Good responses. Earlier in my rabbit raising, I had kept several bucks with their respective does while the does kindled litters. The bucks were very sweet and stayed out of the nestbox and they got along well. The bucks didn't bother the kits and the does didn't try to kill the bucks. The problem was that the adults would continually breed and the doe never had a chance to recover after weaning their litter. I gave up that practice. I have kept bunnies in their own pens for many years now, mostly because I keep records on them and plan the breedings. I do have 1x2 wire between the pens so that each bunny can groom/socialize with each other between a barrier. There are a few breeders that I know of who keep a colony of bunnies. They just pick out baby bunnies (which they always have) when they seem weaned and they often don't know who the parents are with the nest of kits. Rarely, will you see a mother bunny nursing her young, and they have several males in the colony. One herd is about 15 rabbits in a horse box stall. This is a poor practice, but these people only want sellable baby bunnies and that is what they get. Another person keeps a colony with New Zealand Whites in the same way and they always have young rabbits for slaughter. Of course they all interbreed and NZs have very large litters, but it works for them and their meat pen.

I read that book in jr hi and was entralled with all things Chinese for a long time after that. Read it many more times in HS. Wasn't till I had to read it for a Lit class in college that I started discovering what an ass Wang Lung was. Also by that time I knew more about the history so could put more pieces together that I didn't have. But I still have good memories of reading it. I didn't realize there were sequels! I dunno - this book was so good that I'd hesitate on them. Sorta like my experience with How Green Was My Valley, another HS fav. Trying the sequel almost ruined the original for me. But I would be interested to hear what others thought of them.

whew! You need a break-flip through a People magazine or something to give your brain a cookie! Seriously-I find Buck a slog, which has always disappointed me, as I grew up near her home in PA and find her life to be very interesting-more so than her prose. Didn't help that we were chain-ganged through The Pearl in high school. Hopefully the courtesan and her dwarf will lighten things up!

Thank you for all of your advice. I talked to my husband and we are going to look into having the hardwood extended through out the house. There is a small toilet closet off the remodeled kitchen, but we will just leave the old tile alone in that room (obviously it has a door because it is a toilet room). That way that room does not have to be part of the renovation. The contractor told me that I did not have to pick the backsplash until after the cabinets and countertop are in; we will have a better idea of all the tones for the paint and backsplash and don't have to worry about a clashing floor tile. I had wanted tile for the spills, and the combination of wanting the right look and being concerned about how the tiles would affect my bad feet (and the fact that it seems like tile patterns become dated much more quickly than wood floors) all seemed to push me to hardwood. I don't want this blue on the walls but I do think that countertop, floors and cabinets work on this kitchen: [houzz=https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-traditional-kitchen-dc-metro-phvw-vp~87227] I thought this backsplash really complemented the blue pearl: [houzz=https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen-webster-traditional-kitchen-new-york-phvw-vp~2370442] I think this may be too modern, but if the marble is not the right thing after it is installed this frosted icicle tile also linked stunning with the countertop sample: https://www.msistone.com/glass-tiles-8mm/frosted-icicle-glass-subway-tile-3x9/