. Forgiveness of a non-recourse loan resulting from a foreclosure does not result in cancellation of debt income. However, it may result in other tax consequences." These links will give you some basic information: http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=179414,00.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancellation_of_Debt_(COD)_Income http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4681.pdf Here is a link that might be useful: IRS Pub 4681

ilene-84, Happy Birthday to your Dad! Is he a WW II vet? I hope all the medical issues are behind you and your family now. Spring is around the corner and it's such a great time of year. And, I'm sure when your kitchen is all done, it will be great simply because it has been a labor of love. It's good to know I am not the only one sleeping terribly. I wake up every day with a terrible headache and neck pain. I also wake up in the middle of the night repeatedly adding up cabinet sizes, trying to make a list of events of what should come next, what goes and doesn't go, if I do this then I have to do that and the infamous DID I MAKE A MISTAKE and what are my options now if I decide to change the layout. I started keeping a pen and paper on the night table to be able to jot down the ideas and make notes. However, one kitty is a pen thief, the other is a paper tearer. So when I get up to find the pen, big doggie has to come over and inquire as to what I am doing but more so to make sure he is not missing out on a food tidbit. Then DH starts in, what's wrong, is everything okay . . . it's so pitiful I have to laugh because I would cry. Now I try to get back into bed and find out that another kitty has stolen my warm spot and I just can't bear to move them so to the couch for me where I wonder, I just left that bed with all of them so how did we fit on there before! At least I'm off the kitchen biz. So much for the couch idea. There is usually the shy rescue cat there who so prefers DH to me. Then if I manage to lay down, it's impossible to get my back comfortable but then I finally fall asleep out of sheer exhaustion and then there is DH waking me, come back to bed, you know the couch is no good for your back. Argh . . just leave me be! This is a daily routine for us. I almost want to quit my day job and get a night job just so I don't have to go to sleep. I am sure also that the massive amounts of junk food I am eating is not helping the situation either. I am actually craving veggies so I don't know what that says about the diet. But in the end I will have a nice enough kitchen that I have built out of a labor of love. I am so looking forward to cooking again for us so hang in there! Christine, thanks for sharing your perspective on things. I must say you must be one strong resilient woman! You go girl.