dave, not a fertilzer. it's a sticky solution that coats the leaves. i've used it before to stop leaf miners and it worked okay for a few days. i will get some Bt when i can make it to the nursery. i'm not infested with them and i can keep up with them by picking them off. some predatory bugs are doing most of my work for me. i've discovered something by accident this year. i had some old oak flooring planks that i left out in the weather for about a year and i decided to use them in my support for the tomatoes. well, the wasps love em and and are all over them. go an army of dragonflies and the spiders are there too. everythings in balance so far. i was just trying to get a few screams from the squeamish.. i'm about to be back to work after a spell, so i'm probably going to have to get some store bought deterents soon to assist the good bugs.

Hello world, I owe much of my slowly amassed wisdom to forums like this and when I can, I do try to contribute back. I've been putting this off for a bit, so I have spared you months of planning, pontificating, and questioning. Thanks for the help on a couple of topics in the appliance forum. So without further ado, I shall begin at the beginning, and when I get to the end, I will stop. PS - If I sent you to this sight because you wanted to know how the "kitchen was turning out?" do think better of me for at least trying to reveal some of my madness to the world. We all need our outlets.... Chapter 1 - the problem kitchen So most who see my 11 year old kitchen (as it was until 4 weeks ago) would say it was beautiful and not in need of anything (apparently I have first world problems). Indeed shiny black granite (when clean, and no other time) pops under nice lighting with nice cabinets. But looks and function are two different things. I cook, as in REALLY. I consider myself a full contact cook. I needed a space where I can be doing 3 things at once (yes, likely one of those as an adult version, we're everywhere!), and not have guests in my way. We frequently entertain with 2 or more families with kids milling about, wandering through my work triangle, getting under my feet, tempting fate with fire and sharp knives.... We host parties with 20 or more 3-4 times a year, with a couple of 70 person parties around the holidays. It’s a big house (>5000sq ft), and the kitchen suffers to keep up with me, and not endanger those in my path. First, look at this island. Sure it is a reasonable triangle for the sink, stove, and fridge, but it is all in one very tight space. The best and only reasonable workspace is above the dishwasher and that leaves no landing space for washed dishes or things out of the fridge. The left of the island is never free of books, mail, and "not my" stuff that the family discards on entry. Look at the space by the sink, then the fridge, there is room for only one butt, not two. As I like my wife, I would like to allow her in the kitchen but we simply cannot function as a team here. OK, now look at the fireplace. The angle looks kind of cool, I admit, and makes a fire visible from the eating area, the kitchen island, and the living room. It did add warmth on a cold morning, but it choked all traffic through the kitchen around the bar, and separated the dining area from the living area. As you will see in a bit, not having a wall there creates a stunning, panoramic view of our forest from many angles. Appliances - this P.O.C range. Sorry Jenn-Air, but I just don't buy a downdraft fan in the middle of the gas range with barely a 9K burner. I will upload a video sometime showing the design flaw in that when the fan is on, the flame is sucked away from the pot above it. I cannot boil water when the fan is on. Yes, you heard me. Also the door to the oven falls out of its hinge sometimes, the convection fan never worked, and the panel below the oven disengages every time the dog's fetch ball bounces on it... I do like the griddle though.... The wine bar... Its OK, good storage, but anyone who can wrestle bottles of wine out of the fridge with small, fixed racks, deserves a glass (pssst, if you got this used appliance as a house warming gift from me, try to think of my better traits.) No water or sink here, if you want a drink, invade my triangle with caution.... The Living room So like many who have bought a house built before 2005, I had a deep, square hole for a TV. Don’t need that anymore, as they are now rectangles and flat…. I did fix it up to hold a newer style, but alas, it is now gone. I also couldn’t see the TV from the kitchen . (first world problem) The Pantry So it was tucked behind the range, a little triangle, I guess it worked, but the shelves were sort of wobbly (ie don’t remove too many things from the left or the teeter-totter will eject those on right). It also had the vent in here, making the pantry smell a bit like what was cooked last night. The Second Hall So we only really used this hall to carry laundry through, we otherwise always walked through the kitchen as that’s where the keys, wallets, food, dog treats, and family members are kept. OK, enough complaining. My next post will show the remedy… Stay tuned This post was edited by will2kz on Wed, Mar 27, 13 at 21:58

Oh gosh, this thread is back on the front page. You wrote: Looks like I broke the post. I have try to edit posts, and they preview fine, but the links look broken when they are not. Maybe I should trim down the prior pics, or start separate threads... So you do know what the problems are.. If you truly want to engage with the community here, then you gotta get with the program. Your kitchen(s) - even the old one you scorned so derisively - would probably be interesting to many here. So, please, start a new thread (several of them, if necessary keep the image quantty manageable): Fewer, much, much lighter pics. Use a link out to a photohost with thumbnail for 75% of what you appear to have posted above. Those with the inclination and band-width will go there. Those without will be able to at least get a taste. Use a conventional photohost. Livefilestore is a problem because it appears to require d/l every time. Don't use hotlinks that don't work; many people won't click on them anyway, for security reasons. I'm sure many more people would appreciate, and comment, on your project if they could actually see it. The question is whether you want to interact with us, or just use the site as platform to way to broadcast about your life. That's what Facebook and other social media sites of its ilk are for. This is a forum that cherishes interaction among participants. I am sorry to be so blunt. Hope that helps, L

It's an older, but decent neighborhood, Most people have lived there a long time, only a couple of rentals on that street, but the house has been obviously vacant for several months (previous owners foreclosed on, sign in the yard, no window coverings, street light illuminating every front window). My back yard butts up to another's backyard (they are on the corner and their house faces diagonally) so the back yard is private (plus it's nicely treed, has privacy fences, garages, etc.) I plan to put a couple lamps on times in the bedrooms until I get moved in. I'm refinishing the hardwood floors and painting all the walls/woodwork so I can't really move anything in. I have met one neighbor, very nice lady who said she notices people coming and going a lot and just assumed the thief was a workman. The house was extremely popular on the market, it's under priced and in a popular area. It's had dozens and dozens of showings. Even still people are in and out because it's not closed yet, it's on "show for backup" status until it's actually closed. Every time I go in there are a dozen realtor cards on the mantle. I find that a little presonally bothersome, as I think of it as "mine" even though legally it's not mine until they finally get the paperwork through and I can close. Once I have the keys we'll likely be there nearly every day painting and getting it ready ... the only days it'll be unattended will be the 48 hours dry time between each floor varnish coat. I do plan to introduce myself to the neighbors once I get the keys and ask them to call if they see people over there. Stealing copper is, unfortunately, a common thing around here. They'll go in any unoccupied house they can safely sneak in to (any one without an active security system and a private back yard). It's more a reflection of the economy rather than the neighborhood. I hope to get moved in the second week in April, provided I can close this week. The floors will take the longest but they really have to be done before I can even think of taking a single thing over there.