Our mortgage, including all taxes and insurance, runs us about $900 a month, and we only put down about $3000 on our house. We could have purchased a nicer (albeit smaller) house just down the street for almost half the price. Two people earning low- to moderate salaries should have no problem owning a house, as long as they realize that they won't be dining out seven nights a week, won't be walking around in Prada shoes, and may not have a 90210 zip code. Anyone who's responsible enough to appropriately manage their finances can be a homeowner. With that being said, one needs to realize when living in an apartment that some noise will be involved. Heck, my first apartment had walls like rice paper; I could hear quiet conversations word-for-word on either side. IT COMES WITH THE TERRITORY. I genuinely DO feel for the OP in that she is apparently a light sleeper, but if this situation is so stressful for her that she erupts in fits of bigoted name-calling whenever someone tells her something she doesn't want to hear, then she owes it to her own sanity to just figure out a way to move. No apartment is worth a stress-induced heart attack, you know?

We had 4 "dwarf" alberta spruces around our gazebo that were there (and 6' tall) when we moved in 11 yrs ago. Last year they were about 10ft tall and were rapidly losing needles and getting brown from the bottom up. I think they had spruce mites. Anyway, in Feb we dug them all up and I can't wait to see how the hostas I had planted in between them do this year now that they will get so much more light and space. I have a Paul's Glory that I think will return to its former glory, so I am looking forward to that, as well as adding some new additions and divisions to fill in. Found space, oh joy!!

This must be the official seasonal thread??? Carol your other thread threw me off..lol..Oh WAIT! I just read your other thread Carol is the seasonal thread..OK wiil post this on that one..LOL I need to catch up on this thread so will start reading posts soon... I took Gracie and Lacey to Vet yesterday. Two weeks ago I took Gracie to Vet cause she had a terrible cough. Gracie (dog) had infected lung passages... So yesterday was the follow up. Gracie got a clean bill of health yesterday. Sadly Lacey my cat did not...Lacey (cat) is starting into kidney failure...Vet said she will have 6 months to one year to live... So putting Lacey on Kidney cat foods etc... I need to research this subject more deeply... But all in all Lacey still doing well... When I get time I'll catch up on the thread... Have a great day everyone!

Danny, I'm so sorry. I haven't had to deal with this yet....and fortunately (so far) Mom and I get along very well. My Dad died at 53. Mom is 74 now. BUT, I can (sort of) imagine how painful all of this must be for you. And complicated. You're a good son to continue to try to care for him even through all the pain and hurt. Prayers! Around here, I can't seem to get it together. And I can't seem to say no. Next week. Next week is my new year. Fingers crossed. I'm cleaning today. I really, really wish I wasn't one of those annoying people who have to have my physical environment a certain way for me to feel relaxed and creative and settled. HU worked on the GH on Thursday. It's pretty solid. He's doing a great job, but I'll let him tell about it it more when he's ready. I held the hammer a few times. LOL Larry, I think you mentioned something on one of the threads wondering how we all grow everything that we grow...and how you don't have space for it all. I think the deal is that a lot of us only grow a small amount of a particular thing. While you go all in and grow a lot of each thing. That is HU's way too. I'm trying to do a combination this year. I want a LOT of some things--things for canning. Even tomatoes of a particular type. All of this is our survivalist garden. Then, I want to grow one or two of a few other things in the kitchen garden. Certain tomatoes and peppers that I don't need a lot of. The exception is onions. I think they do better in raised beds, so they'll go in the kitchen garden. I'd better stop sitting and get back at it. Alone time at home is a rare and treasured thing, so I need to take advantage of it.