dearest Florence.... I am so very sorry for the anguish you and your daughter are going through. I wish a word could wipe away all the tears and the pain. I don't know how else to get through the great heartaches of life any other way than to let the feelings out, grieve, then pick up the pieces and go on with life with each other's support. Even though you are a few hours away, she has a terrific mother & stepfather who will make her feel loved & supported at a time when she feels so low and rejected. I have been in her shoes myself 11 yrs. ago (with 3 little kids) and I had to go through all the stages of shock, grief, anger, betrayal, utter desperation, and loneliness. It all felt so hopeless back then that I remember not wanting to live, but my kids needed me so I had to stop wallowing in self-pity. It seemed as if it would never get better, but in time it did. Somehow we find the strength within ourselves to move past the hurt and one day it doesn't hurt so much anymore. It will take time, and 2 months later it is still raw and fresh to her. Even to this day I have spells where I feel anger towards my ex for walking out of his children's lives like he did....they were so young and had to be raised without a father. I never considered myself a strong person before that happened and didn't see myself ever having the strength to go on, and raise those kids alone. But I did...and my children reinforce all the time that I was an excellent mother and father to them. Please tell your dear Robyn that so many of us do understand what she is feeling, and that she too will survive this....we are all praying for her. I have had quite a difficult week myself and this Thanksgiving Day I find myself without my beloved daughter Grace. That lying, deceitful boyfriend convinced (brainwashed) Gracie to drive all the way to the southern part of Florida by herself 1,600 miles....she left yesterday and drove all day and night and into today...I just got a call from her this evening that she had made it there safely. My heart is broken. I haven't stopped crying. You will recall my long post about how I desperately tried to save her from this con-artist and how she had broken it off with him....or so it seemed. But he convinced her to quit her job and leave the family & friends who love her to move to FL...this was my greatest fear and now it has come true. So here we are, two loving mothers, worried sick about our daughters on Thanksgiving Day. If I could reach across the miles and give you a hug, I most certainly would. I pray for both our girls, and please know that my heart is with you as well. I understand what it feels like to want to make everything right for our daughters, and of the frustration at not being able to do so. Lots of love.... Celeste

buford, You're lucky then. You ought to see mine; they look horrible. Aggie, I hope that they show up there soon. I was so surprised when I saw that one yesterday and she sure didn't waste time laying eggs. I bet she was thinking, "Oh my gosh, I never saw so many milkweed in one place before!" :) I have a few hundred plants between the ones I have planted outside, the ones I have waiting to be planted, and the ones that I have in containers to stay in a protected area to put cats on. I'll have to get busy now and finish my butterfly cage, I suppose. I hate to drop everything else because I have plants that still aren't planted. Arg, how did I get so far behind this year?! Probably because I didn't know when to stop buying seeds and got in it over my head and my place looks like a nursery now. Oh well, I wanted the plants, so I'll just have to be patient and know that the plants will get in the ground eventually. Yes, I think hollyhocks are real pretty, just like you said about finding that one under your MIL's deck, but mine are yuk too this year. It's like there's some plague of bugs that look like little flies. I don't know if it will work, but I'm going down to the hardware store today to get a fly trap. The flies are bad here this year anyway. Maybe it will take care of these things too, I'm hoping. I hope you can find food for your Painted Ladies somewhere. I don't know what to tell you. I was hoping for food for them with the hollyhocks and now that plan is ruined. I planted some mallow, but something ate all of those off. It seems like I just can't win for trying. Hopefully someone on here can tell us what those insects are that are after the hollyhocks. I know it would help if I'd have a picture and don't. Cathy

