Oh NOOOO!!! I told my Sis-IL that deer would eat her hosta (she was given some recently and I had given her some a couple of years ago) and they hadn't touched any of the ones I gave her (S&S and Blue Angels) but this year, the deer came out of their woods and devoured the 'Plantaginea' and 'Royal Standards' she'd just gotten! So sad--I don't know if I'd even try to keep going with hosta if it were a rampant problem for me. Who knows, in time they may venture into our part of the neighborhood as I understand they can even jump 12 ft. (and higher)fencing!! I'm so sorry, Alexa--if it ain't hail it's deer, huh and then there's those voles, slugs, neems and hvx--life can be tough on a hosta--really!

It was amazing. The owners of my old house let us come and recreate the old picture of us in high school, and I stood in for my brother. The owners are a young couple and they're restoring my house to it's former glory! And they're using the same jewel tones my mom used. He was just as excited to meet me as I was at seeing my house. We exchanged email addys and he's going to keep me updated. The party was fantastic. I was the only one that no one saw since high school, so there were a lot of deep hugs, tears, and lots of laughter. Our conversations picked up where they left off. :) A funny. I had three cousins (sisters) growing up whom I haven't seen since I was a little girl. A lady walked into the house where the party was, she looked at me, I looked at her, and she goes, "I know you, don't I?" I said "We're cousins!" HUGE hug. My friends house. I kid you not, inch by inch of that house should be in a magazine. High end french country decorating with a layered look, but still airy. Now she went to design school which explains a lot. The guest bedrooms were bigger than a master bedroom. Full of staffordshire K.C. spaniels, Roosters, and rabbits, but not in your face. Everything was either an antique or a high end reproduction. Every picture on the wall was in an ornate frame. The backyard patio, was built into separate "rooms." A dining table that seats 10, a living area with full size sofa and chairs, an outdoor TV, a full size kitchen, and down the walkway a big brick fireplace. And a pool of course. When we sat outside before going to bed in the freezing weather, she flipped a switch and this huge heater which I couldn't see came on from above. I was about 15 feet from it and let me tell you. I felt good! Then she brought me home and my first thoughts about MY house was, "What.a.dump." LOL My son and his family were here so she got to meet them and my grandkids, which was neat. Not sure if I mentioned this or not, but her DD and my DIL are teachers at the same school in my area! What a small world!

marys1000: "Drawbacks, 25-30 miles from work, part of which is a divided 4 lane with lights that backs up a lot (commute time and gas prices." Been there, done that, will never make that mistake again. Keep in mind that traffic never decreases. It will only get worse over the years. When we first came to the D.C. area about 20 years ago, we moved to a semi-sleepy suburb about 25 miles from downtown. It took me about 45 minutes to commute down a four-line divided road with several stoplights that would occasionally back up during rush hour. Within 5-7 years, the commute turned into an hour and 15 minutes each way - - IF - - I left the house before 7:00 in the morning. It was a real nightmare if I left later than that. And that was after the road had been expanded from 4 lanes to 6 lanes. We had to move in order to regain any semblance of quality of life. Never again.

Yes, florantha, it counts. :) aliris19, I understand the weight. It's a responsibility. My neighbor a few years back finally lost a long battle with breast cancer. She was long divorced, so ostensibly single. No kids. She had an antique, family doll collection. We're talking her grandma's grandma's dolls. None of her relatives wanted "that old stuff". I was so sad for her, in that the things she loved, weren't. Somehow I knew that would make her so sad. I think I cried more for this loss for HER, than her passing. She was ready. I'm not sure where everything did go, but another neighbor and I made certain her kitties were safe and together. I am single (divorcing, no kids), and my other sister is the same. Recently we started taking family things back to my 75 y.o. mom's house, because she lives next to my other sister, who has 4 kids. We figure, when we buy the farm, who is going to know what's what? Generational furniture, artwork, jewelery, photos, etc. My youngest sister's 3rd child has begun genealogical research, so I took a breath and took all my 13 years of research info to them last summer. We went through everything together, and bless her 13y.o. soul, she even took notes. My sister finds value in these things, too, so I have faith in this generation! With all my visual clutter, about which I frequently b!tch, other than a kitchen, I need the warmth of story and history. I've learned here that I'm definitely traditional in decor. I learned in our house fire that nothing is as valuable as I'd always believed. They're just things. However, they warm my life and I'm glad much was smoke damage so pieces were saved. In my kitchen? I gotta hide the stuff for a few years. After my mind and eyes get some peace, I'll probably start bringing out the things I love. Sterility isn't warm. Clean, but not warm. Someday, when things are finished...