THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU....I appreciate your good wishes! All in all it was a good day. After work I came home to find all 3 of my children waiting for me and my oldest daughter had baked me a cake. (Only one child left at home. My son is getting married in exactly one week on 7/7/07.) DH and I had a quiet supper with his parents, and then I ended the day spending some quality time with my roses. Not a bad way to celebrate my 47th. Thank you so much for your wishes & friendship, Celeste The birthday "girl", photo taken today

Thanks a lot you guys!!! I really appreciate the two birthday cakes! Now, I believe all that icing and the candles was just a coverup for a tasty chocolate cappichino cheesecake and a snickers chocolate cheesecake. I needed 2 cheesecakes 'cause everyone in the FN was able then to have some. They were sooo good! Back to reality. At 3:00am our 20 year old son woke us up to tell us that he brought a few friends home and they were going to use the hot tub. At 5:30 he woke us up again to ask us if he was in trouble...he had driven his friends back to their homes and on the way back here to our home, came across a drunk driver who had just finished totalling her car in the ditch. She asked for a ride to her home and so, he obliged and now wanted to know if he would be in trouble legally. We told him that no, since she did not hit anyone, it would be considered a single vehicle accident and it would be her choice to leave her car and go home for a few hours. By that time I was wide awake. So I got up, checked the FN and made my list/map for garage sales. Yes, Marg and I went garage saling. It was great! We had a wonderful time. What better way to spend a birthday than to do something you love to do with a very special friend. I bought stuff for the new office...2 clocks, coffee table and end tables, leather chair and ottoman...even a garbage can. For me, a spagetti strapped top (its original owner went to Thailand, bought it there and it shrunk so she couldn't wear it anymore...fits me perfectly), assorted scented body lotions (working in the garden in summer makes my feet and hands so dry I use a lot of lotion and love all the assorted scents out there these days), scrapbooking paper and stickers (someday I will get back into my stuff, maybe when things get slow at the office this winter), Partylite candle, christmas ornaments, tupperware (an oval 2 and oval 5 modular mate to go along with all my other modular mates with the assorted colored lids already at home), huge huge shallow wicker basket with a handle to plant up. Marg and I thought that petunias would look great in there. Marg thought it was large enough to plant 12 petunias in. So, today's job... A picture frame with dragonflies all around the frame, etc, etc. To go garage saling with someone who shares the same interests is wonderful...they can see an item and know exactly what you will do with it to make it better. Marg bought a number of baskets that, with a touch of paint, would look awesome. One garage sale we went to had some plants in the landscaping that we did not know. After talking to the owner, she gave me a baby and I will be posting a picture of its leaves later this week, when I get time, for you all to identify for me. She did not know what it could be. I had to make my own lunch and lunch for my DH and DS (who were mowing grass in the yard when I arrived home). I needed to have seafood at least once on my birthday so I made us some shrimp alfredo for lunch. In the afternoon I walked around my garden, taking pictures of my flowers blooming today. My DH and I went back to Brandon and picked up the furniture I purchased in the morning and took it to the office. My DD and her husband came over for supper, played Taboo, went for a walk down the country road (us and the dogs) and then came back to nibble on pineapple and watch a movie, the Wedding Crashers (a very morally wrong, lighthearted comedy). A great way to spend the evening, with family, doing no work. For my birthday cake today my DH bought two 1/4 cheesecakes from the best bakery in town, Sweet Temptations. I had my choice of a cappichino or a Snickers chocolate cheesecake. My DD and her husband gave me $ to buy plants and my DH bought me a new watch. My youngest son has been at a track and field meet near Winnipeg for the last few days and told me that I would get my present from him today. My 20 year old son also today. My DH bought a prime rib roast and we will be having a family supper here today 'cause my DD turns 21 tomorrow. Saturday turned out to be a wonderful day. Thanks for the 2 cakes! You all on the FN share the same passion for gardening as I do, and I am having a wonderful time getting to know you all better! Brenda

