Great week of quotes Lilo! I can't find a favorite in Saturday's quotes, except to say that I'd like to have all three sitting around my dinner table. Imagine the conversation!

As for me, I do think going Geo is the right thing to do, so I have been looking into it seriously. I just get very annoyed and frustrated by the ridiculously high prices of the estimates in my area, versus estimates for the same thing that others are getting in theirs. A five ton Envision Water Furnace unit - no wells, manifolds or electric - ought to cost the same anywhere. If it costs roughly $7,600 in other parts of the country, I don't appreciate being told that the least I can get it for in mine is $22,000. And, please don't anyone give me that stale argument about shipping cost, it can not triple the price. If it did, I'd go pick a unit up myself - which on thinking about it is not a bad idea. Then, that brings me to well diggers. They're a fun bunch, but perhaps I am being a bit hard on them because I just had to go without water in our house for 30 hours because I had to have my well clorinated for the coliform bacteria introduced into it by the guy who replaced our well pump a while ago. He neglected to treat it at the time. Oh, well, what's a bit of bacteria between friends. But, it sure is nice to have running water again! Anyway, I have been getting estimates for a closed loop well system for a geo install. So far they range from $18,000 to $58,000 for exactly the same specs. Then, they ask if I wanted manifolds to be included also... that will be extra. Bottom line, I'd love to be able to get geo for as low as $6K a ton, but that's not going to happen in my neck of the woods. Yet, I see people posting in other areas of the country who are able to get exactly what I need for between $18 and 28K, soup to nuts - top of the line 5 ton unit, three 300' closed loops, piping and manifolds, electric, new ducting for the same sized house as mine, thermostats, etc. I can not help thinking that something's wrong with the picture around here. I think if there was more competition, the local picture would improve.

Rats: observations on the history and habitat of the city's most unwanted inhabitants - Robert Sullivan

Dr Edward Jenner: The Man Who saved the World from Smallpox - George Smith (leel, from where I am now sitting I can see across the fields and the distant River Severn to the small town of Berkeley where Jenner lived and carried out his experiments) Here is a link that might be useful: Edward Jenner