Ok, all of the people trying to say that this is a double track, least of all some kind of deer double track, have clearly not seen it. I have seen several of them around a muddy creek in Marshall TX. Out in the Nesbitt area. Both left and right prints, and they were everywhere. There's no way that they could all have been any kind of double prints. There's also something stalking the wood around Nesbitt that doesn't sound like anything I have ever heard. I have lived here since I was a kid and sit outside at night all the time. My mom used to take us owl calling in the middle of the night when I was younger and I gained a great fondness for the sounds of nighttime animals. I have never heard anything like it before. Whatever it is, there are several of them that call back and forth to each other and only very late at night.

We just bought the newest Bravos model 800 series washer and dryer and it does have the heater. I have run 3 loads so far - a queen comforter ran on bulky and it filled the top a little more than half way. Then I did a heavy king quilt and it was about the same. I am waiting to do my King bedspread tomorrow - it will fill the machine I am sure. Then I did a load of towels used on my dogs after their bath and one that we keep on the porch to wipe their feet. I must say the cycles are LONG - DH and I stood there the entire time watching it fill, wash, rinse, and spin. For as little movement as it seemed to have - the dirtest towel came out clean. I was really surprised by the spray rinse cycle. I would think it would need to fill the tub up as least as much as when it washed to get the soap out. I am not sure I am convinced they were really rinsed completely. But now to the dryer, which has me really perplexed. It took more time than programed for to get the comforter and quilt dry when using the Bulky cycle. I had to put each on for an additional 10 minutes on the Timed cycle to finish drying them. I did stop the machine a couple time to shift around the comforter to get the damp areas exposed and the same for the quilt. (These were not dried together but seperatley.) Then I put the load of towels in and they were not dry after 44 minutes on the normal cycle. Took an additional 15 minutes to get them dry and these are old towels not thick and lush like my bath towels are. There were about 6 towels in there. Plus I found lots of loose dog hair in the dryer that I never found in my old Kenmore. The vent was full as it always was in my Kenmore but either the hair did not come out in the wash as it usually would with my old machine or it wasn't filtered out in the vent. I don't like having to check for it each time I wash the dogs stuff. I plan on doing the dogs comforter ( yes they have one!) tomorrow. I know it will be full of hair. Any suggestions on the cycle to use to get towels done the fastest and what about the long drying times? Does it take longer to do your laundry than before? I would expect so with the washer but hoping the drying time would be less with the spinning efficency of the washer. In case anyone is interested - Home Depot here is having 10% off appliances the day after Christmas. That is on top of sale price now. hhgregg matched HDs price yesterday for us and delivered today. They also upgraded us from a 700 series washer to a 800 series for the same price as the 700 at HD.

Laura & MyerMike..... Well, well, well.....like running into old friends at a party! Great to know you guys are still around. Good to read your comments. So...yep, killed all my Adeniums, back a few years ago. My loss. Now I know to move my butt faster when cold weather is about to hit. I have had some successes besides my failures. Caudex/Fat-trees (Bursera fagaroides & Operculicarya decaryi, Operc. platypus) are fattening up very quickly, and trunks tripled diameters since I first bought them. Note to Adenium growers: If you want to grow easy plants without the headaches that Adenium can bring....try the trees that I just mentioned. I grow all three trees "hard", in gritty mix, no water except when it rains. I force them to break dormancy in late March, and stick them on the back porch, in full sun, when small leaves start to appear. They stay outside, in hot sun, until leaves turn gold and fall off. Then dry storage in light ( trunks are photosynthetic) until spring. Mike....I no longer grow figs. I won't go through the trouble anymore. Weather in NYC winters has become too severe for containerized figs and I lost all my expensive, and rare varieties back in 2014. Growing in NYC can be very challenging because the growing season is so damn short, and winters are dark and dreary. Not great conditions for ideal Adenium culture. This winter, I am going to put Adeniums under supplemental LED lighting, and see if this helps. Gave up on growing Clivia - too expensive, too slow growing, not enough supplies of desired varieties, and I refuse to spend hundreds of dollars on a flowering-size plant, that I may kill. Over the years, I perfected my skills for killing plants, and I can do it much more quickly and efficiently now. I kill only the best. I just bought some Iochroma seeds (a type of blue-flowering Brugmansia/Angel's Trumpet), and I'll see if this species survives. Plumeria/Toba's Fire/Embers: Doing just fine and makes plenty of new growth each season. Now, the original stick has grown to about 5 feet and subdivided into three equal-sized branches. Before heading back to NYC, I'll throw this Plumie into the ground, for some better root run. So...now you're up to speed. Laura, your plants, the culture, and the staging are exceptional, and the extra grooming work that you do, sure shows. Show-quality specimens in fact, and nice to see what plants should look like for display. Best regards, Frank NYC/7b

Re: "There aren't any new developments that even come close in terms of architectural quality in our city, and neither in terms of pricing." That tells me that the proximity to trains has been already figured in to the price, which means that if its a nuisance a buyer can put up with it can be a great way of getting an otherwise great place in an otherwise unaffordable neighborhood. Sounds like you did your due diligence and decided to go for it - pls report back once you are moved in and tell us how it's working! I bought a house immediately adjacent to tracks after thoroughly checking it out, incl calling them and asking if they used herbicides. They didnt - they mowed. For about 5 yrs anyway, then they started doing massive amts of herbicide spray which killed off entire trees and half my yard, - needed to file complaints w/ state environmental regulatory agency which got them to reduce but not eliminate the applications. Im planning my exit strategy, moving as soon as I can. Too bad, cos I otherwise liked it and the noise didnt bother. In my price range, I cant get the perfect house so the question becomes what I can put up with, and what I cant.