Linda, YES...that's my mulberry! I haven't checked e-Bay for a couple weeks (just too discouraging to check for years and see nothing). The seller noted that she'd just received this "collection" so it's probably new to the market. Unfortunately, the pieces she listed all have rim chips, discolorations, crazing, or other such things that render them useless to an investment collector. But, I e-mailed her to ask about the entirety of what she has. Oh, I'm trying not to get my hopes up here...but I'm excited this morning. Thank you so very much! I almost put my mulberry on the market 'cause I was so bummed about not being able to find any more...it just wasn't fun. Now, I have that "collector excitement" running through my blood again...lol I almost fell out of my chair when I saw that soup plate on E-bay...but then quickly saw the huge rim gouge which makes it worthless, at least to me. It was tempting to make her an offer on the whole sheebang and hope there's a couple good pieces...have to see what's she's got. I could always sell the junk and dollar cost average whatever I might keep....that's how I acquired my 24" platter...I had to buy 30-40 pieces just to get that platter 'cause that seller wouldn't let me cherry-pick through. Thanks again, Linda.

Who thought hot water could be so complicated huh? Iam doing a similar set up right now except we are using a heat pump water heater as the main/back up. Highly recommend you look into them if you have the appropriate climate and space. Be aware that the Desuperheaters usually only produce measurable hot water during the cooling cycle which could be seldom depending on climate and efficiency of the building envelope. If you go tankless (personally not a fan in most situations) be sure its capable of handling pre-heated water. Holding or Buffering tank is a good idea no matter what the back up tank is. A cheap electric storage without the power hooked up is fine. I would add insulation to the tank(s) and absolutely insulate ALL hot water lines as much as possible. Obviously, energy use matters to you so be very careful with how you set up a circulating pump. A manual or occupancy switch located in the farthest bathroom is the best bet. Continuous circulating pumps could easily end up burning more energy than what youre saving with the Geo. I would also recommend monitoring the energy use of the circulating pump for the Geo. COPs usually ignore this part of the equation. Check out the below link and do someother keyword searches. Here is a link that might be useful: GBA link geo + tank Q &A

Cherry will darken naturally, regardless of finish. That Diamond product looks promising---I favor the oil based marine spar varnish here. But, you will have to check yearly and sand/recoat as needed.

pcjs..I did see Premier cabinets at HD...the sales guy said to stay away as they are a bit cheap..and flimsy and difficult to install. There was a display in fawn glaze that I thought looked very nice. I don't have to have top of the line, nor can I afford it, I just don't want cabinets falling apart in 5 years! igloochic..that is the tone we may go for..there are 3 basic tones, orange/brown/red...my DH goes for the red toned ones (but he's color blind and always drawn to dark colors)..I think a brown town would look best but don't like any I see as they all look dull..so we're back to the orange toned stains.... mustbenuts..I do love that second photo..simple shaker cabinet but it looks so modern. I'd love to know the maker, but I'm sure I can't afford an Italian designer! Thanks so much for your comments..it's so hard as our granite is at the granite yard over 1 hour away and I can't just run over there and hold cabinet doors against it.....any thoughts to mixing uppers and lowers so DH gets his stained and I get my painted? Then of course there's the whole backsplash saga..and a floor...I'm not getting much sleep these days...I'm off to Lowes and HD again right now just to study the styles and colors. Yesterday I spent over 2 hours with a HD "design consultant" and she didn't know squat. I have "0" confidence that I'd end up with everything I want/need after an order was placed with her. I'd love to just order cabinets off the internet, but am too paranoid that when there's a problem (and there always is) how long it wil take to resolve. I may look at Buycabinets.com but it seems like a 50/50 shot at having luck with them. Any other ideas, I'd love to hear..thanks!