What were we talking about? Booze? Mind-altering drugs? Who is Phyllis anyway? I'm soo confused! And I know, I think, maybe, I took my premarin last night. I think. It is today isn't it? My mom used to run through the list of names until she hit the right kid. There's no hope for me is there? I always say that's why they gave me a name tag. I'm not sure who that old lady in the picture is though. Kind of looks like my aunt. Tally HO!

Agreed, we all choose our own preferences. However, it is a fact that front loaders use less water than top loaders (my old Asko used only 7 gallons of water per load-I think the Bosch uses about 12, but I am not sure) and on the whole, are more energy efficient according to the government and consumer ratings I have seen. Water is going to be the most valuable commodity on the Earth in the not-too-distant future. The European brands seem to use much less water than other brands perhaps because they tend to be more conscious of water use than many Americans (not all, so don't jump on me for that, but in Switzerland, for example, I used to live with a family who told me that the amount of water available to them depended on the amount of snow they got in the mountains during the winter-they were very careful in their use of H20). Typical American front-loaders use 40-50% less water than top loaders. The front loaders also spin at 1000-1200 rpm (Bosch is 1200) which removes much more water and shortens drying time. A lot of the time, I don't even need to use the dryer-I just lay everything out for a bit and it dries in less than an hour or two. Washing in cold water will also save you a bundle no matter what kind of washer you have. I think that whatever you do is fine as long as you are happy and you are doing the best you can to leave the planet better than you found it! Anyone remember the Cuyahoga River? We are certainly doing better than in those days!

When I worked weddings back in the 80s most weddings averaged around 150-200 guests. It was a moderately-priced venue - you could do fancy but most people stuck to the basics (stuffed chicken!). Family-style meals were also common (and probably the least expensive option I think). We didn't do buffets for weddings. There were weddings in the 200s but over 300 was extremely rare. Anything larger couldn't fit in our building so that's why we didn't see the really big ones. There could have been plenty of those big weddings at other venues for all I know but I doubt it

We still own our last house, and not because we want to! We moved out of that house on Thanksgiving weekend of 2005 and spent the winter getting in shape to sell - taking off wallpaper, fixing the bathroom ceiling, cleaning, painting and mouse-proofing the basement, putting flooring on the steps to the basement, and painting the whole main floor. Then we had the original wood floors refinished. March 1, 2006 it went up for sale at $160,000. A year and a half later, we got our first offer, a rent-to-own situation for $140,000. Because she had credit problems to fix, we did a 2 year lease before purchase. By that time rolled around, the house was not worth the contracted price and the deal fell thorough. Going price for a house like ours? $85,000. This is where the insurance comes into play. We are paying high-cost landlord insurance. The agent told me that he is being told to stop the insurance on all empty houses! If we could not find a new tenant, we would have an empty, uninsured house. Luckily, we had my father-in-law's caregiver and her husband ready to move in. Part of the deal I made with her to get her to return to Michigan and resume her caregiving for Dad was that she could live in our old house at the same price she had paid to rent the two=bedroom apartment they had here before going back to Florida. So I am getting about half of the cost to keep up the house each month in rent, but am glad to have someone in the house at all. I told the agent that I would move back to the house before losing the insurance. It is only 5 minutes from my work. I could see DH on weekends and I could keep one of the three dogs we have there with me at the old house. There is so much vandalism of empty houses that insurance companies are no longer insuring vacant home in the Detroit area. ML, we have a high deductible, I thought - $1000. I have never heard of a deductible by percentage. How does it work? I agree that oceanside and barrier island properties should not be insurable if it means that we all have to help pay when they are destroyed. I expect to hear that a lot more areas join that list as global warming changes weather patterns. Places like Paterson NJ or the area around the Red River in North Dakota might not be insurable soon.