How can you deduct what you're giving for samples? You're growing it same as the rest and deducting cost of growing. That would make me mad too - has this guy never bought from you before? Don't you have a sign with your farm name? I assume the absent vendor had. Some people are clueless. On getting it all done - I tied up all my tomatoes along the fences yesterday, counted I have 200 in ground (plus 1 volunteer that will have to be pulled b/c it's too close to a transplant - I didn't notice it among the weeds along the fenceline a month ago). 4 dwarf varieties trialing in 13 pots on the porch (plus 2 Cosmonaut Volkov in half gal pots that look leggy but healthy, I may put in 5 gal buckets to see what happens). Planted 16 more sweet (non-bell) peppers in east bed of tunnel to see what they do, that makes 96 in tunnel, 6 (5 of them superhots) overwintered in pots and need to be potted up, did just put 8 Hinkelhatz in 4" pots b/c they looked so good in cell pack and seeds are rare I'm hoping to sell plants. Have 3 Black Krim in 4" pots that look good, don't know if I can sell them now but I hate to compost them. DH didn't water the plants I moved into garage to shelter from Arthur so the rest are being composted. I didn't count the bean plants but have about 70ft of pole beans, about that of bush beans. Melons really aren't growing (do watemelon plants need LOTS of water when they're 3" across?), cukes are slow, squash is growing but no male flowers yet. Cilantro is flowering - I'm leaving it to seed and attract beneficials, will sow more, dill is just starting but I need to sow more, have to sow basil I never got around to. Been pulling bolting lettuce - trying to let kale flower (couldn't find Red Russian this year and used all my seed starting in March, got 2 plants in the garden and they're being skeletonized). Curly kale doing well but I'm going to seed more. Going to try carrots in tunnel since I have 36ft (x2ft) beds left on east side and that is nice fairly sifted fine composted manure (hope I don't get all tops, it tested Low in N but tomatoes and peppers like it). So I talk to my sister (now down from Boston staying with my parents) yesterday, make plans to take kids to my uncle's pool (1/2 mile from me) in afternoon weather permitting. I said I don't like DD to be out from 10-2, so after 2 sounded good. Said I'd probably just work til noonish b/c it was going to be too hot, call my cell I'll have it in the truck. She said she'd call after lunch. I don't have any missed calls when I knock off at 12:34 after frantically working (not even watering peppers in, not pruning tomatoes, no weeding or mulching that needs to be done out back). So I eat lunch, go pot up those Hinkelhatz in garage, run back in, no messages on house or cell phones, prune blackberries, weed in house garden, general putzing, at 2:30 I try mom no answer at house, call sis's cell no answer leave message but it's starting to sprinkle so I don't know if they decided to go to movies or something. Hop on GW and post on a few boards, read weekly Ag report from state, etc. 4:45 no answer my parents' house, call cell, my sister answers and says they're at pool, just ready to leave! My mom told her not to call b/c l"ikely I was busy". If I was busy I wouldn't answer, or I'd tell them I couldn't meet them! She had said she was going to call after lunch and I piddled around the house waiting, then was getting a little anxious if they'd been in accident or something (with my DD) b/c no one was returning my calls! We've got plans to go to concert at park tomorrow night, I have to get DD today to bring to fife and drum practice tonight, but I told them I was going to be busy today b/c it was supposed to be better weather than yesterday, I had things I needed to do that I had put off. How do you deal with people like this? My mom thought I'd be working and wouldn't have time but my sister and I had made plans to at least discuss the weather/pool/other ideas between noon and 2. If I had an office job and said I was going to take the afternoon off to be with them, even if the activity was dependent on the weather, wouldn't they have called??? I should have just gone back out and started seeding carrots. This post was edited by ajsmama on Wed, Jul 9, 14 at 7:59

Thanks for the reply Rachel. I had a couple great opportunities to meet some "power partners" in the last week. I'm working on getting my name out there and perfecting the short elevator speech. Next up is getting ready to do some short gardening "seminars" at the local libraries this month and next. I hope to attract some clients and give out some useful information on gardening, planting seasonal containers and "green" topics such as composting, organic products, rain gardens. I'm going to post flyers announcing the "seminar" at the library and around town. Anyone ever had success with a press release to a local newspaper or writing articles for a newspaper? As far as what makes me different from the others locally. I'm going to stress my horticulture skills and education, superior customer service and plant health care programs. Can anyone tell me what makes your service better/different from the rest? Thanks in advance!

