Thank you all. This is helpful. There's always something to learn. I looked up some of the sports of August Moon, and although there aren't any in the list I found and used that look exactly like what I remember of the greener one on the left, now I have something to look forward to and think about and compare when they bloom. It's good to know that some hostas do this mutation thing. I haven't really given much thought to my two (three) hostas, they were an impulse buy that some years look gorgeous-as long as we don't get hail!

Thanks, everyone, for the great feed-back. We are checking into the possible code issue, dekeoboe. Thanks for the heads up. Because the bathroom used to be much bigger, it houses a large built-in vanity which makes positioning utilities less than efficient. That's why the small shower. I'll see if I can figure out graphics to post a layout for more help. Bill, I love your picture. Well, your dog's picture. I was raised by a rough collie and have always loved them. And I have clipped many of your posts to get pointers for when we try our hand at tiling the bathroom -- porcelain ceramic tile, right? (Wood floor now; what a disaster!) In fact, I was going to ask you if you recommend one of those kits for building the shower: Schluter or Kerdi? We have been struggling to figure out if a free-standing stool is best or built in. Sounds like several of you are recommending stools. I love THS. We are in our 60's with a limited budget, getting our tiny cottage as low maintenance as possible as the arthritis advances and the hairline recedes. You people have been invaluable. Thanks, all. Deb

Very nice house with tons and tons of potential!!! Congrats! I like the idea of painting the railing white, red door, black shutters; that's all I would do for now. I LOVE to garden and your house has sooo much potential. My suggestions are to educate yourself first, so take the next few months to read, ask questions and learn what you can do in your zone with gardening. You want a mix of perennials and evergreens so you get year round color. Hang out on some of the gardening forums, ask questions post pics, write down what you learn. Take the time to draw out your space, what you want for garden beds and then research plants for those areas - see paragraph below... Next fall, not this spring, go shopping with your ideas in hand. In the fall you will find savings of up to 70% which gives you a ton of bang for your buck. Hit local nurseries, not the big box stores because not only do you get savings and great plants, you get the expertise of what works and does not work for your area. Bring your drawings, get their recommendations. This past spring, we had a new area out back we wanted to deal with. One of our nurseries has a design center, we took pics and drawings, paid them, they gave us drawings and plant ideas with a gift certificate back with what we paid them to use on their plants. We used that GC in the fall and managed to get far more plants by being patient. If you have an idea on what plants work for you, look good together, you can use places like Bluestone Perennials to order from. Your plants will be smaller, but if you are patient, again you get more bang for your buck especially during their sales. Plants are smaller to begin with, but they grow quickly. If you opt for a flowering ornamental, be sure to get some sage advise on where to plant it. Something cute now can be threatening your home in a few years time. Take time to plan and you will be rewarded for your patience. Congrats again on your new home!!!

Styptic powder, or actually - flour. I had my dog's black nails clipped at a groomer near my office once - he was nicked but good, he licked off the powder and bled all over the car. Ick. I've had good luck clipping him with the guillotine-style clippers. I wait until he's tired and laying down on a chair, then I pick up a paw and do it from the underside - easier to see. He still fusses though. And gives me that "how could you do this to me?" look.