Have you ever seen the big tall poles with a propellor on them. They produce energy and for most people who put them in they produce more energy then they use and they start getting a check from the electic company instead of a bill. Problem is for most people the amountof money they are saving is not even close to the cost of the generator. (Est. $10-20,000_ With a bill of $500 dollars a month it would pay for itself in four years and then your electric is essentially free. I don't know about electric heat, but I would imagine you may still need more power than a single wind generator can produce. If you plan on staying in your house for a while it may be a worth while investment. In my case (or my fathers case) it would take too many years for the generator to pay for itself than is worth while for us and we don't have that kind of money upfront. It is easier to pay for the electric bill each month which is a smaller cost than the wind generator even though the long term costs are higher.

Thank you, everyone. Animal lovers are the best! There's another beautiful kitty at Rainbow Bridge today. You're right....you know when it's time. I probably should've taken her last night, but she still responded, and having seen her this way before (albeit before getting this old and such), I thought if there was the outside chance she was in recovery from her episode, I wanted her to have it. But this morning, I knew. I was supposed to drive hubby to the airport this morning, but told him I didn't want to make her wait any longer. He drove himself and I took her to the animal ER. I think it was easier, just me and her. I can deal with my own grief, but I wouldn't have been able to with his (his mom's dying too), so I guess it worked out as it should. I held her, cuddled in my arms, as the vet gave the injection, and they gave me a few minutes afterwards too. It was a peaceful room--sofa, low light, waterfall and soothing music in the background. I guess being an ER, they're more than prepared for this type of thing. If it'd been any other morning than Sunday, I could've made arrangements with my own vet clinic to have someone come to the house, but it just didn't work that way. I did call the ER and ask if they knew a vet on call who would make a housecall, but there's none in our area. Oh well....it is what it is. Now she doesn't have to make the looong move with us. Casey will always have a piece of my heart and always be my baby. She'll be the standard against which all future pets are measured. Now to have to answer family and friend's question "how are you doing?" I hate crying in front of people, but I can't imagine even mentioning her name without crying for awhile. Anyway, thanks SO much for all your support these last few months. I'll check back from time to time because I got used to following everyone's stories with their pets, etc. (even if I don't post much). I'll let you know when I get a new kitty to love, too. We'll get settled in our new location first, maybe take a trip or two since we haven't in about 4-5 yrs (since Casey got older and more "needy"). Gotta first find some wondeful neighbors I can trust to care for my pet when we're away....we have the best here where we are--I was sure going to miss them. Later, Tracey

I'm with Brick on this one, too. There's well-built and then there's overbuilt, and it shouldn't be all that difficult to figure out what you've got. The extra loads you're talking about aren't going to be moving around and flexing the structure; you bring them in and set them down, and there they stay. The sub-zero may be heavier than your average Kenmore, but it's not as if you'll be parking a tank in the corner. I know married couples whose combined weights are more than most subzero models! The granite is heavy for a person to lift, but it wouldn't feel like much if you were a house. In structural terms, the farm sink is essentially weightless; so is the hardwood floor. The trouble with all this is that it's pure conjecture. No one can guarantee anything without knowing what you've got. What size are the floor joists? Are they spaced 16" on center? How long are their unsupported spans? What size support girders to they rest on? How well is the girder supported? It's not rocket science, but neither can it be boiled down to "Boy, this stuff is heavy! Better beef up that floor..." The numbers are worth looking at.

I finally found a pillow I like -- at Costco! I don't recall the price, but think it was about $30 for two. (Since it was Costco I knew I could return it.) I'm a back/side sleeper. I've had it for three months. The package says "Charisma Luxury Down Alternative Pillow Two Pack" and "Jumbo 20in X 28in". I think the secret is that it has a gusset edge, so I can 'fluff' it up to give enough support. It's machine washable, although I haven't washed mine yet. The fiberfill is Comforel(TM) Silkysoft(TM). Hah! Now that I'm looking at the tag on the pillow I see it says it is 18" X 26" X 2" -- not exactly what the package advertised, eh? The covering is made in China, but the pillow is filled and finished in USA. Manufacturer is Hollander Home Fashions of Boca Raton, FL. Anyway...I really like it!