Hi emagineer, Did you go to one in Colorado Springs? I went to the Habitat store in Broomfield last Saturday with a friend. They didnÂt have a lot of building stuff, but we really went there looking for more typical thrift shop type stuff anyway. I did notice the old toilets they had and made a mental note that if I need a toilet for any reason, IÂll go back there to get one. Maybe theyÂll get better with time, but I havenÂt figured out yet how flushing a "water saving" toilet 2 or 3 times to make it work adds up to saving water. I have old ones that work really well in my house now, and I recently told someone that if I ever sell this house IÂm going to take the toilets with me! What I like about getting stuff at the Habitat stores is that the profits go back into Habitat For Humanity, so besides getting something cheap, you can feel like youÂre doing something good! Unfortunately my yard is so small here that I donÂt have room for any major construction projects. And, I belonged to the Arbor Day Foundation many years ago when my yard was a couple acres, and they will send good plantsÂbut they will be small, and bare root. As long as you donÂt let the roots dry out all the way, and get them planted fairly quickly, they should do well. Now that I have such a small yard I donÂt have room for the stuff they sell, but I think IÂm going to join the American Horticulture Society again. They haveÂat least they used to haveÂa once a year seed program where you could get all kinds of exotic tree/bush/plant seeds from all over the world for a couple dollars. ItÂs probably more than a couple dollars now, but it was sure fun to look through the list each year and pick out things you could never, ever find anywhere else. Good luck with all your projects, Skybird

I agree with those who recommend moving it. Our Master bath shares a wall with our guest room/office and things are audible to say the least! I am looking forward to the day that this is better! I like the 3rd plan from Karenseb the best tho I still wonder about having your clothes so far away from your exit door. I also wonder about moisture and humidity issues with this arrangement. Some days you make multiple trips because of not liking a scarf or forgetting a jacket, etc. and having this extra distance to walk to do those things adds lots of time to your morning. Have you considered having your closet be in the area immediately behind your bedroom wall and putting all of the bathroom into the alcove space keeping the toilet easily accessible? Using Karen's 3rd plan, I would recommend flipping the location of the toilet so it is back to back with your sinks and thus your plumbing costs aren't too outrageous. I also believe that orienting it that way will be easier use ergonomically. (Try walking into a your current bathroom and closing the door, turning around to uh situate yourself and more to see how easy it is to do things versus feeling like you are going against the flow. ;)) It also will mean the toilet won't be so visible when you turn the corner into your closet but is still close enough for "worship time". Doing the walk thru of feeling what is comfortable versus awkward I think will be helpful to you as you sort thru your possibilities. YMMV

Denise, what reason do you have to believe that some of these people actually are over eight years old? I don't think there is an age limit or that this is an adults only site; correct me if I am wrong. I found this thread very confusing from the very first post, and I read further hoping to find out what the original intention was, but I'm still not sure. At first, I thought it was the person telling the story about Berlin who was the source of the complaint. I liked the comment from the "interrupter". But then I've always enjoyed non sequitors, and I find them more amusing than most other types of conversation. I like parties where conversations branch out rather than focus on one narrow topic. Were the people glued to their chairs or what? Unless you are married to a particular clique, it seems that people would want to regroup several times during a party. Static parties tend to be a bit on the dull side, and I would tend to leave a party if most of the people are too rigid. Thanks for the entertainment - that's why I cam here! Lars

My oldest child, a boy, had autism spectrum disorder. it began to manifest itself at age 18 months and was diagnosed at age 3. Therapists at that time did not trust early age diagnosis because of other diseases masquerading as autism. For our case, a definite diagonsis was decalred at age 3. We had a heartbreaking time of it. We could not afford proper treatment and insurance did not cover "mystery" diseases. Our kid was antisocial and clever. He exhibited two personalities: one when he was in our presence and another when he was beyond our control or knowlege. He strove to keep these two lives separated, but when the two spheres of existance happened to meet, he tried to shrink into nothing like trying to melt into the floor. For example, one time he was with us when we were standing in line at the village hall to vote. Suddently, he dropped to the floor and covered his head. We were puzzled. The problem: He had spied his school teacher in the line next to us. We had never met this treacher, but we happened to say a casual hello to each other. We had another problem with school. He was an odd-ball at school and others began to either shun or tease him. His anger was held until it spilled over the break point and he would explode on someone. Sometimes, it was not the proper object, but another child who was nearby and whom he knew he could best. The second and major problem was the attitude of school personnel. This problem was festering and they never contacted us until it had gotten out of control. One day, he split he lip of a little girl and chipped her tooth. I beleive her parents were threatening legal action against the school, and it was at this point when the school authorities first contacted us. We were hauled in to inform us our son was being thrown out of school. This was the first time the school contacted us, and it was the first time we became aware of the problem. He had just become a 1st grader and was being tossed out. Nothing was ever done about teasing. There is more to this story and parental tears, but I'll wrap it up with the outcome. We moved to a different school system and when he came to live with us again, he entered his freshman year in high school. At graduation, he won the "most improved" student. He's now 45 years old, living away from home, and managing to hold a job to earn barely enough to pay his rent and food. He still has a couple of personal demons to resist, but these affect only him. One demon he has defeated. We are proud of his progress. It is much more than the progonosis of his childhood. It has taken much support tempered with iron will from his parents. On thing I will say is never give up, and do not accept inappropriate behavior. Do not respond to inappropriate behavior, but always be alert and always respond positivetly to appropriate behavior. As an adult, maintain contact and include him in the family circle. Make a point to visit with him on...