They are not overly problematic for me with powdery mildew - we have had a horrid hot, humid, rainy year and so far they look great. I really should get out and spray them once to keep them that way. I have planted numerous ones around my gardens but these are my absolute favorite. There is something about the casual-ness of the cactus blooms that sings to my soul. I like dahlias in this form better than the formal decoratives, too. I think it is Park that sells all the individual color packets of the large ones but they aren't cactus. I'll have to see if anybody sells the cactus in individual colors. I actually love them all - there are a lot of orange in this group, further down there is another big patch that is dominated with pink and white. And there's a few yellow in there someplace. Next year I am growing more of them. :)

I have an Exopat mat that I bought on Amazon several years ago. It's made in France, too. I've always meant to get another, but somehow never get around to it. I like parchment, too - will have to see if they sell the sheets at Costco, as there is no restaurant supply near me. I usually buy mine at AC Moore with a 40% or 50% off coupon. They have all that Wilton stuff and it's about the same price as the supermarket to begin with.

Deedles, you will have a good time in your new 2br house. One thing though. I'd lived alone for 32 years before I remarried my college sweetheart. We are both retired. And, while you might not need two FULL baths, at least two toilets are a MUST. Think about ways you can add a half bath or make a Jack and Jill bath with a his/hers half, and the sinks and shower/tub shared. It helps keep a bit of personal privacy. The wall space for pictures is an issue with me too. I love artwork on the walls. If you have a hallway, think about making it your "gallery." I think Pottery Barn has many good ideas for hanging things in groups, and then HOUZZ and Pinterest are also good places to check out the subject. RosesStink, (love that name!) I went through that with my mother's things, then with my DH's things from his deceased first wife. That was a ticklish issue, and over the last 6 years I've tried to keep everyone happy....except his daughter who thinks I am satan personified....and now we are just about totally done with moving personal treasures around. To his son, we gave their mom's everyday china, and to the other daughter we gave her good china and silver and Christmas ornament collection. And, of course, the gifts they gave to her over the years. Of the old old stuff, my DH wanted to keep HIS mother's china...which I was pleased to do. We will be doing a remodel of the kitchen here, knocking out a wall to join the dining and kitchen, as well as the back porch. We had to add a second bath and walkin closet in a bumpout to the original house, because the one bathroom original to this 1950s house was about to fall through the floor, and it had mold, no floor under the tub, etc. Now it is a nice quiet little house with an enclosed sun porch, a separate garden shed 12 x 16, a 20 x 25 Teahouse which was a garage, and we are very happy here. We are both getting too old to do heavy projects much longer, so it is good to have a contractor we can trust. He's done two of our remodel projects so far, and will be doing the last one. Probably next winter, unless we can get him this spring and summer. It will have to be at a time we can move everything in the house out into the Teahouse. A kitchen job messes with the power, the plumbing, and the exterior walls as well as roofing and flooring.

This is a combination of a couple of recipes: Gazpacho 2 C. finely chopped peeled plum tomatoes (I blanch them for a minute or two) 1/2 C finely chopped green pepper 1/2 C finely chopped yellow pepper 1/4 C finely chopped flat leaf parsley 2 cloves garlic mashed with kosher salt 1/2 C. red onion finely chopped 4 T. olive oil 2 T. worcestershire sauce 1 T. snipped chives 1 C. finely chopped cucumber 1/2 tsp. black pepper Juice from 1/2 lime 4 T. red wine vinegar 2 1/2 C tomato juice (or V-8) 1 1/2 C. Mr.and Mrs. T's bold and spicy bloody Mary mix Tabasco sauce to taste (opt.) Mix in large bowl. Cover and chill overnight. ( I doubled the recipe so I'd have lots...great snack)