First I want to apologize for such a long post. But, this is something I have already experienced and thought I would share these ideas. One of the most overlooked losses of heat is through the floor. Check the skirting around the trailer to see if it is vented. If it is, consider putting mostly non vented skirting on the north side or plant wind blocking year round shrubbery. We have a trailer in Weatherford TX that was freezing us to death until I did this. Since you stated the insulation is falling off underneath, sounds like you have the same problems I had. I cut the plastic canvas and removed all old insulation. It was all settled to the middle. Then I went and got some barrier foil insulation (foil lined bubble wrap) and stapled it about an inch below the subfloor in each space between the floor joists. Next, I got some plastic mesh screen for holding cellulose insulation and stretched it tight and fir stripped it across the floor joists and blew in cellulose insulation in between each floor joists. It wasn't easy but the difference it made was unbelievable. Most lumber yards let you use the machine to blow in the insulation free if you buy the minimum amount of insulation. I had to buy 10 bales a 7.00 a bale. While you are under there, you will be able to see all the water lines and the old HVAC ducting. If the ducting is seperated, either reattach the pieces back together or tape the holes off with foil tape. I would just tape them off unless you intend on replacing the HVAC. Then consider replacing the entire duct with flex duct. The ducting on most older trailers I have seen are uninsulated metal, leak air and are not very efficient. Mine was channeling cold air up through the floor where the registers were. While under there, it would be a good time to check the water lines as well... Odds are, if you have a '78 model, the insulation in the ceiling is blown in. My '78 Breck had clear plastic stapled to the trusses and insulation blown on top of it. This was covered with 1/4" fiberboard. The interior walls were just paneling and thin fiberboard directly nailed to the the studs. We did take this out, rewire the entire trailer and go back with 7/16" OSB sheathing on the walls and ceiling. Then we blew regular drywall accoustics to the ceilings and walls and it looks like sheetrock inside. One last thing to note... If the water heater has a door outside for access, consider removing the door and attaching a piece of ductboard (foil lined fiberglass insulation board)to its entire inside surface. Be sure to cut out for the vents if it is a gas or propane water heater. James

Sister and her DH special ordered a modular home,it's 3200 sq ft. in June. Her DH was in really bad health. The land was ready and finally in Aug. they called and said, it was going to be delivered in two weeks. Broken promise after broken promises it finally came in Sept. Took them a week to set it up. Would work an hour or two and leave. The house was suppose to be handicap ready and turn key. It was also suppose to have a garage and wrap around porch built on. Was part of the contract. It came with the sink raised almost six inches above the cabinets. Sister had a fit, she only stands 4'10" so you know where the sink hit her. The center isle was suppose to have a drop down ledge so DH could roll his electric chair up to. The whole island had been dropped down. No way you could have even put a chair up to it and she would have had to bend over to work on it. Suppose to have two cabinets put above on sink wall the rest was all windows. Cabinets were missing. Instead of a big stainless vent above stove ( she ordered and paid for) they put one of those old cheap vents like they use to use in house trailers. When they hooked up water lines forgot to tie in the jet tub. Drilled hole in floor for dryer vent and hit a beam so just put a board over it like know one would ever see it. Still haven't got the vent up for the fireplace. Septic system was put in and never covered, this is winter in Utah. Inspector came and said, it didn't pass inspection, it leaked. This inspector called them many times telling them it had to be fixed. No show. In mean time my sis was begging them to get this house done, the one the were in had been sold and they had to get out and my BIL health was failing. When all the workers were working on this house they would through all there trash out the side door which someday will be the door to garage. Front door wasn't finished yet. Sis finally told them she was moving in and they'd have to work around them. She would make 10/20 calls a day begging them to come. When they did it would be an hours work then they'd leave. She would call the house manufacture to see if they could help ( there in Idaho) She bought the house through a company in S.Lake and they contracted this guy out to do all the set up, which wasn't getting done. They finally got where they wouldn't even answer the phone when she called. They moved in on a Sat.and the following Wed. night my BIL passed away. He was having trouble breathing and she was going to try and get him out to her car but with all the trash in the way she couldn't and ambulance came ( he passed on way to hospital. This was on Dec.11 and they still haven't got house finished. But another inspector( this time state) guess local inspector called him and told him what was going on and that she couldn't get contractor to do anything.) came on Christmas eve day and saw what a mess she was left with he was livid with rage. Sis said, she never saw anyone so mad. By two o'clock that same day he pulled some stings and had that contractors license revoked and he can never work in Utah again. Now someone else has come in and taken over and at least this time she knows it's going to be finished. We have had some problems with contractors before but nothing like what she has had to go through and with her husband ill then dying. All most more then what one person should have to go through.