Lol..Good one Al! Sounds like you have a batty of a problem...lol You could always move your plants aside and make room.ha I'm praying for an end to this miserable cold weather..How did the birds fare this year for you? Did they come back? I did mention something about your frogs, but now I forget.. I hope all is well and that the real frogs will be able to sing again soon..This winter is just killing me..I think I know what it's like to live in a cave now...I'm as white as a ghost. Hello Laura and Josh and every one else..Good to see you all surviving...I have not seen this cold for years...I am grateful my fish loaded pond did not freeze up..It almost did since I accidently shut the power off to the pond pump..It only too two days for the whole top to freeze over but luckily I noticed it and broke the top open so the fish could breath. I also notice that my ground in the garden must be frozen at least more than 6 inches deep! I hope my bulb and perrenials make it through this. Let's see, what else? I left all my potted plants in a dark area of my garden and they have been buried with snow since December..I hope they make it too by the time the thaw comes..Keeping my fingers crossed. What else? Since I have been couped up inside, I have painted ever single room in my home and added a three seasons porch..That explians my absence besides sickness.. The only saving grace this winter was my greehoused plants, especially my orchids and two bull frogs inside! I actually downloaded brid chirping and sounds along with relaxing sounds and play that with my eyes closes in the nice very humid warm greenhouse on sunny days in this weather..Sure takes the edge off! All the orchids have come to bloom and many others.. Laura..What a beautiful picture of that frog!!!!!!! It's so postcard looking. I love it and you know how I feel about frogs! Thanks for that. Good to see there is still a REAL need for you while you are home, right?lol I remember was he was just born and when you visited me...Seems like yesterday. Either that frog is so content, or just trying to stay warm. Josh, Let it rain and rain, right? You could use all the rain you can get.Horay for the peppers buddy! P.s..I talked to Jodik and she is ok..I am trying to get her back here...She's a gem and missed here. So's Jojo..She is ok too..Says hello. Hoping you all well and wamrth. MIke

I bought some copper torches at Lowes at few years ago. They still look nice, and stay out year round. I keep oil in mine (always) to keep condensation from rusting out the inside. (I had that happen with some vintage torches I used to own, so my lesson was learned.) Here's a tip for whatever you find: Go to the hardware store and get some copper plumbing caps, the kind you cap the ends of your pipe with. I have those on all of mine; it keeps water from rain out of the torches. They are also handy for snuffing out the flames when it's time to put them out. I just put the cap off to the side of the wick at the top of the torch, and they live there just fine while your torch is in use.

Since the staining was immediately , that means the travertine wasn't sealed, and will absorb dirt, oil, fruit juice stains, and anything which is acidic. If you don't seal, the tracking of even mild day to day dust/dirt will eventually become an obvious 'traffic pattern'. If you want the flooring to retain it's beauty it needs to be sealed, maybe even more than once~check with the installer or a reputable flooring store........or look on line. I would get this done fairly quickly as larger particles of dirt will cause scratching of the stone also. It's a softer stone than you realize, and if you expect it to,stand up to the wear and tear of ceramic or porcelain tile, that won't be the case. Those types of tile have been 'baked' in very high temps, which makes them withstand almost anything.

honorbiltkit, LOL! Thanks for the complements on the wood! I hand-picked through the pieces I had to get the pattern I wanted. I really didn't know how it would look until the tung oil went on. I didn't thin it by the way. I used "Formby's" which is available at Lowes. According to the directions, you should apply it to a clean cloth and rub it into the wood like you would wax a car. If you keep rubbing gently, it will feel slick as it first goes on, then it will begin to feel a little sticky and then it will become slick again when the cloth removes the excess. What's left should be a very thin glossy shine that ought to be dry to the touch overnight. By the way, for those of you who may want to cover the tung oil with polyurethane, I was told to be sure and let the tung oil dry for at least two weeks! (I dunno but he is one of the employees at the wood shop I deal at and said this would reduce the chance of getting bubbles in the polyurethane). On the topic of sealing. Thanks for that discussion. I wouldn't have thought to do that so I'll have trouble if my wood and my climate are mean to me!