This week I'll review my experiences with Stanley and Sons nursery. ***************************** STANLEY AND SONS ***************************** Stanley and Sons Inc. is a Wholesale nursery located in NW Oregon. They have specialized in rare and unusual conifers and Japanese maples since the mid-1970s with some ten acres of nursery grounds and grafting/offering more then 2000 different conifers. While they are 'wholesale', they do occasionally offer their wares to avid collectors, provided you meet certain requirements. Since Stanley and Sons is a wholesale seller, often the prices of the plants are unbeatable. To acquire such plants, retailers or collectors usually must have a retail nursery or membership into the ACS - American Conifer Society. Also, orders must contain a minimum number of plants(depending on the size of the plants). www.stanleyandsons.com Inventory: ***** S&S has the largest overall offering of conifers that I'm aware of online. Offering some 2,000+ conifers, including new ones every year from Holland/New Zealand, they offer both common plants you might find at Lowes, to very rare plants seldom seen in any but the most exclusive online nurseries. They also offer large stock supplies of many of their conifers, with some conifer inventories listed in the thousands. For the retailer, S&S offers a gigantic selection of very well priced conifers covering both large and small. I have friends who run a landscaping business and they have recently pledged future funds in return for unique conifers to provide their customers landscapes. I have also found S&S to be an extremely reliable source to find rare and unusual conifers - particularly 'large upright' conifers that I've had a very hard time finding online. Stock quality/size: **** S&S offers many sized plants, but the overwhelming majority of plants listed for sale are 4" pot and 1 gallon sized plants. S&S does offer 3-gallon and 10-gallon(or larger) plants, but these are much less common and are also sometimes too large to ship via UPS. The size of the plants varies from small one-year grafts to large, overflowing plants that are 3-5 years old or more. I've ordered a half dozen plants in three gallon sizes and I was impressed every time. Generally speaking, the 4" pots are 'starter' plants, often very recent cuttings. Where the size might be lacking is more then made up for in quality - Stanley and Sons offers some of the healthiest looking plants I've experienced from any nursery online. General experience/Customer service: *** Stanley and Sons has an impressive packaging/shipping routine. Every conifer is well labled with size/habit details and every box is extremely well packaged. Shipping for me here in the Northwest is both inexpensive and very quick, usually overnight. Of course I live within 3 hours of S&S nurseries, so East coast travel times may be longer. Stanley and Sons is a WHOLESALE nursery, so they operate much differently then other nurseries you may have experienced. From what I have seen and read here on these forums, it can be difficult to contact them directly and they may even scold customers from calling/asking specific details. Really, any collector/conifer enthusiast should be happy enough if they are offered these conifers in the first place. Complaints/pestering, etc. are not likely to be well received, especially given the huge discount you're already looking at on very fine plants. Orders are usually placed online with a pre-given CC# and confirmation of the order is usually given in 24 to 48 hours. Sometimes stock may not be present even if it shows on their availability list - again, another aspect of the wholesale industry. I've never had a bad experience with Stanley and Sons and would recommend them for anyone with retail needs or looking to add to their collection. Just keep in mind that they are wholesale, so being able to even shop from them is a huge perk. Value: **** Unquestionably, S&S offers some of the least expensive plants I have come across. I've purchased several dozen plants between $7.50 and $15 that have thrilled my landscaping friends. Though they aren't 'instant gratification plants', the rarity of some of these plants gives them top value. While other nurseries offer older stock, S&S has the best prices. This of course is an uncomfortable point - Stanley and Sons is WHOLESALE, and their are ethical questions whether or not 'retail consumers' should even have access. It's not one I'll argue either way as I am just a small fish and new to all of this - just keep it in mind if you're considering placing and order - and certainly don't be upset if you're denied access. Personally I have found many nurseries to have redeeming qualities when it comes to their own offerings, and I have and will continue to place orders with other nurseries, but for the conifer enthusiast on a budget, S&S really is sort of your holy grail of nurseries. If you have more time then money, it is probably one of your best options. In the end, whether you're a retail nursery owner or a very avid conifer collector, Stanley and Sons offers an extremely reliable, inexpensive way to further increase your wares. It's impossible not to recommend them. A typical 'cart' of 15 4" pots. Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Confucious' 1GAL - $7.50 Cryptomeria japonica 'Black Dragon' 1GAL - $7.50 Cryptomeria japonica 'Elegans Compacta' 1GAL - $7.50 (Huge plant for 1 gallon sized) Picea abies 'Chrudim WB' 4" POT - $10 Picea abies 'Hildburghausen' 3GAL - $25 Pinus nigra 'Gaelle Bregeon' 3GAL - $25 Psuedotsuga menziessi 'Valdstejn' 1GAL - $15 Next week: Cloud Mountain Farms and Girards Nursery. Will

