I don't know what the plant is either so can't be too helpful. Most of those don't look completely dry to me though. Has the plant naturally dropped any seeds or opened to release them? That's a sure sign that they're ready to harvest. Also on many plants the stem right below the pod will turn brown too. One pod, the tight capsule-looking thing on the right of the pic, looks like it might be ready. I'd pick that one and open it to see if the seeds look mature. Most seeds when ripe will be hard and black or dark brown. If the one you pick isn't done, give them a couple of days and check another. Also watch for the plant to release them. Karen

songbird, by all means do save your seeds. You have to begin somewhere. Why not try this summer, just so you can see how it goes? You can even try different methods to see what you like best: http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/seedsave/2002084456024410.html http://wintersown.org/wseo1/Tomato_Seeds.html http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/A_Beginner%E2%80%99s_Guide_To_Saving_Tomato_Seeds_Using_Fermentation Then germinate some of the seeds, to see if you were successful. That way, when lightning strikes your only surviving plant of that super-rare variety you could only find three seeds of (because they're so popular, and they barely average a dozen seeds per tomato), and all you have left is one fruit ripening on the kitchen counter, you'll already know what you're doing, so you won't feel quite so pressured.

I read Bill's comments, here are my additions: A double layer of 3/4" ply, it looks like the sheets of ply are gapped, and it looks like they actually held to the proper fastening schedule. That's good. Plus I think the diagonal layout will help since the grout lines will not be parallel to the plywood seams. IF they used a properly modified thinset, which to me is not bagged modified, but bagged unmodified that I modify myself with latex admix, that can help. But to me there's still a HUGE difference between ceramic over ply and stone over plywood. I see this possibly working with ceramic. With travertine I'd not take a chance. With stone it's a crap shoot. The installation can work. Or the installation can fail. One little thing that sort of bugs me is that there is no thinset on the ply where the work has stopped. To ensure full coverage I'll usually thinset just past my grid layout line, then if stopping work, scrape the substrate clean with the edge of the trowel. Which won't be "clean" clean, but there will be a 1" or 2" wide feathered smear of thinset on the plywood where the tile stops. Not a big deal, but if I'm being asked to critique, well, there you go.

Thank you, all, for your thoughts and kind words. Lynn2006, i checked the can in the crawl space for the wall color - it said only 8232-W, which googled as "Lulled Beige". I think it looks a little more "peachy" than what i have here, but i suppose that could be the monitor's doing. In retrospect, i would have asked the builder to add a few "highlight" colors on key walls, but having never been through the process before, i just sort of "addled out." The floors are white oak, and the individual pieces measure 3 inches wide. We chose no stain or tint, and they've yellowed a bit over time. I can't remember what clear finish they put on at the time of installation. As i understand it, the new boards will have to be tinted a bit to match the old. One little interesting tidbit i learned from the gentleman who was here yesterday: I've always been a little needled by a bit of gapping between some of the floor boards. Just after moving in, i expressed my concern to the builder, but was told by both he and the original floor installer that it was just "seasonal shifting," par for the course. That explanation never sat right with me, but seemed a comparatively trivial matter in the broader context of the world. Yesterday, the gentleman who visited noticed immediately that the gaps are uniformly 48" apart, because the subfloor wasn't properly laid. Apparently, the seams should have been staggered, so any seasonal swelling and contracting would have been distributed in such a way as to not "float" the top boards apart. He's going to add a fill to those gaps to his quotation, but it may or may not be a long-term solution given the way the subfloor was put down. Ah well ... if floor gaps are the only frustration in a given day, it's been a pretty good day, yes? :)