Hello again, and thanks for the feedback! These ideas have got me goin again; my imagination was beginning to lag. Yardvaark, thanks for the suggestions; I'm definitely one that prefers simplicity and quality over a hodge podge, although having bought an older home [with an overgrown, neglected yard:) ] we still have some of that, along with some old trees and shrubs that have become favorites. If I could just snap my fingers and propagate what we have here, I wouldn't need much else. The key is in knowing how and where to situate everything.... I guess I'll blame you for my newfound fascination with moss; it's everywhere [at least online, in pictures] at old historic sites, and I actually like the look lol! Sasafras, that's just what I need to do anyway, and much more enjoyable than visiting the "big box" store :). Pattycakes, thanks for the link, and you're right, - one could spend all afternoon on that site. Looks yummy! Great for a rainy day [with no place I have to be!] and a cup of tea.......or two or three or four..... :)

The whole live plant/garden seed industry is nothing like it is portrayed in magazines or catalogs. Virtually none of the big catalogs grow crops for seed - none - they all buy their seeds from large seed brokers which contract with farms (owned by the big mega-companies listed in the article) most often in the tropics where year round production in greenhouses can be done with cheap labor. When you see a variety in one catalog you'll see it most of the others - each claiming some sort of exclusive right to that crop! Do they think we are stupid? Don't they realise we get ALL the catalogs and we can see it offered in all of them? Most of the large growing operations (and even some of the smaller local places) contract grow plants for the big catalogs. On the one hand it looks fishy to have something listed in a catalog from another company and not in the local companies catalog but it allows small growers to make some extra money and stay afloat financially. And it helps the big company in that they don't have all their stock housed in one location (in case of disease problems, crop failures, weather issues). The truly sinister aspects of what the big mega guys are doing is to the local farmers in third world countries. In those tiny places they've succeeded at getting laws on the books that prohibit saving seed!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Because of them millions of local varieties will be lost forever. Incredibly ignorant in my book. Some day they will wake up and grasp that they need that genetic material to improve disease resistance in something new. I care more about performance than anything else. Which variety give me what I want with the least amount of work (I don't use chemicals because I am lazy, not because of any environmental issues - though I do care about nature). Maintaining old varieties and testing new ones is very important. Keeping track of who does best where is crucial to the future of gardening. Thank god there are enough of us in this area to actually get together once a year and trade seed and twice a year to trade live plants. I doubt the big guys will ever succeed in banning seed collection here in the US. Gardeners are a cranky ill tempered lot when push comes to shove. In a weird way this all ties into the patenting of plants which I have mixed feelings about.

Did some research and figured out where they came from! Somehow I had made a couple of changes to my folder view and I do not remember when. I'll just chalk it up to old age *lol* Anyway I went back into "Control Panel", "Appearence and personalization", and "Folder options" and hit the "Restore Defaults" and all those mystery folders went away!! BTW: I do not use Google so lets just say I did my "Research" using Start Page!! Best place to "start" when wanting to find an answer to something. Hummmm...Still don't know where all these adds are coming from because I have "AddBlock" installed. Here is a link that might be useful: Start Page

I think it starts from viewing the kitchen as a work area. Rich people didn't go in there, so whatever the builder-architect specified was fine. Looking at Thomas Jefferson's kitchen is interesting - partly because it was advanced for its time and partly because its stripped of the affectations of the main house. Even though its spread across multiple rooms - it matches. The woods, the flooring, the simplicity of having only enough to do the job at hand, etc. So, I think the matchiness comes from the builders vision of what a kitchen is, with a little practicality sprinkled on. Plus, who has ever wanted to go 15 different places for their "work area" storage. Right now, I see two things. Other than matchiness has a long, long history - particularly in dining rooms. The first is that the matchiness can be soothing to the eye. It looks better in small environments where a collected look can quickly turn into a jumble. It can visually expand space by simplifying line and color and unifying the presentation of a small space. Sometimes, I think people who choose monochromatic color schemes are drawn to the almost zen feel that matchiness in monochrome can produce. The second is that two colors is fashionable right now. As anyone who has ever seen pics of 1970's decorating can attest, fashion is a strong force. I like some matchiness. That's partly cultural - I grew up in a time when matchiness was prized (I'm sure it will be again). And part is the touch of the ocd fairy - my eyes try to sort jumble - which is how a table for 12 where every chair is different and all the place settings are different appears to me. In a kitchen, I think matchiness (or unity) is the background for the focal points where you are directing people's attention.