bring in . . ? winter. . .? sorry - couldn't resist :D I'm with beachplant in that my "winter" clothes won't make an appearance until some time after Turkey day - IF then. - altho we do get a light frost here every once in a while so I do have to keep an eye on the forecast in late january. I AM looking forward to our planting season - which will begin mid-October or so. That's the time I like to get my trees/shrubs/annuals planted and boy oh boy are we going to be digging some holes this year! (hubby doesn't know that yet - it's a surprise!) This is also the time I can start going outside and seriously work in the garden without fear of shriveling up from dehydration. I guess I basically treat our summers like normal people treat winter - time to stay inside and plan for milder weather! (altho it was 104 yesterday. . . and HUUUUUMID!) @tom - I had to laugh at your note that your humidity was pretty low at 43%, anything over 30% around here just flattens me!

Just checked the forum today. Thanks for all the responses. Yes, it is BM Navajo White and it is growing on me more and more. I think I will have my Dad paint the rest of the cabinets on that wall before I make a final decision. My current appliances(frig, gas slide in range, and OTR Microwave) are white, but I am trying to decide on whether to go with SS or black. I have a painted black island and have already replaced my old white DW with a black one because it looks more blended. So I guess I could go either way on perimeter appliances. That will make a very big difference in the way the painted cabinets look. I like black appliances, but I think the SS will brighten it up a little. Maybe SS with black accents? I have got to take some time to learn how to post pictures here. I have been lurking and posting for months, but have never figured it out. I have some pictures uploaded to my pc. I am in the health care field and not very computer savy.

Hi Frieda. Without being at all presumptuous it seems to me that you want from an historical novel exactly what I want - a tale well told. A tale that holds together both internally with a consistent voice and externally with some regard to that slipperiest of ideas - historical accuracy. It would be a trifle disingenuous of me to say that I care not a jot for the integrity of the historical framework that underpins a novel. I think I just allow the novelist a little more leeway than you in terms of the elasticity of the "facts" he might cobble his little tale together with. Of course egregious errors in the retelling of indisputable history will bring a novel tumbling down for me as much for you - perhaps we just differ in the definition of "egregious". Further to your dislike of "presentism" I suggest you never pick up Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire . Just finished reading this examination of Spartan society and the Battle of Thermopylae where three hundred plus Spartans plus a few thousand allies held off a Persian army of some hundreds of thousands, inflicting grievous losses and giving Greece time and inspiration to save itself and perhaps western civilization as we know it. Perhaps your mention of your own concept of "presentism" made me hyper aware of any examples in the text but it was riddled with it. Battle plans develop "new wrinkles", soldiers imbibe "snootfulls of wine", are exhorted to "dump 'em but be ready to hump'em" when they rest their shields. Despite speaking in a declamatory and formal style worthy of Homer most of the time and engaging in lengthy, philosophical conversations about the Gods and true meaning of courage, fear, love and warfare the Greeks at various times decide that a priest is "full of s--t", the enemy are a bunch of "d--k strokers" and "a-- f-----s"". In fact the "f" word is dropped so many times at times it reads like a novel of modern army barracks life. Worth reading for the battle scenes alone - I'm a sucker for blood and guts - but nearly ruined as a novel for me by that newly defined mortal sin of historical tomes - "presentism". Thank you Frieda. Larry

Cathy, A week is not very long - she's still adjusting, and like cats who've come from other high-stress situations like some shelters it just takes time for them to relax andfor their true nature to come out. Dont worry about in breeding or whatever - it just sounds like typical kitten behavior to me. Young animals simply dont understand about people trying to sleep and they dont know that they're hurting someone, esp if they were taken away early and didnt learn from sibs/mom how to inhibit their aggression in play situations. ... or in this situation which was probably quite chaotic and stressful. I dont care for spray bottles - like you're going to have one at your finger tips at all times? Suppose you could get a holster for it, but as Cooper wrote a simple yell of OW accompoanied by shrugging her off will suffice. I had a cat who for whatever reason liked to take a flying leap and climb me like I was a tree. This was bad enough in winter, with layers of clothing on, but in summer - claws digging into bare skin - ouch! A couple of loud yells took care of it. If you arent already doing so, Id still be keeping them separate and then switching their spaces periodically so they can start getting used to each other's presence and scent but without having to confront each other all the time. Putting up a screen door temporarily is a good idea too. Let your old guy set the pace for how quickly the process takes. As much as possible, keep up your routines with him and he should have the esteemed positions like sleeping with you at night or whatever your routines were before the kitten came.