Janice, I personally don't care much for the "other side" because I'm too lazy to go to 3 different places and mainly because I read at work due to my slow "high speed" internet at home, which hopefully will be taken care of soon. I do browse them occasionally when I have time. I have an Olive Branch that I call the ugly hosta. There is something wrong with it, not HVX but definitely something. It's going in the trash soon. I also wanted to say that I've been lurking for a few years and I always enjoy your posts. They make me laugh. You have such beautiful hostas and you are the one that turned me on to hostas in pots. I know you had some problems but for me, way in the south, they work great. I have more trouble with armadillos that I can shake a stick at. I've even put up some cheesy fencing last summer and so far this year one has gotten in 4 times. But I think I finally got that hole plugged. Destructive critters, the way they tear up a garden but at least they stay out of my pots. : ) Darlene

Wow! Horrible, I can't believe this. Why do people resort to these kind of dirty tricks? Thanks for your blog. It was really helpful and too much information. The mattress forms a significant part of our lives and also comes under the list of most neglected house items. Very seldom people genuinely invest their precious time and effort to decide on the correct size and mattress dimensions that can meet their requirements.

I've told my story here enough times so that I probably sound like a broken record, but here's the brief version: Bought five mattresses in four years. Body impressions were the problem. Got my money back on all four rejects because I bought them from department stores with good return policies. Spent a lot of time hanging out at a mattress forum, linked below. Learned that the "S brands" (Sealey, Sterns & Foster, Spring Air, etc.) are usually a bad idea. Learned that Select Comfort Sleep Number beds used to be wonderful, and people who have had them for years will attest to that, but the more recent models have problems. Learned that memory foam mattresses usually consist of 3" or so of memory foam on top of cheap foam. It is the cheap foam that will develop sags. Learned that it's hard to find a mattress firm enough to provide good back support and soft enough to cushion tender hips and shoulders. I have back issues and joint issues, so this was a big problem. Learned that many have achieved this ideal combination with a latex mattress, while others report success with a good quality coil spring mattress topped with latex and/or memory foam. My solution was to buy a coil spring mattress with extra lumbar support made by a small, independent mattress company (www.lemoynesleeper.com, but they don't sell in every state), which I topped with one inch of memory foam and one inch of latex (both from Overstock.com). It's worked beautifully for me. Good luck! Susan Here is a link that might be useful: What's the Best Mattress?

Tough one and I can relate. You own what is probably a pretty nice mattress still. There are gel infused versions from competitors which will be a bit cooler. They'll feel the same. When I'd have sore ribs from hockey I could cat nap on the memory foam we sold but NOT on the soft innersprings. My feelings: Hybrid/smybrid. There is little effective difference in having some coils hidden under several inches of foam. My suggestion would be try some at the store for a long time and get a good sleep trial from someplace which sells soft soft gel / memory foam model and a soft pillowtops. None of us sell fountain of youth mattresses which fix the pains of getting older but you can make the best choice possible that way.