I hope that those who say people with large homes are just showing off realize how that sounds. :o( kelntx~ Your friend should be ashamed. Oh... and find new friends. Stat. :O) Just kidding. We haven't even told most of our friends that we've bought a 2nd home, let alone how large it is. We didn't buy it "to show off". We bought it because we got it for a great price, and it adequately meets our needs. Yes, it is much larger than what we were searching for, but we're not going to complain. And you know what.... if a room sits unused, the cooling/heating won't be wasted. They have invented these great things called "vents" that can be turned off for individual rooms. :o) Sorry if I'm sounding testy. But I don't get the mentality of "let's be critical if someone has a large home". Who cares?! Seriously. If they want a million square feet with a strip of grass all around... I guess I don't mind. And before you surmise that this is hitting close to home.... no, we bought 25 acres for our horses. Otherwise, I'd love a small-ish yard. Less upkeep, and your garden can look that much better with gardening time devoted to less space. Okay, I'm getting down off my soapbox...

A story sung by Jim Reeves: "There's a little white home that I built for our own, where I dreamed we'd be happy, you and I; I leave it to you for I know you'll be true, 'til we meet at the Golden Gate, goodbye" I loved this album as a kid, folk music at its best.

List of previously used themes for FNM: Walk, Run Light, Bright, Shine, Lightning Smile, laugh, happy (in general) When; Now, Later, Always, Forever, Until See, Look, Eyes, Vision Royalty, queen, king, lord, lady, castle Colors (includes white and black) Break, Breaking, Broken, Piece(s) No Not Never Nobody Nowhere No One Cry, Cried, Crying, Tears, Teardrops Who What or Why Dream, Nightmare, Bed, Sleep, Slept Birds/Flight Sun, Moon, Stars, Planets Happy 4th of July by with/without Hello/Goodbye - Greetings Lost and Found (I'm Deranged, from Lost Highway) Life Stages (Baby, Child, Teenager, Girl, Boy, Woman) Change Easter Passover Smoke and mirrors – fire, burn, reflection War and Peace Remember, forget, memories Architecture & Interior Design: Doors, windows, furniture, buildings, etc. Games, super bowl, Olympics, competition, win, lose, etc. Words: talk, tell, call, speak, write/wrote, story, tale, book, text, phone Hold me, Touch me, kiss and hug Happy New Year Beginning End Old Us vs Them, We or They Food & Drink Halloween Machines, Tools, Instruments Weather Come here or Go Away Time: seconds minutes hours Parts of the body House & Home Water/wet Like Me, My/Myself & I/I’ve Hot Fun in the Sun, Summertime Size/Quantity (How much, how many) Roads! (streets, avenues, blvds) Guys & Dolls, Women & Men, Boys & Girls Psych Out, Psycho, Illusion, Deception "To Have and Have Not" Directions (up, down, left, right, etc) Do, Don’t, Will, Won’t, Does & Doesn’t Plant Kingdom Flowers & Spring Clothes & Image The World & Places In It Physical Actions Animal Kingdom Heart & Soul You EltonJohnDenver's topics / already done: Movies Night & Day Cops & Robbers Is there a doctor in the house Pick & Mix Easy Living “Name” that tune Adjectives I've been working Lost in Space In the House Getting Around (similar to transportation) What's in a Date Tired of Waiting From Carol: for Mom

foodonastump, the house in L.A. has not increased in value over the past year and a half or so, but at least is remaining stagnant, whereas the house in Cathedral City has been increasing in value, and so there is that. I thought it would be better to stay in L.A. and for Kevin to look for work here, but he is dead set on moving to the desert and working remotely, even if he makes a lot less money. Our expenses will be lower there because of lower property insurance, but utilities are higher there, due to the cost of A/C, even though we have solar panels, which we are forced to rent, since that was a condition of buying the house. Food is cheaper in Cathedral City because we do most of our shopping at Cárdenas, an inexpensive Mexican market close to our house, and we do not have that many options for food shopping, relatively speaking. There are no Japanese markets, and the so-called "Asian" markets are really just Filipino, and I do not like Filipino food. I will probably have to make trips back to L.A. to do to Japanese and Korean markets for items that I cannot find online. At least I can get decent sushi at Gelson's in Rancho Mirage or at a sushi restaurant near my house in Cathedral City, but it still does not come anywhere close to what I can get in L.A. I also cannot get Ethiopian food in the desert, and so I will have to learn how to make injera bread - my attempts so far have not been great, but I can get teff flour online. We are also going to have to change all of our doctors, and this disturbs me even more. My doctor in L.A. said that I can find good doctors in Palm Springs, but I am not happy about having to make the change. I just hope it will be easier to get appointments than it has been in L.A.