I got the one that Wirecutter recommends and with a 20% off coupon, it was like $110? Only you can say if you can afford that, but it's definitely not Dyson pricey.

ION, having a beautiful day Saturday makes coming back to 50 and rainy almost worse. Why so cold, weather????? My mother keeps bugging me about putting mulch on the yard, but I'm pretty sure it's legit still too cold.

Too cold to mulch? That's a thing?

Yes, I have always lived in temperate zones.

We're bouncing against 80 for the next few days but then there's another round of cold rain and regretting the furnace has been turned off. It seems chillier than usual.

Too cold to mulch? That's a thing?

Apparently! At least I have googled up a few sites that say you should let it warm up before you put down mulch.

It might get as high as 60 here by the end of the week, and they are talking about flurries tonight! (Not right here, but in the general area...)

My mother brought carpet samples to the house last weekend. She's been planning to re-carpet her condo.

She bought a new vacuum this week (a Shark) and now she's thinking she might not bother, the carpet looks that much better.

My Shark vacuum is the best. If she does get a new carpet, I highly recommend the Mohawk SmartStrand; they carpeted a rhino's enclosure for a couple weeks to prove how stain-resistant it was.

Get a Shark, flea! Everyone's doing it!

Sharks are just that good, flea.

I've been trying to build a fannish community for myself elsewhere, and while I've made one close friend and have several friendly acquaintances whom I like, mostly the process has just made me appreciate the Buffistas more than ever. The fact that this happened? And we're like this? So many of us? Wow.

Agreed. This community really is unique, in my experience.

Too cold to mulch? That's a thing?

Mulch holds warmth in the ground, so mulching when the ground is cold defeats the purpose. So my sister says, anyway.

It's been raining heavily for three days. I like it. What if... climate change made the world wetter instead of significantly hotter? It wouldn't be less of a catastrophe, but it might not kill us all.

I think you can put down mulch whenever, but gardening when it's mid-40s is miserable, so.

I think you can put down mulch whenever, but gardening when it's mid-40s is miserable, so.

Also true! It's also been raining every day! Bleh.

gardening when it's mid-40s is miserable, so

That I completely understand

gardening when it's mid-40s is miserable, so

That's probably the real reason.

Two months ago, my entire neighborhood went all Mulch Madness on me ... they lay it on thick and always seem to use the stuff that absolutely reeks. I hate that.

I recently got a new vacuum ... I'll look more closely at Shark models the next time I need a new one (are the handheld versions called Baby Sharks?)