My pleasure Mike :) Everyone else that sees SS in the yard likes the rascal. I try to mention that if I comment about a rose I'm not very fond of. Stan has or had SS too. I was wondering if he would read this and reply. Kate, hideous may be a little carried away, LOL. I liked other roses... in someone else's yard. You should have seen me when Deb had Rio Samba and Blue Girl waiting to be planted here. Deb couldn't stop laughing at me when I saw them. All she had to do was bat those baby blues. Don't tell anyone but my favorite 10 HTs now includes Lucy, Double Delight, Rio Samba, Granada, Sterling Silver and Brigadoon. Secret is going to be on the list soon. That is great Judith! Hope she does as well or better for you, seriously :) ceterum, LOL, no apologies for keeping Lucy in the public eye. Been hoping she would be available to others for 9 years now :) Don't want to think of all the emails I sent to J&P over that time.

FBB, The Fiskars post hole digger has been on the market since 2004. Fiskars also has an improved shovel. I've gotten used to using a post hole digger without busting my knuckles, so the offset handles aren't that big of a deal, but the higher pivot point is important. Our soil here is fairly rocky, so my next post hole diggers will probably be the SEY-DG16 Buckeye Post Hole Digger, because I need something pretty indestructible. MM

What kind of posts are you wanting to set in the holes? If wood, I would advise you to set them in concrete, or you'll be doing this all again when the posts rot. Unless you're using something like black locust for the posts. I have rocky soil, too, and it was such a pain. All I had was a posthole digger, a shovel and a bar. And no John Wayne to do it for me, either. Sue

We are 2 active and messy cooks in the kitchen with 1 furry Jack Russell Terrier who sheds white hairs everywhere. We have unstained maple floors, finished in place with 3 coats of Swedish. I vacuum every few days with the flat soft brush attachment on my canister vac. I don't use the beater bar attachment, just the plain floor sweeper head that gets attached to the wand. It doesn't scratch, and I'm careful to check it each time before I use it to make sure no grit or dirt is stuck on it. That gets up most of the crumbs, hairs, and dust/dirt. It's the loose dirt that gets tracked in that you want to get rid of, as it can scratch the finish over time. About once a month I'll use the Bona wood floor product with the microfiber mop that comes with it. That gets up any accumulated grease that might settle down over time. We put large washable cotton area rugs (some decent ones are at IKEA) in front of the stove and the prep sink/island. I make sure to vacuum and wash them periodically, and lift them to vacuum underneath as that's where a lot of dirt will build up. The most important rug is the one in front of the rangetop, as cooking grease that vaporizes and splatters onto the floor around the stove can be the most destructive to the finish over 20 years of use. All spills are wiped up immediately, even droplets of water from wet dishes and hands. And all chairs and even the dining table legs have thick industrial strength felt pads under them (the super sturdy tan colored ones from HD). The pads are changed at least once a year, as they can build up grit which then scratches your floors as you move the chairs. And most importantly, all shoes are left at the front door. No high heels and dirt are allowed to track on the wood floors in the kitchen or great room. It's been 3 years since the renovation and they still look brand new. Wood floors can be a wonderful investment, but you have to take care of them. Wall to wall carpet can take a lot of abuse and hide a multitude of sins, but your wood floors will show how good a housekeeper you are, LOL.