Rusty is right. JD dumped many small dealers and now you have to drive for parts. They don't follow the successful Walmart program of many little profits making a huge profit. Bad move in my mind. As a part time job, I service, on average, one machine every day of the year. 90% are Sears, or MTD. I really have to do almost no repair on the bodies, mostly routine stuff on the engines. I always loved my Wheelhorse 312A, non-Toro, but when I bought a used JD316, I have to honestly say that JD has it all over my Wheelhorse. Neither one has nickeled and dimed me, but my Eaton hydro pump did fail on the Horse after about 1000 hours. That set me back $800 for the part.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is probably one book that I read before seeing the movie - and I still enjoyed the movie!!! Unusual, and I have been to Savannah since, and was fascinated by the city!! I don't read nearly enough anymore - the upcoming hospital stay will change that. I love English mysteries - PD James, Deighton, Dick Francis - pure escapism. I am slogging my way through "And No Birds Sang", WWII, Farley Mowat - I love his writing, and it is the stories of the Allies landing in Sicily, and the battles up to Rome. My Dad was there, so I need to put it down often. If you are interested in the sea, Mowat's "Grey Seas Under" is a very moving biography of a tug boat. Yes, a tug boat, and you will come to care for that boat like a friend, or favoured pet!! Nancy. - oh yes, and I loved the mini-series a Year in Provence - how could you not love something with John Thaw in it!!!

Maxmom, I agree, The Devil in the White City is not fiction. It is what is what I call "historical fiction". Though based on history (and a lot of it for sure) there are obviously things in the storyline that are unknown to the author, especially in the serial killer's private life. What makes this story a little less like a true historical fiction is the fact that all of the main characters were real, not created in the author's mind, but I still see it as historical fiction. Regardless, the story was fascinating. Jodi-

I read #1, forced myself to the finish #2, & opted to just ask my friend how it all turned out in #3. I've never read a Harlequin book so maybe this is customary.... but the part I find disconcerting about the 50's books is this: If Christian Grey were of mediocre looks, poor to average income, we would label him as a pervert & a stalker, a man with huge control issues (not just in the sexual realm), misogynistic, very jealous, & deeply scarred emotionally. The story line jumped the shark for me when he got away with really invading her privacy & stalking behaviors. We would tell our dtrs, grand-dtrs, sisters, nieces to RUN from a man like this. But .... NO.... this man is drop dead gorgeous & has a BAZILLION $$$$$'s. Therefore, anything can be overlooked. I know the story line is a flight of fancy, but I'm not sure that culturally, we don't also buy into this type of excusing the behavior because of looks/money. How could an educated, smart woman, a virgin, who was so very unaware of her own physical beauty, seemingly with near zero sex drive prior to meeting/doing Christian zip right to nymphomania & buy into dangerous sex games with basically a stranger ... all in the blink of an eye? The implausibility of the story line was a turn off to me... even aside from the multi-orgasmic repetitiousness of ALLLLLL that sex...... No, I don't get the fascination with the "50's"...