I go back and forth on all this - I will be 66 end of the week. I just got through 2 years of intensive careing for my mother who was bedridden and living with us. The gardens got a lick and a promise - hubby did most of the work tho. Mom passed in February so I thought now it is my time to devote 24/7 in the gardens - started out great then we hit this 50+ days of Heat Indexes of 100-110 and no end in sight. I found I really can't take the heat like I use to so the gardens suffer again. I will always have flowers and always have more than I can handle but that being said yes I am going to scale back some - add more shrubs (hydrangeas, viburnums, camellias, ect) and go for lower maintenance. I love starting my annuals from seed and taking note of what is doing good in this oppressive heat - I have some real standouts - blackeyes susans, megellan zinnias, vinca, caladiums and coleus. Fussy plants are getting the heave-ho. This has been a great thread - I had no idea there were so many of us 'seniors'. It was very theraputic reading other gardeners responses because I was thinking I was losing interest because I wanted to scale back and was feeling bad about 'old age' setting in -. I was feeling that life was passing me by. In the last 10 years I retired, moved to a different state, lost a husband of 38 yrs, moved my mother in with me, met and married a wonderful man - now it is time to garden :) thanks for listening ...... Lynne

Title of this thread caught my eye, and I too misunderstood what it meant. It's an individual thing and one that has to fit your home, lifestyle, wants and needs so if it's important to you go for it. But I have to ask, if you think it will become one of your favorite spaces, why not reconfigure so the tub fits in your master bath? You mentioned you have shower/tub combos upstairs so wouldn't that be more than adequate for guests? I can only speak for myself and my family, but as guests in other people's homes, even close relatives, we're more comfortable using bathrooms closest to the bedroom we're staying in. It's more about getting in and out rather than lingering like I'm at an inn on vacation. Looking at your plan, I'd think most guests would probably use the baths upstairs too because they'd be more private than choosing the bathroom surrounded by your social areas and off the deck. I love my tub time, but I wouldn't feel comfortable hogging that first floor bathroom. I think a powder room or small bath downstairs and a larger MB makes more sense. Do nephews really like to take luxurious soaks or need a big tub? If they want to frolic in water wouldn't using the hot tub on the deck be more fun, scenic and make more sense? Also agree and know from experience that those club foot and large tubs get cold so fast. I love long soaks with a book so a seperate shower and a large tub in the MB was important when we bought our house, but I often go to the bathroom with a smaller tub so it stays warm longer. When I remodel the MB tub will be deep narrow and heated. Just some thoughts.

Here is my story I took Minocycline (Minocin) a member of the Tetracycline family for many years as an adult, not child, for skin problems. My doctor NEVER mentioned to me that it might cause discoloration on and inside my body. A few years back while out to dinner with a friend, he asked me why the whites of my eyes were grayish-blue. By that time I had already noticed that my teeth were starting to look very "dingy". I stopped smiling and kept conversations to a minimum to keep my teeth out of sight. I also noticed that the cartilage on my ears were blue-gray. Then I started noticing that when I bumped myself hard enough to get a bad bruise, sometimes the bruise never went away. As such, I still have a bruise above my knee from when I smacked it real hard back in 1996! I broke my ankle in 1998 and had surgery to pin it back together. No problems with discoloration until a year later when I asked to have the hardware removed. It healed with a bruise-like area that completely encircles the surgery site and it is still visible. Three years ago I broke down and got veneers on ten of my front teeth at a cost of $1,500 per tooth. I now have a beautiful $15,000 smile. And I share it with everyone I meet. Two years ago I had a hysterectomy. At that point I had finally figured out why all the bruising, bluish whites of my eyes, ears and teeth. I had done hours and hours of research online and told my Dermatologist of 15 years, my findings. He was a bit skeptical, so I gave him printouts of what I found. I then showed him my new $15,000 teeth, but did not smile. He just shrugged his shoulders and put me on different antibiotics. I told my Gynecologist about the whole issue and explained to him I wanted to be off Minocin for at least thee months before he performed the hysterectomy and take lots of vitamin C which helps with bruising. He said that was fine with him. During the surgery, when he opened me up, he was greeted by a big blue cavern. All of my ligaments he told me were blue. Doctors, nurses and other medical personnel gathered around to witness it. Â sigh My healthcare provider finally hired another Dermatologist so six months ago I changed to her. I gave her a condensed version of my story and she was amazed my previous doctor (her new colleague) had not noticed or understood what was causing all the bluing and bruising. She then looked at my ears and politely asked if she could take photos of them. With each click of the camera, she apologized again and again. I told her if the pictures get into a medical journal and help other people, IÂm good with it. So thatÂs my story. My teeth look great now but I could have bought a new car or a facelift for what they cost. The discoloration around the scar on my ankle has faded some. The bruise on my knee is almost gone now. My ears and whites of my eyes are still "bluish" but I donÂt *think* anyone would notice unless I pointed it out or you got up close and stared at my eyes. I hope that doesnÂt the next time I meet a KTer. LOL Jodi- who may be "blue" but she's happy!

Denise, sorry, I have been so tired of being sick. My brain is brain dead and I can only keep up here and there. Dam 'pregnizone' can wreak havoc on even a young body. Me too. My weather does the same exact thing. When it clouds up it usually rains and is lousy out, but warm. Once the storms pass, then comes the arctic air, the only time I ever get blue skies this time of the year. It's pretty depressing. It has been frigid for day, but not a cloud in the sky. I don't know which is better, cloud warm days and no sun, or blue skies and sun? You are so right! When the west is warm, the east freezes to death! I can't wait to catch a break around here. What a pain it is to unhook the hose and drain all the water out and then hook it back up again to water all the plants in my greenhouse. Kvetch, I see you dug them up!! I am so glad you did that. Ha. I was hoping you would not just let them die of hypothermia..lool Good to see you my friend. Mike