I thought I'd post my thompsoniana update in this thread where it was previously discussed... I received the pictured yucca yesterday. It's a little more than 4 1/2 feet tall. For $89 I'm quite pleased. I think I'll get at least one more before they are gone and/or get expensive like the rostratas. I'll be putting it in ground in mid/late April. Next to 4.75 foot potted trachy which is also going in ground in April. Bonus pics, wintering basjoos.

Well, we were looking at houses in this neighborhood that were all remodeled and new-looking that were $239,000. But with a finished basement, too. Here, we got a larger lot for the dogs, which we needed at the time. We also got a much larger bedroom and a somewhat larger bedroom for Dad. We got the same bath and a half and two car garage and first floor laundry. Here we spent $202,000 but knew we needed to replace the furnace ASAP (the second or third year, my sis in law turned on the furnace without telling us. We had not yet had it checked out for the year and would never have turned it on. Luckily, the CO alarm went off at 3 am, or we would have all been dead. We had not yet replaced it because we were still holding/paying for the old house. Hummm. Gee, we still are, today, too!) We also knew we had original aluminum slider windows that needed to be replaced, patio door that needed to be replaced, and an old water heater. Suspected the AC needed replacement soon, too. We figured all those things were reflected in the lower price. We knew it had foundation problems in the past but were were not only told that they were fixed, but we were shown a letter from the company president of the company that put in the piers that they transferred the warranty to us! They did not guarantee that enough piers were put in or that the problem was fixed or that the homeowner had replaced the broken slab. Our inspector (recommended by a friend) should have wondered more about why there was a 1" difference between the foyer and the living room floors. There were step downs to the family room of 6" from the kitchen, 4" from the hall to the laundry room, and 4" from the front hall to the foyer. What was with 1"? It was all under plush carpet, so we could not tell anything. But an investigative mind could have gone over to a heat vent, pulled up the grate, and seen that there was not duct work coming up to the grate. I had no experience with homes of this era. Despite the RE agent being our agent, she did still represent the "sale" since we were not paying her hourly or paying her commission. So it was in her best interests not to wonder why the floor was a funny height there. But she probably knew something was up. If I was not so behind at work, I might have tried to sue the guy who sold us the house, but I was recovering from a heart attack when we discovered the issue, (I literally bought the bookcases for the project on the way home from the hospital!) and was recovering from shingles when Jim finished the project six months later. I missed three weeks to a month of work with the HA, and a full month with shingles. I do not think we would have bought the house with knowledge of the problem. We also bought the house intending to remodel the kitchen. No way did the price we paid also include the foundation work that needed to be done. We had replaced the doors, the water heater, the furnace and AC, and the electric service panel before we discovered the broken foundation. We replaced one window when we did the kitchen and were planning to replace the others when Jim did the Library work in the Living Room. We remodeled the kitchen the year before the foundation problem was discovered, but I used 24 year-old cabinets that I refinished! I bought a scratch and dent cooktop, a sink for $60 from Habitat Restore, met a stranger at a gas station to buy a half-price Danze faucet, and used Wilsonart countertops. I did the staining and painting myself. You all know that I cobbled together the Library from used furniture stores and Craigslist. No, I would not recommend buying another house with foundation problems unless you take an engineer with you to inspect the home thoroughly - getting under and behind whatever he/she needs to see. Then you get a signed contract for doing the work at a set price. THEN and only then do you know what it will cost you - preliminarily, because something else could turn up in doing the work! The guy who sold us this house had covered up all evidence of damage by taping the cracked corners and repainting. Well, why did not the home inspector wonder why 1. there is corner molding in all the corners of the laundry room, which adjoins the foyer, which adjoins the living room (Library for us) which had a floor that had fallen in and cracked in half and which the homeowner had built a false floor over? 2.Why there was new paneling in the garage (I am still afraid to take it off and find out what is behind it) 3. Why there is a new garage floor when there were no piers put in the garage area? Why didn't our inspector have us ask these questions? House inspections are a joke. If you have a relative or friend who knows something about buildings, have them accompany your inspector and "do" their own inspection.

It's easier to go from lighter to darker than it is darker to lighter. In our case our cabs were very dark and we went to lighter. That meant having to strip them down to bare wood. Our cabs are Ash, not Oak but also have a very visible, distinct grain pattern. It was actually uncovering that pattern that inspired us to strip and re-stain (with cherry) rather than paint. I LOVE the patterns. Our granite has a lot of movement and I think it looks great with the cabs. Rather than clashing I think it carries through with the theme / feeling. Our floor is plainsawn select white oak which also has lots of grain pattern (in the process of being stained red mahogany). As far as color selection goes, that's really such a personal thing. What inspires you? What makes your heart sing? Take inspiration from nature. In our case our inspiration is a sunset over the ocean - blues, purples, pinks and grays with lots of warmth. This was taken on our honeymoon: Here is a link that might be useful: I ramble a lot, here's some pics

I had a facelift at 50yo (6 years ago now) and would not suggest one at 80yo. For me, I didn't have wrinkles, but my eyes and jowls were starting to sag. My surgeon, now retired, is world renowned and one of the two original inventors of the microscopic brow lift. I look the same, only fresher and younger. One of my mother's healthcare companions yesterday asked me if I had any children. When I said they were in their late 20s and early 30s, and that I had 2 grandchildren she said she thought I would have toddlers. Most people can't believe I'm a grandmother. It's nice to hear, but I did it for myself. Now if only my hands looked better, but I'm not willing to do fillers (anywhere) especially when they are not longer lasting. My older sister had a facelift (same Dr) after me, and breast implants - he is also well known for breast cancer reconstruction surgery. She was 55yo when she had hers. If anyone is considering a facelift, or any kind of facial surgery, I would question whether or not they leave in tubes. My Dr did not. Mine was removed the morning after surgery. Recovery was easy. Sleeping in a recliner is best. I was no in pain, but I did swell and bruise a lot (fair skin). One of the benefits is not having a headache for over a year. I could not sleep on either side for awhile, and my left ear has a tiny bit of permanent numbness, but it's not painful and doesn't bother me.