Hey Igloo! Long time no see. Hope all is well. I am firmly a Katherine Hepburn. I have always admired her independent spirit. I wonder what all of us being willing to take this quiz says about us AND why so many seem to be Katherines. I love these kind of quizzes. I need to find the others I have & post them for fun. One is about what your dessert choice reveals about you. The other is your personality based on how you wear down your lipstick.

Hi, I agree with the other two posters in that turning off the main breaker will probablly intiate a fail over sequence and test the generator. I was just wondering how your in-laws knew that the generator system did not kick in? Usually people know that there was a power failure because all their clocks are blinking, typicaly the one in the kitchen oven and microwaves. A 5 second or more power backout will reset all the clocks. Note most generator systems will only kick in after a 5 second or more power outage. This stops them powering up if it is just a momentary blackout. Once the generator decides that it is worth powering up. It usually takes 20-60 seconds for the power to come online. During this time of course all your clocks have been reset. The other thing worth noting is that often high power consumption items, such as electric ovens are usually not on a power backup circuit. This is to avoid overloading the generator. However with $US 60,000 I would sort of expect that that everything would be on the backup circuit. Just my 2 cents. warmest regards, Mike.

I agree with other comments that the zone rating on a plant is a guideline. Don't be afraid to experiment! We live in Zone 1b in Yukon Canada, but sometimes can make a warmer zone plant work like with this Amur maple. It was touch and go for the first few years, but the sheltered site and a recycled rubber mat for insulation around its base helped. It is now well established and gets only a bit of winterkill each year. And we love the beautiful crimson leaves in the fall. Definitely worth the experiment!

This thread is another reminder of what a time in history this is. Everything is impacted by covid. Travel plans include a couple of road trips to see college kids and their sports this winter/spring. One is planning to study abroad in the fall, so I will visit wherever he ends up. I'm also planning a trip to New Orleans to visit a cousin. If Mtn likes snorkeling in Bonaire, I'm heading there, too! No major house renos planned. But I've got 2 furniture projects I need to complete, or else get rid of them. I had a lot of decision fatigue in 2021 regarding my house, and I'm feeling more prepared to just get things done and move on. I'm also considering some changes in my career this year, so that's going to be a primary focus. To all of those expecting new family members and planning weddings, etc., congratulations! And to those with health issues, my best wishes.