Estelle and Annette - Happy Spring back at ya! Annette - In the boating world, they talk of a condition called two-foot disease. "If my boat was only two feet longer, it would be perfect." Greenhousers probably get it too. Thanks, MeMo, the bags are heat sinks. There are two 5 gallon buckets of water inside each one. I was going to spray paint the buckets black, but Nell suggested wrapping them in garbage bags, since I was afraid the black paint wouldn't stick to the plastic buckets. I don't know if 100 gallons of water is enough to do the job, but I am going to stick a max/min thermometer out there tonight and start monitoring temps. I'm not planning on trying to use the soil inside the greenhouse to grow anything, as there is grass growing there and when I move the greenhouse in the summer, I don't want to step out of my basement door into a garden. :-) I think that there will be a hoop house in my future, depending on how I do with flower sales this year. OK, Patti. Let's get those seeds started! Terryanne, I see that you're in zone 5 too, and I hear you about heating expense. I'm just using my greenhouse, along with lights in my basement, as a plant starting area in the spring. My grandsons do love to go out there and play with their toy tractors in the dirt on a sunny day in the winter. I probably won't do any more than use an electric heater at night if I have to. Thanks for writing, all. ThinMan

In 2001 we tore down the 75 year old house we'd lived in for 25 years and built our forever house. Yeah, right. In '05, together with our two daughters and their families, we bought half a farm in Tennessee . . . planning to all build on it, and have one 15-acre plot for sale. Our former "forever" house sold to the third looker. We rented from them for 9 months and May 1 moved into a rental 3 bedroom townhouse about 7 minutes from the build. Very convenient location . . . but stressful living! NO floor space!! One bedroom is for sleeping, one for office, and the master bedroom and closet is crammed full of art and other things we didn't want in the actual storage unit. In our office, we need those truck back-up beepers on our office chairs or we collide when we both back up at the same time. We had endless troubles and endless outflow of $$ for months. Our Indiana Amish framers came down here and framed the house in a month . . . amazing. Then it sat for 8 solid weeks with nothing happening. Finally we got proactive and are now about ready for insulation. I'm not sure this is fun. The first house was so stressful because I wasn't sure I could pull off getting everything to go together at the end. The house turned out great, so I've had more confidence this time, but again I'm lying awake at night thinking and rethinking decisions. On the plus side, much about the house has turned out perfect and there's a fabulous view from every window. I'll let you know if it was worth it when we move in, assuming I survive.

I hear you ladies........since I've hit 40, I first had my gall bladder removed. Then a year ago, I had a bladder suspension, now I'm trying to deal with my lifelong endometriosis and cyst pain. I spot bleed on and off all month. The loss of hair on your head and additional hair on the face is no picnic........... But.....if we had lived just a century ago, we would really be in "Old Age", nearing the end of our lives. The good thing is, that we really are still young enough to enjoy our families and choices that we've made in life. Even with all the nuisances of mid-life, I wouldn't change and go back 30 years. Nothing comes easy.....getting where you are today didn't come easy...I have a philosophy that our bodies break down as we age, we become dependant (somewhat) on our families and on God, and leave this world in the same condition that we came.......there is a lesson in it, it's up to us to get it......trials, blessings, the whole package of life.

5 days keeps everyone's schedules more dependable and won't require changing existing patterns and habits? That's good for the very young, to be able to have and experience organization and dependable schedules. It's also usually less stressful on parents to not have to shuffle and re-settle into new patterns. 4 days of longer hours will require some shuffling before it gets to feel 'normal' and before it then becomes the new dependable pattern. It will require new duties from your partner in terms of taking the baby to daycare. Is he aware and able to do that? Do you have a choice about Mondays or Fridays to take off, or other days if taking a 4-day work week? You might be able to negotiate a 'trial' of a week or so with your employer so you can get an idea of the physical requirements and whether this kind of schedule is do-able for you (you need your health and sanity as intact as possible). Other issues can be complicated. Do you get a 'free' day to do the things you need to do (the thing to consider is whether, at stressful times, this change would feel like something that is resented). When the adults involved are both sleep-deprived their judgement can be impaired, or their thinking processes relatively slowed or otherwise affected by that lack of sleep. It can seem like, when offered what is felt to be needed (a free day) then of course it would be a good idea. It's harder to predict how one's life would change as a result. (If you end up feeling so overworked those 4 days that you really can't consider that 'free' day as 'free'; then you might a lot more support from your partner. He may not appreciate that, or be naturally adept and providing that as needed. No one benefits much at all if this change causes you to exceed your body's limits in terms of exhaustion and sleep.) deprivation. Basically, spend some time thinking about your own body's patterns. Which kind of work schedule would agree more with your own natural patterns (and why). What considerations are 'pro' and which are 'con' for the change. How sleep-deprived are you both, and how sleep-deprived are you both feeling (that is important because 2 people can have similar degrees of deprivation but one person's functioning might be more impaired by that)? Who will have to do what with the baby's schedule either way (note required changes)? Go through all these kinds of questions for yourself and with reference to your partner and baby. You'll be able to come up with a good idea about whether this change might be worth attempting. you can ask your employer for a trial of this change if you'd like to explore how you might be affected (positively or negatively, or not at all)