Last year, my bulbs were in lawless conditions. I bought a children pool and put them in it in their pots. It was easier to water them this way. I just poured the water in and they all got some. But then some rains came and completely drenched the bulbs. They were neck up to the water and they stayed that way for a long time by the time I noticed it and let the water away. So I ended up with most of the bulbs shrunk to tiny bulblets that I didn't think would even survive. Then I had to move to the new house, so I unpotted them, cut the leaves and put them in the new wine cooler I bought for this purpose to make sure that the bulbs do not freeze down. A month later I noticed that the wine cooler froze down and even killed about 10 bulbs. I returned it to the store and just bought a huge standing fridge that had the freezer part separately. I kept my bulbs in that fridge. Then I planted them up from Summer, hoping that they would still come back to me. And to my amazement: More than 50 percent FLOWERED! They shrunk, they were sitting in water, they froze down, they were in dormancy for a half a year or LONGER, and they BLOOMED! I am still floored by some of them. Now, they are out in the flower bed, fattening up. I hope they enjoy the situation. So you see, once they want to bloom, they just bloom, even if they kill themselves.

Alexa Gold Standard (hosta) sounds right--rings a bell. Didn't know I had such a rare hosta ("healthy"). This spring it had grown so large that I actually dug up about 1/4 of it but could find no one who wanted the extra parts, so threw them away. Just wait til I tell my neighbors what a rarity they passed up. LOL Thank you, everyone, for your kind comments. And Harry, I'd love to sit in the chair on your patio and just gaze a lot. Gazing is my favorite rose activity. Kate

Aww shucks!! Thanks for all the good wishes! Adopted, you have *no* idea. Some of the details I left out were as follows: -The first time I ever walked onto that property (more than 2 years ago), I "felt" as if it were mine. I even called my DH and told him that I thought we should look at this house, because it feels like ours. To my utter shock, he came over and said the same thing. -After talking ourselves out of/back into the house, we go see it again. (This time, I was the realtor.) I get that same feeling again. -We put the offer on it last summer. I tell my DH that I "know this first offer won't go through, but I feel like we're supposed to make it anyway. I know they won't take it, but I feel like we'll come to better terms later." I tell everyone I know the same thing. When the deal didn't work out, I wasn't all that disappointed. -When trying to work out the contract, the sellers tell me that there are 2 other couples that have made offers. I "know" immediately that they won't work out. I tell DH that I normally would be worried, but I'm not, because I just know it's our house. Weird, huh?? And Snookums, I will be posted ad infinitum on the pool forum....the pool area of the new house is a disaster!!! Again, good bones, but needs *so* much work. Wheeee!!!

aries61...I'm right there with you! I realize that this weekend last year is when I started searching all the options with cabinets and ended up using Brian at CJ for the same reason. With our crazy work schedules, we have been working on them since August (28 cabinets). Our contractor should start in the next week or two so we are appliance, counter, backsplash shopping as well. Best of luck...I hope we both have finished and fabulous kitchens in time for summer! What hood option did you end up going with? By that time in the decision making process, I just basically threw a dart on the webpage and went with it.