My friend in Detroit had a pet store and with the moartality being as high as it is, the owner I know has to at least double the wholesale price to make a profit, and cover the losses from fish, that die on the way and also soon after delivery and before they're sold. I guess it's almost the same for other pets as well. I'm still wondering obout that on-line ordering, since I think it's a similar situation, where the price is high , but up to a certain point you can order many more fish for the same shipping price , provided they're not large fish. I guess in a sense the shipping direct wouldnt' be that different than many fish store owners get , since I know my friend had to order his fish direct from the breeders in Florida or wherever they came from and he'd have to drive a long ways to the airport to pick them up at the airport , I guess. I imagine though in some large cities the retailers might have local wholesalers to buy from??? I am thinking about "Freecycle" to locate possibly even a free aquarium, and setup, but I can't seem to get back on their site, and it's maybe a matter of fogetting my right memebership name and password. Seems I have so many different ones nowdays I can't remember them all sometimes, and I must start writing them down. I've heard of numerous people , who for various reasons decide not to continue their aquarium hobby and then just give away all their equipment and aquariums etc. I'd be willing to pay for a used one, but is there a problem with disease or "sterilizing' all that old equipment??

To aid in identifying, I made a little diagram of the pot. I spent many hours last night looking at pictures to try to identify things myself. I confess I am too green to have any confidence, though. 5, 6, & 9 are identified. 1 may be a kind of Echeveria? Maybe a Tylecodon? 2 Sempervivum? 3 a type of Haworthia? 4 Aeonium? I do have more close-up pictures of the individual plants, if that would be of any help. And not to be pushy, but keep in mind that I'd love to get ideas on which members of my collection I can successfully grow together. If I can just run with what I think I like together visually, great. But I'm receptive to other concerns. It may take a while to get the whole collection up here. I have some plants that had labels, but I want to try to verify the labels first.

Thanks Yachter, I will make sure I look for that shop. Since I have never been there before, everything will be new to me. One of my other friends told me there is a big antiques/gift/craft store by the highway so I want to look for that too. We got reservations in a park within walking distance of the main drag. That should help us avoid some of the traffic--if we can take the heat! LOL I love it when they put your purchase in a bag with the tissue paper. Tried to get the owners at the antique/collectibles shop where I worked for awhile to do that, but they said plastic bags are cheaper! Amazed me that she was so into doing great display vignettes and couldn't see why nice bags would add a little touch of class and make the customers feel special. Do you already have new homes for all six puppies? That would be so great. I take it this is not the first litter your dog has had. I know they are a very popular breed. So are you going to miss the yard sales this weekend? Oh no, I always look forward to seeing your great finds. I just walked down to one my neighbor was having--not much left, but I did get some baby clothes for my great neice's baby--almost like new from my neighbors twin GD's. Luvs

Go for it. I've helped people I know redo kitchens...I've done 6 kitchens already. I do it because I enjoy doing it. I don't charge anything...I do it for friends or acquaintances. I start with layout and then get them to look at houzz for inspiration, I help them determine style, talk to them about function, then help them with their selections. A lot of what I do is throw out options for them to "try on" to see if they'd like it or not. That way, when they decide, they feel as if they've explored all the options and have more confidence in the choices they've made. I also make sure, like a checklist, that they think about all the necessary things: electrical, lighting, plumbing, flooring, hardware, colors, surfaces, etc. Esp in a kitchen redo, there's a lot to think about. You need to be flexible enough to go with them and their style...which may not be your style. (For example, some kitchens were white, some painted cabinets, some cherry wood...some traditional, cottage, or whatever.) You need to work within their budget as you are spending their money, not yours. You also need to be aware that you are not the final decider and they may make decisions that you think are mistakes, but it's they're place and they have to live with it, not you. But I like doing it...it's fun for me. I would never do it 'professionally' because as soon as money comes into the picture, it changes everything. Also, if you do decide to go professional, plan on getting some training and credentials.