Glad you are okay. We are in central Virginia, last night the winds were 90 mph. Very scary! We had some huge limbs down. And I had worked for three hours Friday morning in 104 degree heat, (like an idiot), cleaning up the deck and re-potting plants. Well, a huge limb fell, took out the corner of our new gutter, then fell on the deck. Absolutely covered the deck, and broke all my newly potted plants. :( Our front yard looks like a war zone, limbs everywhere. and some neighbors lost a few trees. We were fortunate that we did not lose power at our house, some counties around still don't have power. But it could have been much worse. Calling for more severe storms tonight. Y'all stay safe!

Well...I am not sure Hurd is a great example of how a wood window should do, but if it were my home, I would be looking at something that is not wood for long term durability without any concerns. Fiberglass, composite, or vinyl fit that billing a bit more solidly than does wood.

im wondering about the crazy stone patio .... and about the tree looking telephone poled .... and what would happen to the patio.. if the tree fell over ??? the bark may have lightened due to increased sun since pruning.. normal and irrelevant ... ALL evergreen plants shed needles.. its basically cyclical ... according to the plant ... and also ... as it probably is in this case.. increased due to stress .... not to mention increased sun on parts were newly exposed to sun due to the injury and pruning .... if you note as fall progresses ... around town.. you might notice it happening on various pine trees ... with varying degrees .... there is only one thing you can do about it ... and that is focus on the growth tips.. and if those are properly green.. and look OK .. then you are all set for next year ... if the tree trunk was buried significantly.. when ever the patio was built.... the tree is probably dying in tree time.. and removal is probably the only option ... but counting in tree time .. decades.. this might happen a decade from now .. who knows .... again ... there is little you can do about the tree .. and the decision might be more about the patio ... and its possible destruction .... this MIGHT all happen in very slow motion ... and i am addressing a consideration ... i do not mean to make you flip out and worry about it .. its not like its leaning over the house ... ken

Hi everyone!! Not sure how many of you are still following this post that commented, but wanted to let you all know that I have officially paid off all of my student loan debt!!! Woo-hoo!!! I took advantage of the 0% interest and became really aggressive with getting down the balance. I’m in limbo with buying a home because of this terrible market for buyers, so I’ve decided to continue to hold off until the market starts to settle and just continue to put money in savings. Also, I’ve been in Atlanta for more than 10years and I’m not sure if this is where I want to purchase a home. I’m going to take some time to sort that out. My dream has always been to experience living some where in Southern California but sigh — cost of living. Anyways, just wanted to let you all know I crossed that major milestone!!!