Hey, Mikki, congratulations! I am betting you won't be disappointed. I'm a vet (sower, that is), having done this for nine years now, and just moved to a new home June of 2010 in northern AL after 14 years in Gardenweed's area. I have an amazing number of wintersown plants established now already, with plans to do a lot more this year. As far as organization goes: I used to keep a spreadsheet with name, botanical name, container # (I still # my containers - I have a lot, and it helps me to cross-check easily), date sown, date germinated, date transplanted, source (gathered, trade or commercial), year packed/gathered, whether or not there were seeds left over, height and color information. It got to be too much for me, so now I just keep a notebook I hand write in: date sown, container #, botanical or common name, source & year, seeds left?, germination date?, transplant date. Much easier for me. Organizing seeds, and I have a LOT (thousands): I separate into 3 large categories - commercial, trade, gathered. Gathered, which is the smallest, gets separated by year gathered, then alphabetized. The other two, which have tons of seeds, get separated into type (annual, perennial, vegetable, herb) and year. Trade seeds then go into the emptied small boxes that held the coin envelopes I use to pack my own trades, marked with year and type. Commercial seeds get alphabetized and held together with a rubber band. The whole shebang gets stored in two rather large plastic containers (potentially 3 this coming year....)to stay cool & dry. For the most part, this insures that I can find a particular variety from my 60-something page "Seeds I Have" list easily. I recommend having less seeds, but I am a full-fledged member of SA (Seedaholics Anonymous). Most important is to have fun - you will develop your own style, more or less different from everyone else's, as you go. Nope, not dancing nekkid on Solstice - don't much like the cold! :)

Good day all! We rescheduled our meeting for this Thursday, late afternoon. I was very eager to meet with him but it just wasn't super safe to drive this weekend. Especially Saturday, which is when we were supposed to meet. I think the weather will be fine this week, albeit chilly. I'll post a follow up on Thursday for sure! I really, *really* can't wait to meet with him!!! As soon as I land me a digital camera, I'll be taking photos and uploading them to the web site I'm creating. And of course, I'll post all the details of Duane's visit, how I'm changing my yard based on our discussion, before and after photos, and anything else that seems interesting. :) KJ

Jillna, I can certainly appreciate that. Some B-Y pieces may fill over-stuffed, but for the most part the line tends to sit well and is more deep-seated than most. Certainly you have to buy one that you like, or that you are confident will sit well by sampling pieces across the maker's line. I am a dealer for Flexsteel and Brad-Young as well as other lines, and though I do like the Flexsteel price points, the quality of components in the construction of their pieces is nowhere near that of Brad-Young and a far cry from a Hancock and Moore or Leathercraft. I've think I've probably been in this business too long, and developed too critical an eye! One tends to do that after a bit. So I'll be the first to say what I see in a piece of furniture may not matter to most people, and I'm a bit of a nudge when it comes to demanding high standards in production (my suppliers will attest to that and probably get tired of my phone calls) and being critical of a piece or maker. Recently I delivered a Flexsteel Sectional (made in USA) and was taken aback at the lack of craftsmanship. I'm talking little things, such as precise pattern alignments, welt trim application, panel fits, locking mechanisms, etc. My customer was THRILLED with the piece however, and I have to constantly remind myself that there is going to be a definite build difference between a $ 9,000 Hancock and Moore sectional vs. a $ 3,500 Flexsteel. I cannot apply the same standards to each one, nor do I expect all customers to be able to shop in the upper tier categories. So please temper my comments with that in mind. Flexsteel is sturdy and strong, no issues there. It does not incorporate the elements of The Art of Upholstery, but I have had zero customer complaints in the line so there is something to be said for that. Duane Collie

The Cirrus is a big sofa. I don't know if its new, because by the time I started researching it was on the website. It's a very nice sofa. The city sofa is a much smaller sofa than the cirrus. I love to lay down in a sofa and with the city sofa when lying down on the side, there was no room in front. The Cirrus has lots of room even with the cushions and pillows. Without the cushions, its about the size of a daybed. I'm quite average size by the way. I also felt when sitting up on the city sofa that it wasn't deep enough. Actually, its a standard sofa. When sitting in the cirrus, unless I'm sitting at the edge, my feet do not meet the floor. The cirrus comes with four pillows in the same leather as the couch. I've used it with both. I do think you need the pillows to simply sit on the couch properly with your feet on the floor. I, however, have been lounging with pretty much my feet up or lying down. Even when sitting up, I have my feet on an ottoman. The cirrus is not part of the town and country/marriage program. I only priced it for grade 2 and 3 leathers and it seems to normally ranged $3500-$4500. I bought it back when H&M had their 5% discount. I've tried to take the measurements you've indicated. Here's the results: (1) 30 1/3", and (2) 32". I'm not the best with a tape measurement, but it's a deep couch and long. Hope this is helpful.