Tumble_weed, There is a MacKissic distributor listed in Dallas, who should be able to tell you where your MacKissic dealers are. "I am wanting to get a MacKissic 763 or possibly the 12PT10. I am favoring the 763 because of its smaller size, better fit for my small backyard city garden." The 763 costs about $1200, while the 12PT10 costs about $1700. For about $500 more than the 763, the 12PT10 is about twice the machine, so that extra $500 buys you a lot. I keep my 12PT9 (the 9hp predecessor to the 12PT10) outdoors under an optional cover, so garage space isn't an issue for me. It's about the size of a large wagon, so it's not that big, and its four-wheel design makes it more stable and easier to move around. The larger shredder hopper and throat opening make feeding leaves faster with the 12PT10 than the 763. If you can afford it, I recommend the 12PT10 over the 763, even for a small city lot. I think it would give you a better shredding experience, even in a small city back yard. MM

I can second that.............HP has always treated me well, but most techs have including Compaq and Sony. Most are just nice people doing their job the best they can. I think if a person goes to a tech with a chip on their shoulder or mad, they may have a problem. In recent years I have stuck with Hp, I am very comfortable with it. It has never let me down on the rare occasion when I need help.

SO: my first question is, how do modern folks work without a dvd. So my first question is, do you need a DVD player? Only you can honestly answer that, we each use our computers differently, there being no real right or wrong way. I very rarely use mine. If you download anything from the internet it can simply be installed from the Downloads file. Thumb/flash drives are almost at give away prices for the larger versions now too. Do you have enough data to warrant an external drive or would the external drive be an extravagance in your case. I don't or won't put anything in the clouds, maybe just an odd quirk in my case but....... On the email situation why not create a couple of throw away space based accounts with Yahoo, Live, Hotmail, Gmail or who ever else takes your fancy? I still use POP3 with my MS Office program but have three throw away accounts for when dealing with anyone who is not family or friend because I do not want my main email account cluttered with spam.

Yes, your understanding about 'Duc de Bragance' tallies with my experience: purple/violet, sweet/spicy, scent varies. The sun is hard on the blossoms. Mine, fortunately, gets a lot of dappled shade. He grows in a peculiar fashion all his own, long and tall and kind of wispy--in truth, not the most attractive of plants. And, more on the not-so-good side, rather prone to fungal adventures. As with the growth, so with the blooming: Peculiar: Periods of scattered bloom. But the color is remarkable and smooth, and the form is delightful. In my earlier post, I had forgotten to mention my favorite HP, the foundling 'Jay's Crimson Hudson', which I couldn't do without; and the sort-of HP 'Erinnerung an Brod', which is OK but only a once-bloomer for me, and a rather awkward plant. Still, it grows, it blooms. Of HPs, I also have an 'Amedee Philibert', but haven't quite decided about her merits.