Estelle and Annette - Happy Spring back at ya! Annette - In the boating world, they talk of a condition called two-foot disease. "If my boat was only two feet longer, it would be perfect." Greenhousers probably get it too. Thanks, MeMo, the bags are heat sinks. There are two 5 gallon buckets of water inside each one. I was going to spray paint the buckets black, but Nell suggested wrapping them in garbage bags, since I was afraid the black paint wouldn't stick to the plastic buckets. I don't know if 100 gallons of water is enough to do the job, but I am going to stick a max/min thermometer out there tonight and start monitoring temps. I'm not planning on trying to use the soil inside the greenhouse to grow anything, as there is grass growing there and when I move the greenhouse in the summer, I don't want to step out of my basement door into a garden. :-) I think that there will be a hoop house in my future, depending on how I do with flower sales this year. OK, Patti. Let's get those seeds started! Terryanne, I see that you're in zone 5 too, and I hear you about heating expense. I'm just using my greenhouse, along with lights in my basement, as a plant starting area in the spring. My grandsons do love to go out there and play with their toy tractors in the dirt on a sunny day in the winter. I probably won't do any more than use an electric heater at night if I have to. Thanks for writing, all. ThinMan

Wow Jane, I am tired just reading about what all you did! Sounds like a wonderful time and lots of work and effort on your part. What a large group to entertain! So nice that your DH helps you with the decorating. Mine does not help with the inside at all. I carry everything up from the basement including the trees, all the boxes, ladders, etc. The only thing he does outside is put a blow mold Santa on our mailbox, although this year, he did run an extension cord from the backyard for some of the lights as they kept tripping the breaker this year! Again, getting everything down out of the rafters, off of the shelves, and put up is up to me! Sorry, I just needed to vent a little. I get a bit envious when I hear of other DH's that help with decorating. Anyway, looking forward to your pix. TFS, Candy

Good4u I personally like working on the Duets, as I can get access to anything I want, when its time to fix them. Both the two sides remove easy and the back to get access to functioning or not functioning parts. And also the top comes off for more access. Like any machines longevity, it all depends on how you use it. All FL or TL require being properly balanced, meaning that the legs are adjusted to a level reading, and you want to make sure also that the four legs on the underside of the washer are as far up not down, but as far up in the baseplate as you can,to get a level reading. Next if you keep your loads to a full-load level, not small loads, as all machines are really disigned for a full load. I also suggest that you not save all your washing up till sat/sunday and do them back to back. If you are a small family, or just one person, then guess you will end up doing them all on the week end. If you are a large family, with people changing clothes twice a day or more, then doing loads every day is again what this machine is really disigned to do. I have been into homes that have all girls, and they are in the 15-19 year range and they do a lot of changing, so washing every day, and not letting things stack up are the best for these machines. Another area that I also know well is "make sure you leave" the door open, and you wipe the glass, and clean the rubber seal and area with the holes in the seat, so that stuff doesn't build up in there and start stinking on you. Front loaders are a sealed unit when it is washing, not like the Top Loaders, they have space for air to circulate, but the FL's don't so leave the door open, and clean the rubber seal, wipe it dry. Once a month, use a hot wash, and bleach and let it run through a wash, but again, leave the door open and clean it daily or after each use. Read your Use&Care guide, take the time and read it and understand what it tells you. If you want your Duets to look after you, you have to look after it. If you don't it will cost you, like most machines do. Another valuble thing to remember, is clean out the pockets, tooth picks, ear rings, coins, you name it, I have pulled all that out of the pumps etc, and many times these items have damaged the inpellers on the pump so had to replace the pump. If you want your washer to live a long useful life, look after it. I think you have the best of the FL's and love how they made it for the service end. Good luck you you with your new Duets.

You look very nice with the brown hair. As a second suggestion to the web site - I would suggest trying on wigs in colours that you are interested in - because the websites don't always take into account your particular skin tone - I know this because I tried it - although it was a few years ago. I have very pale skin with a pronounced yellow undertone. My natural hair shade was auburn which turned iron grey in my 20s so I have single processed it to its natural shade since - I am now 59 - and have made it my mission to not have a purple based red - so far so good. My sisters had the Irish black hair and peroxided blonde in early 60s - big mistake - and I would have loved to have had that black hair. It was only after trying on a black wig that I realized how yellow my skin is - so then I tried on a blonde wig and it was even worse! Yet the computer model didn't show the horrors of it all. I wish I had the beautiful silver grey or white hair that goes so well with a pink complexion - of course I don't have either. So I am sticking with the auburn. But I will let it go iron grey before I colour it what I call "Angela Lansbury Taupe" - my benchmark for the colour I hate the most - on me particularly.