I have two of your three roses, Peachie, and wish I still had the other one but Grandmother's Hat, although it grew wonderfully, had flowers that lasted about five minutes in my heat. Yours is lovely. I have two of Mrs. Dudley Cross since I'm so fond of it. My Aunt Margie's Rose, which is over three years old and planted against the house, is about 5 1/2 feet tall and wants to be a climber. I love the old-fashioned, fragrant little blooms and this rose blooms a lot for me. Great pictures! Ingrid

The only ones I've had an issue with were Marazzi, and that was from several years ago but over a period of several years, and Florida Tile, which was from awhile ago too. I can't recall having touched Florida Tile since. Marazzi, I think they have gotten better. The issue with them back in the day was the tiles were just so varied in size. Open a box, stand the tiles on edge (like a deck of cards on edge) and it shows how out of square and varied in size they are across each dimension. I can't say the last time I used Marazzi...maybe last year in 2010? But they were pretty much standard then, I had no out of the ordinary issues. Some tile is only rated for wall use, some wall and floor rated. If the tile has a "glaze pattern", some are applied with screens, like silk screens. Look closely and you can see the screen grid within the glaze. Also, ask how often the pattern repeats in a box. A manufacturer might only have 7 patterns or 15 patterns. In a large room using a tile with a low number of patterns, the repetitive pattern could be apparent after the tiles are set. Through-body versus a surface glaze could be a consideration regarding cut edges. For the most part though, porcelain is porcelain. 2" and 3" squares will both conform to the pitch changes in the shower floor. Most shower drain covers are 4" squares, which nests nicely within a field of 2" tiles. 2" tiles will also give more grout lines, which can aid in foot traction and minimize slips in the shower. There are myriad ways to do a sink backsplash, there's no hard right or wrong. But sure, a tiled wainscot can look lovely, especially with a pedestal sink that shows off more of the wall. If you go that route, take the added wall thickness into consideration when positioning the toilet flange in the floor.

1) I don't think we are more likely to see other people's problems than our own. (In general, of course there are exceptions.) I think we are more likely to be aware of the good parts of our own relationships, and therefore have a more realistic view of if the good balances out the bad. Daisy is right, every relationship has its problems. AND benefits. But you probably complain about your SO's shortcomings more than you praise the good things. This is natural for most of us--- we are more likely to come home and complain about our stressful day at work, for example, than to come home and gush about how interesting and challenging it is. We do the same thing when talking about our relationships. So, you need to vent, you want advice, etc, so you complain to your friends about the bad things. When everything's good, you don't need to vent, you don't need advice, you don't talk about it so much. So unless they spend LOTS of time around you as a couple and get to view the good things for themselves, they get a negatively distorted view of the relationship. Meanwhile, they know both the good and the bad of thier own relationship. They are more willing to "put up with" their own partner's shortcomings because they also know all their better qualities, which they probably don't about your partner. 2) Your friends care about you and want to be supportive of you. They may not care so much about the person you're in a relationship with, or be particularly inclined to be supportive. They will naturally be inclined to always take your side. This is not really a bad thing, it's good to have friends you know will support you no matter what. But if you want serious advice, you have to take pains to make sure your friends know all sides of the story, and know that you want serious advice, not just emotional support.

Your welcome! The cactus and succulent mix by itself does hold way too much moisture, thus the perlite. That is why I suggest 60% perlite, which many view as a 'drastic' amount. In pure C&S soil, yes, eventually the lithops would rot and turn to mush, but the extra perlite will greatly negate the water holding ability of the soil. All the same, be CAREFUL when watering. Use a wooden skewer to assess the moisture level. Once the soil is completely dry, wait a few days, and then water again. It should come to about 1 watering every 2 weeks, depending on your climate. Try not to water over the lithops, but rather around them. This will decrease the chance of rot as well. In terms of how much to water. This is a question that should never come up (no offense to you!). The peaty soils of today cannot stand too much water. They simply hold in too much moisture, and as a result, we begin to regulate the amount of water we give our plants. A plant in the ground will never rot as a result of overwatering. On the other hand, instructions for cute little plant kits often contain watering amounts. The question is, why? Well, as a result of cohesion and water tension, water sticks to small particles, namely, particles in soil. The peaty soils often used today have very small particles, and the smaller the particles, the more overall particle surface area in a pot of soil, which gives the water more places to grab on to. It is not just with peat, however. Any small particles (sand) will cause this water tension. Eventually, the cohesion force (sorry if I'm not getting these terms correct, I've forgotten which goes to which) becomes greater than the force of gravity, and the water is not able to drain. This is called a PWT, or Perched Water Table. Basically, it is made up of a layer of water sitting in the bottom of the pots, refusing to drain. It will never drain. It will only disappear when it evaporates. If there are roots in this PWT, they will eventually rot. The bigger the particle size, the smaller the PWT is, and the healthier the plant. Eventually, when the particles get to about 3/8ths of and inch, the PWT is eliminated. That is what we strive for in a container soil. So, getting back to the question, you should be able to water how ever much you want. You could even run a hose through the pot (with the 60% perlite 40% soil). A good soil should be able to handle as much water as you would like, without doing damage to the plant. I got that from Tapla, and you can read his amazing thread about container soils here. ~palmsandsnow