You only need to let the foliage die completely back and when it easily comes off the bulb you can store them. I put them in a box with vermiculite and store in a cool place. Never loose any and the bulbs are larger each year. You can pull out when they are still green but do wait until fall if possible. I just rinse the soil off and let them dry a bit and then place them in buckets inside until the foliage dries. My friend leaves the babies attached and then plants them in shallow soil for the summer and he had a few bloom and lots of new bulbs for next year. I always toss them out but I might change my ways or else give them to him.

We replaced the aging water heaters in our home just over a year ago. The plumbers working on the job were very keen on Rinnai, so I spent a lot of time reading up on performance, cost, etc. Bottom line: with luck, you might break even, i.e. get the same performance for the same cost, after about 15 years. But most people think that overall tankless systems are still too expensive, and the costs remain higher than traditional tanked systems even if the tankless heaters work exactly as advertised. The main advantage is if you have a high demand for hot water at specific times. So if you have a houseful of guests who all take showers at 7am, tankless ensures you don't run out and have to wait. Friends of ours installed tankless water system for just this reason. Note that with tankless, you can sometimes wait for a couple of minutes for hot water to reach your faucet or shower. Our friends installed a small electric water heater to avoid this. We went with conventional water heaters this time around. In 10 years things may be different. Cheryl

Thank you all so much for your kind words. Barbara lost her battle yesterday at 1:30 pm. I was there, holding her hand as she breathed her last breath. She was asleep, and her breathing just slowed down until it finally stopped. she died at home in her favorite chair with her favorite cat on her lap, just as she wanted. I will miss her terribly, but she is no longer in pain. She is free. Shinpad, I am sorry for your loss as well. Barbara did have two stem cell transplants (with her own stemcells) and was also on many different types of chemo, including Revlimid. After her transplants, things looked very positive but it was short-lived. After 6 months, the MM was active again. After this plasmocytoma showed up, the switched to more agressive chemo and also radiation but could not slow it down. The doctor said the only drug left to try was arsnic based and it would make her very sick, so she declined further treatment. This past Friday it looked like her marrow had stopped producing red cells and she was given two transfusions. It didn't help. her DH was unable to wake her up Monday morning and called 911. She went to the hospital and the doctors told her husband that this was it. Hospice arranged to get her back home. She died the next day. Such a sad ending for a beautiful life, but I know that she is free now so I think I am going to do OK with this. Thanks for the support. Cindy

Several years ago I had a dear, older friend who was diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer. She had moved to another town, and was too ill to have visitors. So one night, I found a beautiful card, and wrote of my admiration and love for her, and how she had such a profound influence on my life. Sometimes we feel funny or embarrassed to open or share our feelings this way, but I was so glad I did. I called a few weeks later and her daughter answered the phone, who told me how much the card meant to her mother. When her mother realized it was me, she asked for the phone and we got to say our goodbyes. Last year, on September 16, my dad also died of cancer. We are a big family, so the last week of his life was in hospice, and there was never a chance to be with him by himself. But one day, Mama and my sister decided to make a quick trip home to check the mail, wash some clothes, etc., and it was just me and Daddy. I cut the tv off, held his hand, kissed his forehead, and through my tears, told him how much I loved him, how much he meant to me. I'm crying now as I think of his sweet face smiling at me. I know I am blessed that I had that time with him and I will treasure it the rest of my life.