What did she think-I have a really good friend who is a professor there. Several kids from Evansville go there and really have great experiences. Beloit is a bit strange however. The fish was good as usual. And I took my Christmas lights down before we went. People walking their dogs gave me lots of kudos.

This is an excellent topic, and one that we need to keep in mind if we want to see a robust future of gardening, much less rose gardening. I agree that we seem to be growing into a much more "indoor" culture, which to me transcends the concerns about too much device time in the younger generation (as I sit here typing this into a device...). It seems like outdoor time is compartmentalized into particular uses, mostly sports or commuting, and spending time in the yard for fun isn't usually a consideration. Goal oriented sorts may indeed get hooked with vegetable gardens, and that's a great hook for economic benefits as well. I think the key reminder for us here is the word "plants" rather than necessarily "roses" as an entry into the love of gardening, and to take to heart Josh's other post about enabling people he runs into casually. Every time I see someone new move into the neighborhood at large, I make a point of bringing them fresh produce and inviting them to stop by my yard and browse for free divisions of the many perennials I have to share. I figure it's a multiple benefit - getting something free means that there's no loss to trying, seeing something work in someone else's yard makes it more likely in yours, it makes people think that they COULD do something more than boring with their own yards, and I'm offering my help as a fellow gardener for advice. We ran into a new neighbor this weekend as my daughter and I were selling girl scout cookies up the street, and even though I didn't have any produce to offer at the time (duh - back to zero this week again), the new neighbor did look grateful at the prospect of being able to do "something" with her yard. The other thing we can do is literally as well as figuratively plant seeds with our own contacts in the next generation. My own kids are firmly convinced of the benefits of gardening in at least the tangible sense of food and smell and visual impact, though they're variable in wanting to help very directly. Regardless though, I keep throwing out information on basic garden problem solving when the opportunity comes up, and I know from my own experience how well some of that can stick in later years. I mostly learned gardening from the vegetable plots with my father, and didn't have my own yard till nearly 20 years later, but I could still hear his voice coaching me in techniques that have held through the test of time. I make sure to pass these along to the neighbor children, some of whom have parents who appreciate yards but are self-proclaimed "non-gardeners" (they even broke down and sold a beautiful greenhouse when they bought the place that I would have given my eyeteeth for). One of these days, those kids may grow up to want their own vegetables and flowers, and I haven't given up on passing along extra plants (including roses) to those neighbors yet either. I've basely corrupted every other neighbor on every side of me with roses and other plants, so I'm watching for my opportunities to share the love of plants when they're ready. Like every other aspect of gardening, encouraging others to love plants takes patience, but I'm never willing to give up on the challenge. Cynthia

Oceanna, in Ky the painters are outrageously high, as they are everywhere else, I suspect. Any estimates we've ever gotten have been based on the job rather than by the hour. Personally I am not a very fast painter, so I guess I would probably be making about $2 an hour! LOL. My hubby is somewhat faster, but less picky about straight lines, lap marks, etc. We got an estimate recently for $2400 that we thought was way high for the work to be done. It included walls and ceiling of utility room (14x8) for $300, ceiling of kitchen (13x14) for $200, garage walls & ceiling $450. Luckily we used the painter that dh uses for the rental houses at a much lower rate. He estimated $900-$1100 for a couple weeks work, not by the rooms. Thank goodness for that because I've had him painting about every door, baseboard, crown moulding and trimwork, plus almost every ceiling in the house! He hasn't completely finished yet, but has worked about 3 weeks and taken draws of $1000 thus far. DH tells me to pay him whatever he asks cos he's always been fair with his price. I know he works at lightning speed with almost perfect technique. If you enjoy painting, it sounds like a great way to make some extra $. Whatever estimate your neighbor has gotten, I'm sure you'll come way under that!!

(Had to scroll back to find the "nude dude". I like 'em.) I'm not a minimalist so all the "stuff" I would find interesting to visit. I'm not a fan of red rooms but so many over stuffed rooms I've seen pictures of are red so maybe that's part of the formula? The massive numbers of pillows on the sofas drive me nuts! I can imagine sitting down (daintily) and having them fall over my shoulders onto the floor, knocking the snifter of cognac out of my hand on the way down. Damage to expensive carpets be damned - I hate to waste cognac!