Susan H. Simko wrote:

[...]
It's easier
to go shopping in north Raleigh for me than it is to go to Durham. It's
about the same distance, too.

I live downtown, in Oakwood, near the Governor's mansion. It is one of
those old neighborhoods. There is NO shopping downtown, so I go to Cary or
North Raleigh. Some time when you don't mind traveling, a well-kept secret
for great bargains on quality stuff is Cary's Crossroads Shopping Center.
There is a combination of interesting independent stores and all the big,
reliable discount chains. Steinmart, Marshall's, Bed Bath and Beyond, Best
Buy, Linens and Things, just tons and tons of places. Even Lowes, HD,
Target, and some pretty good restaurants along with good music and book
stores. Best "one stop" place to shop around.



Despite everything (and just finishing cleaning up work stuff after
being out of the office for a day and a half), this wasn't too bad for
us. We lost power for about two hours but our new gas logs kept the
house temperature very stable. Now, I'm hoping that everything melts
off soon so I can assess the plant damage.

We did well--no power loss at all, and there really wasn't much buildup on
the vegetation. It was all that nice sleet, no evil thick clear ice on the
lines or anything. GREAT to sled on! I played with the neighbor kids and
damned near wiped out my trashcan lid on the back of a parked car!




Breadmaker

Susan, what kind? I would like to make bread without a hassle.

I got my piilu clematis from Wayside yesterday. I can't wait to get
them inot the ground! However, I'm going to put them in pots inside for
a while until they get established before putting them in the bed. If
you're thinking about clematis and aren't averse to a pink/purple
flower, I would highly recommend checkin gout the piilu.

Sounds nice. You seem to know a lot about Clematis. I am new at it, just
bought the first last summer. I have The President (purple) and a furry
white one whose name escapes me, growing together on the side of the
house. I plunked mine in the ground, they did fine. We'll see about how or
if they come up again.



Susan
s h simko at duke dot edu