Pick up any newspaper and look in the back under the apartments-for-rent listings. They may be listed according to increasing price, or by area in the city you're interested in. If you find something interesting, call the phone number and make an appointment to see it. You are probably not going to have any luck trying to rent an apartment in North Carolina while living in L.A. Ordinarily people move to a place and then look, or make a special trip. You will want to inspect the apartment and see if it seems worth the money, and most landlords will want to talk with you in person. As far as good credit, as long as you don't have a history of not paying your bills or of filing for bankruptcy, it's not a big deal. Besides using newspapers, there are often free magazines in many cities (you can usually find them at grocery stores) that list all the current places available to rent. You can also see what is listed on the Internet by using: Craig's List Maybe your friend can send you some newspapers or other information. However, you are going to have to do the looking in person. If you are from Germany, you may be used to a process that is more formal and complicated than it is here. In the U.S., if you've got enough money to pay the rent and don't look like a drug dealer, it will be simple.

Here is some information from my link, above: **Texas does not have a state statute on the amount of notice the landlord must provide tenants in order to increase the rent or change other terms of a month-to-month rental agreement. Unless your rental agreement specifies otherwise, the landlord must typically provide the same amount of notice to change the rent or another term of the tenancy as state law requires the landlord to provide when ending the tenancy—in this case, one month. The landlord and tenant may agree in writing to different notice periods, or none at all. Keep in mind that if you have a long-term lease, the landlord may not increase the rent until the lease ends and a new tenancy begins—unless the lease itself provides for an increase.** I can if you wish find the actual statutes, or your daughter's attorney can do that for y'all. They are easily accessible. Ordinarily, the lease itself will have information about the end of the lease and subsequent tenancy. Your daughter should have a copy of the lease. Read it. I will be glad to read it as well if it might help. Texas divorce calls for a fair and equitable distribution of community property at divorce, she should talk to her divorce attorney about possibly including part of the rent in the lists of assets and debits used to figure what a fair and equitable split is, keeping in mind the many rules about his,hers and ours in a community property state.

When I became interested in making jewelry, I knew absolutely nothing about it. A local bead store helped me get started with some basic tools and showed me how to string some beads on wire and crimp the ends. That got me hooked, but the internet is where I learned so many of the techniques I use today from a wrapped loop to much more complicated wire weaves and wrapping. My next goal is to teach myself how to use a torch. I've already learned how to make balled headpins and basic fold forming; fusing and soldering is on my list along with setting stones. The generosity of the members of online jewelry forums, bloggers and youtube video producers in sharing their knowledge for free is something I very much appreciate. I'm now in a position to share knowledge with others and I gladly do that to pay it forward. Another favorite past time is looking up recipes, cooking techniques and nutritional information. Like many of the rest of you, I also like to look up obscure facts and information. I love that a question can randomly pop into my head and I can instantly look up the answer. We travel a lot and the internet has made it possible to learn about the area we want to visit, plan an itinerary and book excursions, airline ticks and hotel rooms without ever leaving our house. Online selling sites like Etsy, Ebay, Artfire and Amazon Handmade, along with others, have made it possible for small crafters like myself to sell their products to a world wide market. We used to be limited to local craft/art shows and home sales parties, but now people can extend their reach beyond their wildest imaginations. Twitter, FB, Pinterest and Instagram make is possible to market products for free or little cost and reach huge numbers of people. It's possible to build one's own website if they wish to go out on their own and bypass the selling sites. Besides all of the above, the internet can bring people together to form very real communities such as the one we have here at the KT. I have met some of the nicest people online who have become friends more precious to me than some of the people I know in real life. The kindness, compassion, wisdom, knowledge and generosity of these people can be humbling. I find myself laughing at their jokes and stories, crying along with them during times of grief and troubles, celebrating accomplishments and milestones, admiring their talents and sharing advice when one hits a stumbling block. For all the negatives, and there are some, it's really opened up entire new worlds to so many of us. For those who are home bound, it can be their only contact with other people which makes it possible to have a social life. Families that are spread far and wide can stay in touch and the older generations can have very real relationships with the young generations. It's a wonderful thing for grandparents/grandchildren who live hundreds or thousands of miles apart.