messmaker & marineguy: Thanks for the compliments. While I wouldnÂt exactly call it "low maintenance", I think youÂd be surprised at how little time it takes us to do the entire 2-3/4 acre yard. In the spring we have to do it once a week, but as we get into summer the growth slows and that interval gradually stretches to every two weeks plus. WeÂve averaged 21 mowings per season in the 5 years weÂve been in this house. In the fall and winter, the grass stays green but doesnÂt grow any, so we donÂt mow at all from the beginning of November until probably the middle of March. As I said earlier, we use two tractors and honestly, it takes my wife and I about 5 or 6 hours to do the entire yard including trimming and cleaning the tractors and equipment. Everything is set up so we donÂt need to do much trimming with the weed whackers except around the house itself and one small section of hillside too steep for the tractor. Both tractors are set up to mulch so we donÂt need to pick up any cuttings. Most of the trees are evergreens so thereÂs not much leaves to worry about and for what leaves there are, I use a backpack blower to blow them into the barked areas. The bases of most of the trees are barked and there is a 6" strip of dirt so we can mow around them without the need to trim. The same is true of the seasonal pond (it fills up in the winter, dries up in the summer), the gravel paths, planter areas and the pasture fence along the back stretch of our property. I hit all those strips of dirt with Roundup in a backpack sprayer twice a year and that takes care of the trimming. Although it might look smooth and manicured in the photo, itÂs really just fairly bumpy mowed former pasture after we cleaned out the blackberries and brush. None of the field was smoothed with machinery and we only seeded the bare spots with pasture mix. And none of the yard is irrigated at all except by Mother Nature. I do occasionally walk around the yard with the backpack sprayer full of a selective weed killer to control dandelions and such and once a year we fertilize a relatively small area directly behind the house that we use as our back yard.

Well hello all, Just got the email,and had to come over and see whats going on.Think we all need a group HUG! And you know I think thats the first time I've seen the whole list of the rules.hehe OH Shirley,I'm so sorry for your loss.I'll be prayering for you and your family. Carol,wow what a spill you had.Hope your all healed and the bump is gone. The thanksgiving swap sounds like fun:)Sorry to say I won't be doing much for swaps for a bit.Half the family is out of work.Nothing is hiring around here,sigh.So funds are tight to say the least. Grats to all that wow daylily seeds.What fun:) Jumping up and down Waving to Mamabear:) Gardening is all done here for the year:( Thou I had a rose blooming up till this last week.Bless it's little heart.Winter not really ready for it.Hmmm I know I got some daylily seeds in the last swap..hehe. That should help some. Welcome to the new members:)Hope you find smiles and alittle heart warming fun here with us. Just wanted to let you know that I'm still around:) Man spring seems long ways off...hehe. Hugs all,Jean/Dirtpig

LOL...love it kathleen... I also 'felt' as though you were right in the room talking to me!! With the dreary, came the rain here too. Just awful. There are mushrooms all over the lawn! I hope your new 'do' didn't get spoiled. lol Again, my kind of shopping >> going out for groceries and bringing back 'Goodies' ...hehehe Sounds like you did really well with those dishes. I love the size of the rimmed bowls. I've got them in the Mikasa IV and also in Pfaltzgraph (pasta/soup). DH likes that kind of bowl for soup and pasta. You can't go wrong with the white...but I hear you on the different shades of white...so true. I'm looking forward to you showing them off. Laughing at your 'hidden stash'. For two days now, I've received ebay winnings...and there's another two on the way. The other day, I took the package before DH was aware it arrived. Today, DH wondered why the mail was left on the porch, when he saw me bring it in (but not the package). I said 'oh your prescription arrived...I guess he didn't want it to get wet'... Which, of course, puzzeled him. I know, I'm bad. Now I have to work on a plan for the other two.. Wouldn't it be great if some of us lived near each other... we could 'cover' for each other's purchases. We could tell them we were accepting a package for 'our friend'...'not us' !! They'd never know. I wonder how much mileage we could get out of that plan. LOL jane

Jim, thanks for posting, as usual you have a treasure trove of pictures for us to enjoy. They are wonderful photos and it is such a touching story of their lives together. It is interesting to me that the room structure is relatively simple (basic box and rectangle shaped rooms). The crown moldings are stream lined and not over the top, The decor and interest (for me) comes from the art on the walls (love that the art is lighted, wonderful for mood setting), the beautiful layering of their collections, and the great wall colors used in the rooms to evoke cozyness and yet is still very sophisticated. I could totally live in those rooms.