Thanks everyone! HB - were you at the Phila Hosta convention a few years ago? This was one of the garden centers on the tour, not far from my house. They specialize in hostas and interesting perennials, but had a large section of DLs last year. These were the ones with no tags, hence the big sale. Thanks again for the comments, it was fun seeing them all bloom for the first time. Alexa

Do you go to venues where there is parking and catered food service? Or is shuttling and chance fare okay? I don't care about the food, but I only go where my car can go with me...I'm too old to carry my "stuph" all over the place. Do you attend events where the venue or the exhibitors can arrange shipping and delivery or do you simply haul your purchases away yourself? :^) see above (^: Do you have particular seasons when you prefer to go to or exhibit at shows? I like spring and fall the best summer and winter are either too hot or too cold and sometimes rainy... Do you prefer vetted shows or similar where exhibitors are required to know their stuff; or do you prefer to take your chances or rely on your own knowledge? The stuff that I sell I know enough about to sell it...usually because I have asked LindaC before hand :^) Do you go with a specific era in mind, or are you open to objects from periods outside your expertise? I am open to anything that really grabs my attention... Do you go in hope of finding a good piece for your decor or as a spotter for another dealer, or are you buying with specific clients in mind, or is this all a mighty adventure? always a grand adventure Do you go to learn about antiques (therefore sign up for the lectures) or don't you care as long as you go home with a treasure? I AM an antique, so I usually just treasure hunt Do you go to venues offering 1000 dealers or to venues with only a few dozen exhibitors? A few dozen...more are too distracting...now if they are in separate buildings, more is fine! Do you go to venues offering free or cheap appraisals by non-certified people? If so, do you follow up on their comments by research of your own? I do quite a bit of research on my own, but appraisals don't enter my field of vision... Have you attended venues where objects are obviously mis-identified, married, or suffer heavy attrition, of which the seller is apparently unaware? If so, do you offer to help the seller correct the discrepancies? I mumble and gripe if the objects are blatantly mismarked, but I don't try to advise unless asked! When you pick up an exhibitor's business card, do you indicate on it a specific item in which you are interested? Do you call the telephone number listed, or do you prefer to visit a website first? I do mark them with the item I am interested in, and yes I would love a website. If no site, then yes, I use the phone number. If you are at a fair, do you expect to see a range between collectibles and higher end merchandise, or do you pick shows based on typical merchandise that is pretty standard in era and value from booth to booth? I pick fairs/antique malls etc., just by size and cleanliness. Part of my complaint with the shows/stores/malls, has to do with people smoking in the building....I turn around and walk right back out! I'm allergic! For those of you located in Northeastern US what shows have you done, visited, or recommend? I'm from the northeast, but highjacked to Texas!

You want spoiled....read this. Our department provides laptops for our students to borrow for a week at a time. They come with a wireless mouse and a flashdrive. I have a student who borrowed the laptop and left the flashdrive in the library. The library called to let me know and I retrieved it. She came in and didn't apologize for losing it. Well, I let her borrow the laptop for another week and she again left the flashdrive in our computer lab. But this time some one walked off with it. She called and told me the day before the laptop was due back. I told her she would have to pay for the flashdrive and replace it. After being quite snotty (again with no apologies) she replaced the flashdrive. I then told her that her privilages were suspended for a month and she again got snotty. My boss finally told her that borrowing a laptop was a PRIVILAGE and not a RIGHT! My point is that she didn't care that she lost the flashdrive twice and she feels she is entitled to borrow the laptop. SamKaren your resident DJ

This is so true Moni!! LOL I especially can relate to this one Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ'd usually talk over the beginning and mess it all up!