The local ecology gets pretty complex around here. Starts with the 4 dogs-------------->> chasing the feral cats (no no doggies, go inside, let them beÂ.)---->> cats eat possums, rats, birds, and hopefully some squirrels-------------->> squirrels eat all of my pecans, which is OK since they are tiny, too much work, nobody else eats them and they try to seed all over so I am pulling up little pecan trees all over the place  so thank you squirrels. However, they do not go away when the pecan season is over, so I let them eat my sunflowers. I grow extra sunflowers for them. Same with the birds that are not eaten by the cats (less cats than squirrels or birds, plenty of food for everybody) birds eat a lot of my seeds (I lose about 20% even when I know I have 100% sprouting rate) and other things too. I also have lots and lots of lady bugs-------------->> eating aphids, thank you lady bugs! and praying mantids------>> now those eat everything, I thank them for eating the stink bugs, but please do not eat too many lady bugs you praying mantids! It goes on and on, the more I learn about beneficial insects and all these interactions the more fun this becomes. I just sit there and watch mostly, weed a little, admire all the flowering plants, tinker with the watering system, harvest A LOT of stuff, so we got plenty of food for everyone. Oh yes, I also plant lots of flowers that are known to attract beneficial insects, and many already came with the place anyway (lucky me). Of course, I also plant about 50% extra crops destined to feed the critters, act as trap crops for my bad bugs, or just be there in case of famine. This includes increasing the carrot crop (more beds for carrots, yeah!) because the 4 dogs LOVE carrots. They also told me that mine are much tastier than commercial ones, and do I not love them enough to grow carrots for them? They sure know how to lay a guilt trip on a girl.

OK, I can help with this one -- As long as you have 2 or more trees that are genetically different, seed-grown or grafted ones of different varieties, as opposed to suckers taken from the same mother plant, you have the right genetic combination to make fruit. However, the issue might be proper cross-pollination. I picked up this tip from a gardening magazine some years back, and it really works. Paw Paw flowers are brown/purple for a reason -- they are carrion mimics that produce the scent of rotting flesh, although it is subtle, and are pollinated by various species of carrion-loving flies. In the magazine, there was a profile of a paw paw breeder from Jackson, Michigan. He went out every spring and gathered roadkill -- racoons, possoms, etc. -- and also enlisted the help of a couple of friends to catch big carp in the local river. He hung a carcass in each tree. He had like 200 trees, so I don't envy his downwind neighbors. Now, I know it sounds nasty, and it is, but it sure does make a dramatic difference in pollination. Now, being sort of weak in the stomach, I couldn't see myself hanging dead animals in my paw paw trees, and I'm sure the neighbors wouldn't approve, and someone would probably call the cops on me. So, my solution -- I use the bait powder from Ortho disposable flytraps -- I mix it with an equal volume of water and pour it into a foam or plastic cup that I tape with duct tape to a vertical trunk of the tree about 4 feet off the ground. Pour the mix in there about 4 or 5 days before the first blossoms open, because it gets progressively more smelly as it ages. By the time the blooms open, it will be rank smelling and attract a lot of flies. Some will actually fall in and drown, but that's ok, because it just makes it smell all the worse and attracts even more flies. When I did this, the blossom set increased dramatically, about quadrupled. A lot more fruit set and ripened. Too late for this year, but try it next and see if that doesn't make the difference. Finally, one other thing -- I have one tree that is a couple of hundred feet away from the other two -- that distance does cut down a lot on the transfer of pollen, and it sets far fewer. So, if your trees are far away, you can use my other method, which is to cut several longer branches of buds and flowers from a pollinator tree and put them under the tree which needs cross pollination in a bucket of water with some cut flower preservative in it -- they'll last about 4 to 6 days this way and will do the job.

Aww shucks!! Thanks for all the good wishes! Adopted, you have *no* idea. Some of the details I left out were as follows: -The first time I ever walked onto that property (more than 2 years ago), I "felt" as if it were mine. I even called my DH and told him that I thought we should look at this house, because it feels like ours. To my utter shock, he came over and said the same thing. -After talking ourselves out of/back into the house, we go see it again. (This time, I was the realtor.) I get that same feeling again. -We put the offer on it last summer. I tell my DH that I "know this first offer won't go through, but I feel like we're supposed to make it anyway. I know they won't take it, but I feel like we'll come to better terms later." I tell everyone I know the same thing. When the deal didn't work out, I wasn't all that disappointed. -When trying to work out the contract, the sellers tell me that there are 2 other couples that have made offers. I "know" immediately that they won't work out. I tell DH that I normally would be worried, but I'm not, because I just know it's our house. Weird, huh?? And Snookums, I will be posted ad infinitum on the pool forum....the pool area of the new house is a disaster!!! Again, good bones, but needs *so* much work. Wheeee!!!

Love, love, LOVE, the marble. Thanks for posting the extra pictures. I have a little marble in my kitchen and desk area but I really like yours. Our bathrooms are very small (1930's small house) so I only have a tub/shower in the hall bath. The master is a small shower only. That's why I hesitate to take out the only tub in the house. I've just about decided to do it. If it's really wrong I guess I can always have a tub installed when we decide it's wrong. Here are pictures of my kitchen. After seeing your island a different color than the perimeter cabinets I may have to paint mine. I really like yours. I am not really happy with the wall colors in these rooms but haven't fallen in love with a different color so I haven't changed it yet. http://www.pbase.com/cjw/my_finished_kitchen