Sue is helping me, did ya all know she is a genius with the computer? Well, she is! Ha, I thought of it more as the blind leading the blind. I find it so strange i can get on the internet, but not on Internet Explorer,but then, as Sergent Clink would have said, "I know Noting" Now you said a mouth full. hmmm...Carol, You can access Internet Explorer, just not Yahoo mail and some other sites, right? If you look in the upper left hand corner, it should say Windows Internet Explorer, unless you are playing on the new Firefox browser you downloaded today. Carol has entertained us over at Computer Help and I had a really nice visit with her via phone. We didn't get much fixed, but found out her email was accessible from another computer. We are going to play at it again this eve, trying to use remote access, a new wrinkle with both of us. I'm looking forward to more fun with Carol and hopefully can get her all fixed up. Sue

Hey Carol If you want seeds - just ask! I'm sure there are lots of people around here that would send them to you for free (or posteage) so you can learn. We all want you to have fun with this! I can probably send you some - let me see what the deer have left me, the stupid hooved devils denuded a bunch of my plants last night :-( As far as growing instructions, there are as many ways to start them as there are hosta growers. Truth be known, tse seeds have sprouts in them that WANT to grow. We just need to provide an opportunity for them. I am attachgin a link to Bob Axemears site - great info on growing hosta seeds here. Here is a link that might be useful: Hosta Seed Starting by Bob Axemear

I assume that you mean before the tile is permanently set in place, not when (or if) there is a dry run so to speak to see how the pattern will fit into the space(?) Correct. Would an experienced professional even need to lay out the tiles ahead of time or would they typically proceed directly from prep to installation? Yes and no. Some WILL actually lay them out dry. I've got my own thoughts on that, but however they do it, so long as they show some kind of forethought instead of just finding a corner and starting, they're ahead of the game. What I'll normally do is take several tiles and measure to see what the coursing (one grout joint and one tile) measures. I'll then make a cheat sheet of coursing that comes out somewhere around 2 feet (whether that be 4 6x6, 2 12x12, etc), and then I'll measure around the area, to see how the tile is going to fall. it's from there that I'll decide if I can center the layout, or if there might be a better way, taking into consideration how the tile will hit several different surfaces, and which ones are most obvious in the room. (did you get all that? LOL) With an agreed upon layout in hand, would most experienced installers be able to anticipate potential issues around niches and other elements that could require partial tiles so that you could have a discussion ahead of time as to how they would be handled? before the very first tile gets set, a good installer will know exactly how the tile is going to hit any obstruction in the layout. In fact, I'll grid out the area with chalk lines, and then all my cuts will be made before I set the first piece of tile. but even before the cutting starts, I'll know how big all my cuts will be. Just curious... Do you find that it's best if the homeowner stay available or stay away while you're completing your work? Doesn't matter to me either way. I'd prefer that the customer be available in case of questions that come up, but if they'd like to watch (and I HAVE had several that did) the whole time, they're most welcome to watch. I LOVE playing to an audience!! That's when they see that all this stuff doesn't exactly happen just by "luck"! I know alot of installers who'd rather the customer weren't around, though-- too many questions. Funny thing is, I welcome the questions. To me, the internet has given us the one thing this industry has really needed-- an educated consumer. Not so many fly by nights getting away with their BS any more. And Bill G-- yes-- that's just the labor cost. the retail is MUCH more. Based on 12x12 tyile, a 25 pound bag of grout should grout about 150 sq. feet, for about 15.00- 25.00, depending on the grout. For epoxy, a unit will do about 75 sq. feet, for about 80.00.

nolefan - I have a counter-depth 36" Gaggenau fridge, we bought it last year after comparing to Sub Zero and the Miele fridge. The Gaggenau and the Miele are virtually identical, both are built at the same plant in Turkey (so I'm told), both have similar features. All my other appliances are Miele, and I would have purchased the Miele, but there were a couple of minor things (there are only small differences between the two) that I prefered about the Gagggenau, and it was a few hundred less than the Miele. Both were less than the Sub-Zero, and I much preferred the Miele and G over the Suz-Zero. Bottom line: I love, love, love my fridge, very happy with it after about a year of use. I wouldn't hesitiate to recommend the Gaggenau/Miele at all. I'm not sure if the Miele you are considering (is it the 36" mastercool?) is the same I looked at over a year ago, so I've pasted a link below to my Gaggenau fridge, just to ensure we are comparing apples to apples. If you compare to the 36" Miele Mastercool, they are virtually identical, same hinge on door, etc. Good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: Gaggenau fridge - twin of the Miele