As a manufacturer of trimmer line and head I can attest to a few things. Line quality does make a difference in performance on some scale. Soaking it in water does help the line with its longevity. Shaped line has no effect on cutting ability. Tet after test have proven this, but like every industry, perception is reality. The next statements, while self-serving, are also true: The design of the trimmer head has more to do with line life than the line itself. The problem is that with most designs the line exits the head through an eyelet of some sort. This bends it back and forth at high speeds and heads and weakens the line. This is when it breaks or begins to wear more quickly. We have developed a new design that allows the line to pivot at the attachment point. This enables the mechanics of the head to absorb the major impacts and lengthen line life by up to 20X and virtually eliminate broken lines. The product is called the PIVOTRIM and was debuted for the 2007 spring seson. I personally guarantee the superior performance of the PIVOTRIM. Happy Trimming, Mike Watts President, Better Heads LLC 800-431-4177 Here is a link that might be useful: PIVOTRIM HOME PAGE

Hi all!! I just rejoined after years of being away - life got too hectic and I just wasn't able to spend much time on-line. Not that I have more time now, but I've missed cooking and talking about cooking, so decided to return! Anyway - hubby has high blood pressure, I have cholesteral issues, and we both needed to lose some weight, so I changed a lot about how I used to cook and have really improved on our health. Everyone has their own taste, however, and what works for one might not work for another. Case in point - I switched to Smart Balance and absolutely love it! I initially switched from using butter to Promise spread. It was the only "margerine" I ever used that I could tolerate. However, I find I like the Smart Balance even better. I use the light. I never use butter anymore except at Christmas, when I go all out. We only have those things once a year, so I figure it won't kill us. I have basically switched to using EVOO exclusively unless I stirfry, and then I use canola. I never fry anything, other than stirfrying, and even then, I try to use much less oil than most recipes call for. I substitute chicken stock for a lot of the oil in recipes as well - I use a combination of EVOO and chicken stock when I make my shrimp scampi now where I used to use mostly butter. I find my tastes have changed and I really like the "lighter" flavor. When I eat anything really oily now I actually get queasy from it. I just can't tolerate that amount of fat. It's unfortunate as well because I could make a meal out of a good loaf of bread, dipping it in EVOO with fresh ground pepper and sea salt, maybe a little parmesan grated in, however, I simply can't tolerate eating that much oil anymore. I've started using a new, Greek yogurt called Fageh - I might have the spelling wrong on that! Anyway, the 0% fat free is thick and rich and you would not believe it's fat free. I mainly eat it as a "dessert" now, drizzled with a little honey, but I've used it in place of sour cream and I recently used a third light mayo - again, I just started using Smart Balance, omega 3 or something like that, or I use Cain's light - and the rest this yogurt, to make chicken salad and it was fine. I'm not sure how the yogurt would be in tuna salad, however - haven't tried it yet. I've also tried to get away from using prepackaged food, altho I admit I still use some things, like rice pilaf mix, my son loves those noode-roni side dishes - things like that. My problem is finding the time with working full time to make everything from scratch. I've greatly reduced the amount of beef we eat, upped the fish (we always used chicken as our main meat source) and I've increased the amount of salad we eat, as well as vegetables. As I said, I'm trying to incorporate more whole grains, and I want to start making my own starch side dishes instead of relying on packaged ones. I don't really keep any sweets in the house and other than bread now and then, don't really bake much so making those things lighter hasn't been a focus for me. We switched to turkey bacon simply because I stopped eating pork. It doesn't taste as greasy to me, but I really don't know the actually fat content comparisons between the turkey and regular. I stick to turkey or roast beef for cold cuts, so those haven't been an issue. Like many others here, my one weakness is cheese. I LOVE cheese!!! I gave up eating meat altogether for close to 3 years and I lived on cheese during that time. I've tried some lowfats that are good and others that were horrid. I've basically just cut way, way back on the amount I eat and use it more as a treat now and then. It's the one part of eating light and reducing fat that I really miss. Really, the only way to control fat/salt, etc., is to cook from scratch. And I'm no doctor and am not advising people to not bother, but my husband's doctor told him that salt and high blood pressure is greatly overblown. Of course, he takes medication, other people might not, but the doctor told hubby that as long as he takes his meds, not to worry about salt. I don't use much salt in cooking to begin with, and since I don't use all that much prepackaged food, salt hasn't been a big issue. I realize it is touchy for some people tho, but if you're on medication for high blood pressure anyway, I don't think it's as big an issue as making other changes, such as lowering fat and hence, losing weight. Anyway - glad to be back, am enjoying reading everyone's posts already, and hope I can contribute some cooking tips of my own! Lisa

My advice to everyone I talk to is that they should purchase the best window that they can which fits into their budget. The only caveat to that, is the folks that do not have a realistic budget to begin with, but that is not a problem here. Ultimately, you are spending $5k give or take. A difference of a few hundred dollars is going to be very small if not irrelevant in the grand scheme when you take into consideration the size of the purchase and the fact that you have to live with these windows for the next X number of years. If you have the windows for 20 yrs, that is a difference $2 and change per month, or $32 per yr. When you look at it that way, it doesn't seem to make much sense to base this choice on price. My advice: Pick the window that you like better from the installation company that you like better. Easy as that. You won't go wrong either way on product (installer is another matter, but we can't really offer much on that without knowing the companies in question). Easy enough ;)

Yes, I had a gaslight at the end of my driveway in one house we owned in the 70's. No street lights there, too. One day, I found the light on the ground, the base had rusted out. I called the gas company to find where I could buy one, and was told that "you can't buy them anymore, they're illegal now". But, when I asked her what I was supposed to do, because the one I have is laying on the ground, and I don't know how to turn the gas off - she said "that's different, we'll get someone out there ASAP to replace it". Seems that they were not allowed to install new ones, but old ones could be replaced.