Patty Cakes, I'm a Gigi, in honor of their last great grandparent to pass away (hence, DD2 knew her the longest). DD2 would rather me not say the name. Sorry. Thank you, Caroline. She told me later she really thought at one point she was going to die. I didn't think it was that serious, but was worried about an infection. He has had some colic and stomach issues, so she's had to deal with her diet and trying a few different things for him. He's on the sofa at the moment, sleeping on his back, right next to my leg. Such an angel. :) Can't get enough of his grinning. So cute.

Years ago we purchased a large parcel in the Delaware Highlands of NE PA to use as a get away place. It had been slated for expansion of a residential development but the builder went bankrupt and the bank took the property. Access to our land is through a private community of nice homes on 2 to 5 acre lots. There is only one road into the neighborhood and it looks like a giant figure 8. Our land would have been the final phase of development and is situated at the rear of the neighborhood. When our builder began clearing the driveway he told us that our neighbors would stop and ask him all manner of questions about us. Naturally they were curious but they were apparently more concerned that someone had bought the land they had been using for recreation- hiking, fishing, horse back riding, hunting and ATV riding. The neighbor who lived closest to our land told the builder that he would prefer if our driveway were further away from his property because he wanted it out of his sight line. Now bear in mind that we purchased 135 acres of heavily forested land, our driveway is over a third of a mile long and winds it's way between huge trees and rock formations. Our neighbor would have to be on the roof of his house with binoculars to see the drive. During construction we would drive up on weekends to check on the progress and meet with the builder and architect. It wasn't unusual to pull up in front of the house and discover neighbors roaming though the house. Even after the doors and windows were installed and the house secure we'd discover people peering though the windows. It seems they had a proprietary interest in the property and they felt like we had taken it from them. They were even more curious when they found out that this wasn't going to be our full time home but rather a weekend, vacation place. There are at least 3 other homeowners who live in NYC and use this as a weekend retreat but we were different since we bought such a large parcel. It took a few years but after we all got to know each other their attitude softened and we were welcomed. Once they realized that their private community was now spared from having an additional 30 homes built they were thrilled. We've had several get togethers at our place and some of the neighbors have asked for a tour. DH is happy to walk people around the house, he loves to share his happiness but I still feel a little unnatural about it. Our house is different from others in the area. It has a 2 story Great Room, open floor plan and huge windows. We still get the occasional peeper venturing up our driveway. It amazes me that someone would have the nerve to enter a private drive that's posted with 'No Trespassing, No Hunting' signs and where you can't even see the house from the street. But once they start up there's no room to turn around and unless they're willing to back all the way down a narrow, winding road they're stuck driving to the end. It's funny to observe how some of these people react when they discover that someone is home. We've sat on the deck and watched people do fast K-turns in front of the house. One couple said they thought it was for sale and wanted to check it out. Then they commented that it was really too small for them so DH told them that this was the guest house and that the Manor house was further up the mountain. I have to admit that I'm relieved that DH no longer does tours and if a neighbor asks he'll just show them the first floor. We were asked if we'd open our home for a fund raising tour but even DH decided that he wasn't interested in having hundreds of strangers roaming his house.

Hi lazy-g, I miss the tree too! (But not the little crab apples.) We had about 18 years of beautiful blossoms, then a few years of diminishing blooms and finally a year of nothing (no leaves or blooms), so it had to go. At least the front room is nice and sunny now, and there's a small hydrangea tree now planted near there. The hydrangea will never be the same as the previous tree, but I'm hoping to sell in a couple of years so maybe the next family will plant another big blossoming tree.

Allison, I had the same experience when we were remodeling the kitchen in the old house. The ID I chose to work with wanted a meeting in her office after coming to our house to look over the project. DH and I showed up at the appointed time and place. She wasn’t there. We waited about 30 minutes before she breezed in (a) having totally forgotten the meeting that she set and (b) totally unprepared to discuss the project. I decided if she were that bad before we were under contract, it would just go down hill from there.