I buy one or 2 every summer and keep them in pots on my patio. When they start dieing back in winter, I put the pots in a dry area. I've only had a couple come back, but they were weak and spindly. I consider them annuals. Also, in my experience, they seem to prefer very bright light and seem to do better in dappled sun than they do in shade. I've also found, that while they don't like to dry out, they do like it more on the drier side of moist. wanda

Rich Fruit Cake There's a lot of ingredients but you basically just mix them all together! Makes 8" round cake or 7" square. (I have also used this recipe to make a 9" round cake with excellent results) 1 lb 5 oz currants 6 oz raisins 11 oz sultanas/golden raisins 6 oz candied citrus peel 5 oz candied cherries, washed and cut into 4 pieces 1 oz sliced almonds 1 oz almond meal/flour 1 1/2 teaspoons very strong coffee 2 level teaspoons spice mix (your own preference but I use cocoa,cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice and nutmeg) Pinch of salt Zest and juice 1 small lemon 10 oz soft dark brown sugar or molasses (I use 1/2 of each) 10 oz butter 12 oz self rising flour 3 fl oz dark rum 6 large eggs Extra 1 fl oz dark rum for brushing over cake Line cake pan sides and base with parchment paper and outside of pan sides and base with brown paper (using natural string to secure) Heat oven to 250F In large bowl add spices, coffee, almonds, salt, lemon zest, and juice to fruit. Mix well then add rum and leave to soak for at least 24 hours or up to 1 week. I stir it once per day. The aroma is wonderful! In a second bowl, beat butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Beat eggs one at a time and add to butter mix, adding some flour with each egg. Reserve a small amount of flour to coat fruit by stirring it through fruit mixture. Gradually add butter/egg mix to fruit mix and stir until well mixed. Scrape into cake pan making a very slight depression in the center. Cover lightly with circle of parchment paper with small hole cut in center. Bake in pre-heated 250F oven just above center, until an inserted skewer comes out clean, approx 3 hours. (My 9" cakes have taken up to 5 hours!!) When cooked leave in oven for a few minutes with the door open. Remove from oven, brush over 1 fl oz of rum over top of cake. Leave in pan until totally cold, or overnight in a cool room. Remove from pan, wrap completely in parchment paper, then in foil. Store for minimum 4 weeks to mature. I brush with a little extra rum or brandy every 6 weeks if I store the cake for many months. The cake for this Christmas is over one year old.

I've been in my 'new' home for nine months now, and wouldn't trade it at all. It's from between 1920 and 1930, and even though there's a lot of work to be done, there's treasure abounds.. The genuine hardwood flooring in every room. The kitchen has tiles over the lovely floor, but I'll see about removing those... 9. Except for the newer front door and back door, all theinterior doors are the originals. Each door has a crystal-cut glass (assumeably) knob, the locks are still in tact even though I need to buy a key for them, and every one has the original brass faceplate and hinge and pins. 8. The very deep and extremely heavy enamel-coated cast iron tub. No, it's not a clawfoot, but it's still nice. :) 7. That of all the crappy remodeling things done to the house, someone had enough insight to install ceiling fans in all the rooms. The house has NO insulation, none of the windows open and gets very, very hot here in summer... 6. Mr. Kent, the spookie that still resides here and likes to play little pranks on us when he's bored. The Kents were the first renters of this house before my neighbor's mother bought it. He's harmless, but he does do some interesting things lol 5. The mysterious crumbling shack in front of where I park the car. It's got two little rooms with floors and one wide space that's still dirt, but too narror for a car (even a Model T). The smaller one has lots of shelves, and the longer one is, well, empty. There's an old trunk key and remnants of really ugly wallpaper. Both doors have the skeleton lock and a white porcelain doorknob. 4. The two great pecan trees in the front yard, the many rosebushes, the blueberry bush, the tigerlilies and night-blooming jasmines... I'm going to help and revamp all the lovely plants, but I can't wait for pecan pie this fall! 3. The abundance of cabinets... They go up to the ceiling. //_o Even on a chair I can't reach them, but if nothing else there's room to put stuff. 2. The lovely brick fireplace that was once the centerpiece of my livingroom. It's been painted white and brown ( //_X) and the terracotta hearthstone needs to be replaced, but it's absolutely lovely. 1. The MAGNIFICENT upright piano dating back to 1915 that's been in the house since it was new and has remained here ever since. I've got someone coming in this week to tell me how much restoration it needs, but I fully intend to save this piece of history.

Soft close drawers were a must for me. Our old drawers and doors from 1988 slammed mercilessly and our reno involved removing walls to open the kitchen to the living/dining area. The last thing I wanted was any more noise emanating from the kitchen into the more open space. Our cabinets happened to come with a free upgrade to soft close doors at the time we ordered, or else we would have gone "after market" with those since they can be had much more inexpensively and installed very easily as others have noted on this thread. Another good point others have mentioned is they are probably essential when storing dishes or glassware in drawers. So my answer is, yes, I love them on both doors and drawers. Could I live without the...sure. But I could have "lived" without remodeling my kitchen too. LOL