Steve-this is what i found. Our philosophy of life constantly undergoes reformulation based upon new experience. However, some of our beliefs are deeply held and resist change or even examination. It is helpful to stop occasionally on our journey in life to examine our philosophies or beliefs to see how well they are serving us. Nadine Stair is a person who did so at the age of 85. Out of her review, she composed a prose poem to tell how she would live if she had her life to live over. This is what she wrote:

Thank you for the lovely compliment, organic garden dreams. Since the property slopes, what you perceive as oleanders is really the top of a silk tree, the base of which is about 15 feet down a slope from the garden that you see. The picture was taken crouching down so that you only see the upper parts of the plants and can't see the bare areas in between where new roses are starting to grow. It's all in the angle, and in foreshortening, which makes everything look close together and lush. You don't see the hillside with dead weeds that lead up to the tree, and other imperfections. You can cheat a lot with photography but the real thing, especially in the heat of summer, is not a garden of perfection. I'm so looking forward to next spring when hopefully the little roses will have grown up and will all be blooming. Ingrid

do they plow and throw snow.. or do they use salt???? if either.. you may want to ID how far back from the road.. all that happens.. and plant there ... in my rural area... you better be 10 to 20 feet back if you are on a main road... or everything will be crushed by snow removal ... in suburban areas .. much closer ... since the plows cant go as fast ... in other words.. how secure on that 9 foot spacing from the road ???? and keep in mind.. near your driveway ... to leave enough clearance to see both ways down the road .. what are supposed to be low or small shrubs.. have a way of getting way bigger than you want.... or you spend half the summer pruning them all ... over and over again .... good luck ken

In the middle of building a home for ourselves, and after we had sold previous home and moved to a rental, DH got a job offer much closer to our DD who was going to have our first grandbaby. I needed only one semester of teaching to retire, and was unable to get a position in the new town. We put new house on the market and I moved in with minimal furniture and we crossed fingers that the house would sell by midterm. A lady who had had a couple of showings signed a contract. Then a few days later she says she will have a co-signer, "her boss," and we were a little put off by the arrangement, but "her boss" turned out to be a local physician, one that I had seen and never returned for followups and then been told by colleagues that I should never have seen, he was awful,etc. Then little by little stuff started happening on the deal. Turns out he is going to be the only buyer, the lady is off the contract. It took the good dr. a few days to sign the new contract, but he did sign. He had been through the house at least twice. Word is passed to us that he is too busy with practices in 3 places and some deal going in a large city nearby, so he lets his office mgr. handle all business deals. We have a glitch that he wants us to pay for the appraisal for his mortgage. We are pretty mad, but still hoping this deal will fly and I can leave town with the house sold and stop commuting on weekends. We call an appraisal friend to ask his advice and get an absolute ear full on how this buyer has a terrible reputation in business deals, but the bottom line is, do we want to lose the deal over $400. Although contract said appraisal was buyer's problem, we finally agree to split the appraisal fee; that word was passed through the original lady of the first contract, obviously this house is for her and she is hoping the deal goes through, now that she has sold her house and kicked out her husband. Buyer initials contract at title co, & closing date is set. Apparently a moving van is rented for day of closing. We had cleared out the home and I am moved in with a colleague for will be less than 90 days before I can retire. I get a call at school on day of Friday closing, to which my DH has come by taking leave, that buyer has still not provided insurance and funds for closing, is not going to be able to come to the table, but wants the keys and everything will be made good on following Monday. I am very upset, call his business mgr. and she puts him on the phone, he is a real misogynist, gives me a very hard time and starts saying the house has problems around the chimney, roof flashing, yadda yadda, and if I can't trust him with keys, I have no business doing business with him (which, of course we WEREN'T at the outset of this deal). I just tell him to meet my DH at the house that evening. Meanwhile DH says, well, we will go to signing and get our part over, but he is not leaving keys. We go in. Closer had advised on phone that "most deals close, after all, he is a doctor" (whose reputation has certainly made an impression on the number of people who have told us tales about him). We are signing docs, feeling ill at ease, and the closer says, well it IS weird that you are here, but he's not. We leave with keys in our pockets, wondering what will happen next. That evening, the buyer shows up, DH has a ladder and goes up with him to show him that everything is right on the roof (which of course wasn't ever the issue anyway). Buyer is sweet as honey to DH, tells him there will be no problem at title company on Monday, and DH takes another day's leave to deliver keys to title company on Monday and sure enough, all the $$ is there, the insurance policy is there, all is well.Lady moves in. Friends tell us to hold our breath until the one year warranty we provided in contract is out, but it is now well passed. As a side note, the house has been listed with one or another realtor in the past 18mo. The MLS listing was always WAY off, the last time we were town the house appeared empty but unlisted, I can only imagine the pain he caused the realtors as he bounced from one to the other. And where is the original lady of the contract? We are dying to know, but never will. That is our contentious closing story from a FSBO.