Well, I'd started this thread hoping to discuss the AIG failure & its far reaching tenacles into America but it's been all about housing. I've got one arm tied behind my back in that area but I can discuss 50-year mortgages. Fifty year mortgages are typically 5/1 ARMs at a quarter percentage point higher than a 30-year loan. Over the first five years of the loan, the borrower pays about 0.25% more than a typical 30-year fixed rate mortgage, but after that, the rate adjusts annually to match the prime lending rate. Since we have no idea what will happen with interest rates five years down the road, the only way to really evaluate the 50-year loan is over the first five years. Lets say that were buying a $250,000 home and we have a $50,000 down payment. We can either take a 30-year loan at 6%, or a 50-year loan at 6.25%. On the 30-year mortgage, your monthly payment would be $1,199.10. With the 50 year mortgage, your monthly payment (for the first five years, as mentioned above) would be $1,089.95. So far, so good for the 50-year mortgage but if we keep comparing it's not so great going forward. Lets say that in 5 years youre ready to sell the house and move on. Also assuming that your house value went up 10%, so now its worth $275,000. For the 30-year mortgage, you still have a balance of $185,840, which means that you now have $89,160 in equity in the house. On the other hand, with the 50-year mortgage, you still have a balance of $196,544, which means you have only $78,456 in equity in the house. With the 30-year mortgage, you have $10,704 more in equity after five years. Now, the difference in your monthly payments is $109.15, so over 6-months, youll pay $6,549 more with the 30-year loan, but you end up with $10,704 more in home equity. Thats a 63% return over five years, or about 11% a year. I dont know about you, but if I can afford an investment that returns a guaranteed 11% a year, Im quite willing to dump $110 a month into that investment. In short, a 50-year mortgage simply isnt worth it. A 30-year mortgage is actually an extremely good investment versus a 50 year, and were not even considering the bad things that can happen when your rate adjusts with the 50 year. Theres pretty much no reason to ever consider getting a 50 year mortgage unless you enjoy handing a lot of money to your mortgage company with nothing in return. I watched CNBC last night until 9:00 p.m. The future were at +215 when I got up at 2:00 a.m. to use the facilities. Now, since the announcement of the MM fund guarantee they've jumped to +338. It's going to be another interesting day. This is a very far-reaching legislation. I know there was a run yesterday on MM funds & something had to happen quickly but I sure hope they take the time to think this thing through carefully...sometimes, the cure is worse than the disease?? Blocking short sales is draconian, IMO, & really interfers in the free market. Shorts help us to spot problems (remember Enron?). Don't like this blocking short sale business at all. If somebody's spreading negative rumors & then short trading on those rumors...that's already illegal. Gosh, I've traded short several times over the past year & I'm certainly no "corporate raider". Anyway, there's LOTS to digest this morning & probably more to come... /tricia

We bought a Tempurpedic a couple of years ago, and love it. It has helped tremendously with the hip bursitis I was having (it's gone). I do think it was the mattress that got rid of it. We bought the Celebrity pillowtop model. I think they have other models available that they didn't have when we bought ours, though. I don't think you can get an adequate test in a store. Watch out if you buy Tempurpedic that you don't invalidate the warranty; I'm not sure if you get the full warranty or 90-day return policy if you don't buy the base for the mattress also. We also got the mattress cover Tempurpedic recommends, which we like. They do deliver the mattress, which is very heavy, and set it all up.