Estelle and Annette - Happy Spring back at ya! Annette - In the boating world, they talk of a condition called two-foot disease. "If my boat was only two feet longer, it would be perfect." Greenhousers probably get it too. Thanks, MeMo, the bags are heat sinks. There are two 5 gallon buckets of water inside each one. I was going to spray paint the buckets black, but Nell suggested wrapping them in garbage bags, since I was afraid the black paint wouldn't stick to the plastic buckets. I don't know if 100 gallons of water is enough to do the job, but I am going to stick a max/min thermometer out there tonight and start monitoring temps. I'm not planning on trying to use the soil inside the greenhouse to grow anything, as there is grass growing there and when I move the greenhouse in the summer, I don't want to step out of my basement door into a garden. :-) I think that there will be a hoop house in my future, depending on how I do with flower sales this year. OK, Patti. Let's get those seeds started! Terryanne, I see that you're in zone 5 too, and I hear you about heating expense. I'm just using my greenhouse, along with lights in my basement, as a plant starting area in the spring. My grandsons do love to go out there and play with their toy tractors in the dirt on a sunny day in the winter. I probably won't do any more than use an electric heater at night if I have to. Thanks for writing, all. ThinMan

I think you'll have better luck with this question in the lawn care forum.

Go for it! I like your thoughts on manly kitchens in which hammers can be dropped on the counters, for all those times when one is using a hammer in the kitchen, haha. :-) Lots of people on this forum have wooden countertops. There are various views on how to finish them, everything from tung oil to Waterlox to multiple coats of polyurethane as thick as what you see on the floor of a basketball court. The finish to choose depends on your needs and uses, of course; you can't stain a wood counter or put most types of poly on it if you want to use it as a cutting board, because those finishes aren't food safe, but IMHO counters are not cutting boards--cutting boards are cutting boards. (A revolutionary viewpoint, I know.) If you're a total slob who splashes everywhere when you wash dishes, or if you want an undermount sink, you may want some sort of marine finish (i.e. what they put on wooden boats) on your counters. Oh, and be sure the counter that goes over your dishwasher is finished on the bottom too, not just the top, to protect it from steam. Another minor factoid to keep in mind is that tung oil may not be good if you have anyone in your family with a nut allergy, because apparently tungs, whatever those are, are related to nuts. Anyway, point is, having chosen wood (for which I commend you), you're only halfway there: you now have to choose the finish. Or I should say, you're 2/3 of the way there, since you've chosen what kind of wood (distressed walnut). On to the finish line!

Yes, I had caffiene withdrawal headaches when I cut out caffiene, but they soon go away. I gave up aspartame (mostly in Diet Sodas) 2 summers ago. My short term memory was terrible and I had heard anecdotally that some people are affected by it (and yes it really seemed to help me). To replace it I started drinking lots more decaffienated ice tea. I may buy an ice tea out which contains caffiene, like at a restaurant or McDonald's, but I do try to limit that to the mornings or early afternoon. good luck ... you'll start feeling better