Hello Weirdtrev, Thank you for responding so quickly, I had no idea what was going on. You seem to have nailed the problem. My JBLs look very similar to the ones in your photo. I never knew that JBLs were vulnerable to those viruses, yuck. I am just growing them for fun for Halloween, but they definitely are not the nice orange I was hoping for. I have several other pumpkin, melon and squash varieties growing -- I hope they don't get infected too. I am gaining new respect for what farmers have to contend with, between the creepy crawlies, viruses, mildews, etc. it is a wonder that anying makes it to market. Thank you for your help.

I think your countertops look great. Can you tell me where you got that range hood and what brand and model it is? I have been looking for something like that. Thanks.

island, I agree with you. I came to that realization today that I don't have the room for any special treatment behind the range since it has a back to it and there will be a vent hood going in so there is just not that much space available. I was trying to figure out how to get a center medallion of a cat! I know, too taste specific. DH suggested a piece of our granite but enough of that. So today I am trying to determine since the hood is not yet installed how much in height I really need behind the stove and if I can get away with simply raising the pieces behind the stove rather than running behind the stove down to the counter to avoid a seam. I found three different web sites with this type of tile but no selection of just one tile in different heights, just 8x20, 12x24 or the wall height which might work if it is tall enough to allow me to cut it in half because most of the wall I would need 18 high (the space from the counter to the bottom of the wall cabs) except for behind the stove. Silly me, I never considered a grout line, I thought they were just glued to the wall and simply lined up vertically! I have a lot to learn and I have to do more research. And yes, it does look great in that hallway but you know what I thought of when I saw it, it would take DH just one drop of the vacuum to break a tile. Silly me . . I'm still stressed over this whole affair even though I have a working sink finally after 8 weeks and tonight I am making my first home cooked meal - ravioli and meatballs and garlic bread. :-) mpagmom, your kitchen is SO BEAUTIFUL and I saw it today with those gorgeous tiles. What a calming space - I love it! That stove wall is a work of art and I do think the smaller tiles go great with the stove wall tiles. I hope you are enjoying your new space. Thank you for the link. Yes, I am planning on going with the beadboard tile. DH is against subways (although I love them) and I couldn't talk him in to an exposed brick look. I think the plainer backsplash would be very complementary to the granite. I can add more color with window valances or countertop accessories and an area rug. I noticed in SusieQ's beautiful kitchen that there is no top or bottom to the tile but you can buy "caps" or finishing ends on the tile web sites. Does anyone think that is necessary? Probably a picture of my stove wall would help. THANK YOU!

It's going to look different with the countertop and the backsplash. If you need to break up the dark after that, you can brighten up spots by adding rugs, cabinet hardware and accessories, maybe window coverings. Take one step at a time and figure out what bothers you, then find a solution for it. I think your major finishes are fine. The only thing that catches my attention is the blue island next to the floor, but that will probably be ok and may fade away when everything is in, or it may be an asset, who knows? One step at a time. Get the plan done, then learn to love what you can and figure out what is unbalanced and address it. Things rarely look the way we plan. A lot of times, they look better than we've planned, after you step back and look at it objectively.