"Gary, out of sheer curiosity, what wholesale HVAC warehouses did you look into around our area (though I believe you bought it in PA, didn't you?)? Is there one for Trane/American Standard you checked out (do you think you could somehow get equipment from them?)? I think I recall you saying you priced an American Standard system for around $3k and was curious where this was." Ryan: I did indeed get an A/S quote "back in the day" when I first started looking. It was a Heritage 13 3-ton (don't think the air handler was v-s) with 15 kw strip heat for $3600. It was from Northeast Plumbing and Supply. They weren't too happy that I called them for pricing as I am not a pro. I wound up geting a 14 SEER, 12 EER, 9 HSPF Goodman. Copeland scroll, and a full 36,000 btu cooling and 35,000 btu heating. I went with the 3-speed air handler and TXV. Also got a hard-start cap, bypass humifier, filter/drier, sight glass, and condenser mounting pad. Paid $2500 for everything from DESCO, over the MD state line in Hanover PA. I picked everything up from their warehouse with a tow trailer. They provide the 10 year parts warranty. My wife works for a Property Management Company so I paid one of their pros $1200 to install it. 2 guys, 8 hours each. He had to fabricate 2 custom duct pieces for the installation. $3700 total for the new heat pump. So far so good with the Goodman. Take care.

Riesling Poached Pear Frangipane Pie Directions: Crust 1 9-inch Hannaford pie crust Poached Pears 4 cups water 1 Tbsp. lemon juice 6 pears, ripe but not soft 2 1/2 cups late Riesling wine 1 1/2 cups Hannaford sugar 1 lemon slice Frangipane Filling 1 cup blanched almonds 1/2 cup Hannaford sugar, divided 1/4 cup Hannaford flour 6 Tbsp. Hannaford unsalted butter, softened 2 large Hannaford eggs 1 tsp. Hannaford vanilla extract 1/2 tsp. Hannaford imitation almond extract 1 Tbsp. reduced poaching syrup 1. Bake pie crust according to package instructions for pre-baking an empty crust. Cool. 2. Prepare poached pears. In a large bowl, combine water and lemon juice. Peel, core, and halve pears, and place halves in lemon water. Set aside. 3. Combine wine, sugar, and lemon slice in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Once this syrup mixture boils, reduce heat and keep it simmering. 4. Drain pears and discard lemon water. Add pears to syrup. Poach for 5 minutes, turn pears over, and continue poaching for an additional 5 minutes, or until pears are tender when pierced with a knife. Remove pears from syrup and place on paper towels to drain. Continue simmering syrup until reduced to 1 cup, about 20 minutes. 5. While syrup simmers, prepare frangipane. Combine almonds with 1/4 cup of the sugar in a food processor and process until finely ground. Add flour and pulse until combined. 6. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium high to beat butter and remaining 1/4 cup of the sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until well incorporated after each one. Beat in vanilla and almond extracts and poaching syrup. Reduce speed to low, add ground nut mixture, and mix until just combined. 7. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread frangipane in pre-baked pie shell. 8. Slice 1 pear half into slices 3/8 to 1/4 inch wide without separating slices. Slide a spatula under pears to transfer without separating. Fan pear half by pressing on stem end. Slide fanned pear half on to frangipane slowly so you can place it correctly. Repeat with additional pear halves until frangipane has pear fans evenly spaced over it, with space in between. Place pie on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes, until frangipane is puffed, golden, and solid to the touch. If crust edges start to brown too much, cover them with foil. Cool on a wire rack. 9. To serve, slice remaining pear halves in half. Place a quarter pear on a plate, drizzle with poaching syrup, and place a slice of pie beside pear. Extra poached pears may be refrigerated in an airtight container for three to four days, covered with any remaining poaching syrup. APPROXIMATE NUTRITIONAL VALUES PER SERVING: 450 CALORIES, 62G CARBOHYDRATES, 6G PROTEIN, 19G FAT (7G SATURATED), 60MG CHOLESTEROL, 100MG SODIUM, 6G FIBER