I'm not so diplomatic. There's lots of gardens I come away from with a big yawn. Many gardeners need some equivalent of LSD or electric shock to break out of the safe mode. Re the comments on Hostas. I agree but mostly because of the unimaginative way these and plants are used. For goodness sakes I wish gardeners would get random piles of dirt dumped in their garden and jump up and down on them to get some variety in bed shape and vertical relief. At least it would prevent the inevitable grass. If I was the gardening god I'd ban grass except for ornamental varieties. there are somes pecifics: -too small garden beds. Especially those anal retentive srips along the house. -vinyl fences and decks. Natural wood, P.T. or cedar is so so much more cozy. -annuals placed in bunches rather than planted randomly throughout the garden. -lack of or poor use of containers. there's always room for more. Lots more. These add height and fill in the gaps, especially of those unimaginative flattened gardens. -Japanese type gardens. We have 7 months of natural Japanese garden colour and style called WINTER. I want to be uplifted with colur and greenery in spring through Fall. -Lack of interest in half the growing season. Some gardens are anemic in April and anytime after the first frost. Great gardens are humming from early April until late October. The 'Victoria Day planting' syndrome is the bane of decent gardens. Forget about Victoria Day. -I don't like weeds but prefer weeds to grass. At least weeds attract interesting insects, bees and butterflies.

Well, it is so nice to have others share in the wonder of hydrangeas - and not just the blue and pink mopheads. I have 12+ varietes of paniculata and just love them all. Was trying to take pictures of many of them today but it was too dark by the time I got outside. I'm glad you enjoy them. This year I've especially noticed the group I have around the north side of my house. Together with the hosta's and other perennials, I have a mix of green, creamy white, gold, and pink - and Wow I love it.

Pretty sure the Thermador DM oven is discontinued. You may be able to find one in stock somewhere, but Thermador is no longer making this. It's not great at functioning as a microwave anyway because of the larger oven cavity and low microwave wattage. For example it might take 3-4 times longer to heat something up (5-6 minutes to reheat a cup of coffee). And it can't do microwave popcorn very well. I would recommend the GE Advantium built-in as they now have a shelf rack for say a 9x13 dish. Or my favorite is the Sharp AX-1200 SuperSteam oven with 2 oven racks. My kids love eating veggies now that I have this.

(And please break up your future pots into more readable paragraphs.) You have an education and a career, so you are in better shape than a lot of wives who want to leave but have no way of supporting themselves/kids. I suggest counseling for the immediate future, you will need emotional support to gear yourself up for the inevitable step away from this crumb bum. Second step, as Cacocobird said, is a lawyer. Should you waver throughout this process, please print out and re-read your post. You have a duty to yourself and your kids to be treated respectfully and as an equal. Back off now and you will lose both your self-respect and your bargaining position with Mr. A. Hole. You have played the dutiful and supportive wife as long as anybody could reasonably be expected to do so. Time to stand up for yourself. It may be your last chance.