Aw thanks everyone for the warm welcome back. I missed chatting with you. I used to have kind of a "meh" attitude about Florida and now I can't for the life of me figure out why. It's so easy on the eyes. And really nice folks there - although maybe they're just so nice because they're living in paradise. /Eileen. I hear you about the furry babies. I have been out of town so much lately that my cat is punishing me. ._.' So great that you have 3 sisters down there! I definitely hope I get to retire near my sisters someday. /Poseidon. "I agree, joni is one of those people that you just do not forget meeting." You just could not have put it better. That's what I keep trying to explain to people about her. I can't quite put words to her, but she's one of a kind. /Pug. It is exactly like that. I felt like Homer in that episode of The Simpsons where he is in The Land of Chocolate. All those little planty faces staring up at you, and their moms nearby so you can see exactly what they will look like when they are of an established size. It should make it easier to decide what you want, but really what happened to me was that I suddenly saw the appeal of all the plants I'd previously vetoed when merely viewing them online. Unfortunately Kelly has been busy addressing some health issues. We recently heard she was making some progress and I'm sure she'll be on here again eventually. I miss her too. /Renee. Whoa a vacation with both Bulbophyllums and Hoyas?! That's pretty posh. :) I hope you're able to make it out to Sarasota/Siesta Key. My sister really wanted me to drop her off in Siesta Key while I was visiting Joni but unfortunately for her, she slept in and I wasn't going to wait any longer! :P /Ima. It's a really pretty area, so I think it would make a fun day trip. If your daughter takes you, maybe as a thank you gift, you'll be faced with the same conundrum as I was: what a person's First Hoya should be. I went with polystachya, but Joni's suggestion of merrilli was a really good one, I thought.

Thanks everyone! I hadn't come across Wild Boar Farms yet, and now my bank account is going to wish I hadn't...wow! A lot of my tomato seeds are from swaps, Baker Creek or Pinetree. I'm probably going to spend the rest of the day on Tatiana's site. For a newbie tomatophile, it's a bit overwhelming how many different combos there are. Also, I found out Heaven's Joy was a growout, so not available yet. I recognized one of the "reporters" as the source of the picture I saw (Bastrop, TX).

WOW! What a great day you had Bobby. Both purchases look terrific and you got a great price on the burner. It looks and sounds as though you are already pleased with your purchases. I looked at the power suggestions on your model and the great thing about induction cooking is that you can start boiling your water or cooking soup at the highest power level and then turn it down knowing that the response is instant. Spaghetti and garlic toast make a great dinner, but I have to ask - did you have anything GREEN? I'm not sure why the instructions would say not to use it near anything metal, after all your cooking in metal pots and pans. And as far as the magnetic response to your toaster oven or anything else, keep in mind that even though your cookware has to be able to hold a magnet, you will never feel a pull of the pot towards the burner when you put down or lift up a pot. Many one of our members skilled in engineering or physics will have a scientific explanation. I used my portable induction unit on top of the metal grill of my Jenn-Air cooktop for over two years with no problems. Neither the portable unit nor the built in cooktop that we had mentioned any cautions about keeping other metal at a distance. Have fun and post back with other things you are cooking and grilling. Lee

Julie, I can relate! Our basement gets water on a regular basis and we've just given up on using it for anything more than laundry and off-the-floor storage. There's nothing worse than sodden carpet and drywall. Last month we had a combination of torrential rain, temps hovering in the 30's, and a power outage. DH and I were outside at 3:00 in the morning in the sleet and freezing rain with flashlights firing up the generator to keep the basement sump pumps going. Not something I'd care to do again any time soon. Take your time with the clean up, get a portable fan up and running, try not to stress too much, and remember this too shall pass -- or, at least dry out! I hope your DH gets home early to help you.