Thanks Kathy, DB was my top consideration until I saw the the discussion on Ramblin' Red. I was put off by the thorny comments that I read as this is my first climber 'project'. It would be fun to grow all three side by side, eh? Jeri, I knew I could count on you! Want me to order an extra? You're right about the PM & Rust, I'm down by LAX and a bit inland - I call it the PM Hellmouth (for all you scary movie fans). I've bought a number of non-toxic things to use to spray including the garlic spray which worked pretty good, but the bottom line is that I'm "no spray" because I'm just too busy and by the time 'tomorrow' comes around they look like heck. Plus I don't have much room either so now in the small pot area I'm simply sticking with more resistant florabundas, own-root preferred as I think they work better in the pots. At the mountain place, it's a lot more fun because the humidity is usually teens or a bit higher so almost no fungus. Even the Cotillion that got 'sent away' only gets a bit of rust up there. If it doesn't do well up there, out it goes, like my neighbor says, "we're not getting any younger so we better have what we enjoy around us". Keep the comments coming if you have Noella!

Rent a Electric Sander and sand the floors until even. Be careful not to go too deep or it will ruin the wood. You can stain the floors or just put a Poly type vanish on them. They will only have to be mopped or dusted, not waxed. for refinishing floor check this site http://www.ehow.com/how_4779357_refinish-pine-flooring.html ciciliotandson

I am trying again, I have responded to everyone posts and it just disappears as soon as I hit submit! No sink due to budget mostly, plus I don't really like to look at a sink in the great room. I've learned how to function without so won't miss what I've never had I guess. Cocktails and wine will be mostly with meals when it's just us, when we have guests it may be more out on the covered porch and the dining area. I've moved it and think y'all are right, works better there but is it odd to have right outside the master? When we entertain I tend to batch mix a couple of standard cocktails a few days in advance (I store in swing top bottles) and then have the fixings for a signature drink to go with the meal, plus wine. It's my favorite part of the meal lol, hubby does the menu and then I focus on cocktails and dessert.

glad you're going forward with the "river" house! As I read through (not in-depth LOL) the reflections & advice here, I remembered something a decorator once told me. "Even if you buy a new house & you get to pick everything in it, you'll want to change it within 7 or 8 years. Her comment on carpet was kind of a corollary: "the less expensive one will wear out faster, but the more expensive one will 'ugly out' at the same time that the other one wears out". If you bought another house that was *perfect* inside but on a standard lot, you'd want to change things within a few years anyway. Get the house with the river, & you'll always have the river.