I'm sympathetic to just about all the views that have been expressed on this thread. I'm vegetarian and dislike killing animals, and yet realize that something has to kill wild animals to keep their populations in check. I'm less consistent than some of you, as I eat dairy products and eggs and wear leather shoes. In my part of Italy we're seeing the mountains and the hills, once heavily populated, slowing emptying of human presence. This has been going on since WWII and the process shows no sign of slowing or reversing. It looks as though vast tracts of Italy could end up as essentially a wildlife preserve, with the human population stuffed in the plains, along the coast, and in low-lying valleys. We live at 1500 feet above sea level, five miles from a good-sized town, an hour from a medium-sized city, and from our house I can be in downtown Milan in two and a half hours. And yet living here is a practical struggle. Public transportation is scarce and getting scarcer, and gasoline costs about $8-$9 a gallon. Roads are narrow, steep, winding, and in increasingly poor repair; every winter we struggle with snow and ice. A daily commute is a heroic contest, as is getting children to school, since many children aren't served by school buses, and all the high schools are down in the cities. The jobs are mostly in the flatlands. The fewer people live in the hills and mountains, the more expensive services for them become. When we moved here boars were already a problem, in part because they weren't the native Italian breed, but a larger, rooting kind that was introduced by hunters. As others here have noted, they're prolific, destructive, and dangerous. A few years ago we began to see roe deer locally; now they're well established and devastating to our garden, as well as to agriculture. It's with a sigh of relief that I've been hearing in the last year that we now have wolves. These moved first into the high mountains, and, with rapidly expanding populations, have come down into the hills, and I've even heard that they've gone as far as the plain. People who keep livestock aren't happy about them, but they apparently are doing great work keeping the wild boars in check, and should also help with the deer. I wonder when bears will show up? Italy will need a change in priorities and a lot of innovative thinking before the current trend changes--money wouldn't hurt either--and change, innovation, and money are all in very short supply here. So I expect we'll continue on in the current fashion, and half of Italy will fill with ghost towns. I just hope we can continue getting our daughter to school. A whole world of traditonal knowledge, experience, and culture is being lost, but on the other hand the seeds of a new primeval forest have been sown: who knows what ecosystems will arise? It's all quite interesting. Melissa

I purposely picked a place in the house with lower ceilings and LOTS of big furniture and red, with more red, and a splash of red, so you could see it at it's most overwhelming. The floors are about 8 years old, so they have gotten as dark as they will get. The planks are 2 3/4" wide. I cannot give you a good reason why I wish they were wider--I just like the look. Virtually everyone I know wishes they had wider planks and higher baseboards after they finish. Just make sure you put the baseboards on top of the wood--don't do that silly 1/4 round that they always use for laminates. Everyone who comes into the house comments how much nicer it is (maybe it's only a tradition in the West to do 1/4 round). Anyway, the ceiling height in this room is 9'. From having lived with both light and dark wood, as long as it isn't one of the dark, expresso type finishes, both show dust and scratches. A really good finish minimizes the scratches and they are easily covered up with a dab of floor cleaner or even olive oil. They show up a bit more in darker wood, but Brazilian Cherry isn't so dark that it makes much difference one way or another. The rule of thumb is darker wood is more formal, lighter wood more casual/modern. Honestly, I think medium toned woods are always the 'safest' choice. Extremes of dark and light go in and out of fashion, and they both require more upkeep. EVERYTHING shows up on maple as it does on those dark stained (nearly black) woods. What you will notice on either of the floors you are considering is dust in certain light or coming from a particular direction. (My sister's floor are almost the identical color of Amendoim). Nothing will hide huge muddy paw prints, but I'd give the slight edge of camoflauge to the lighter wood. Besides tile, wood is the easiest thing in the world to take care of and it so beautiful. When I got my floors, Amendoim wasn't really offered, but they had something called "Brazilian Cherry Lite," and I suspect it's the same thing. The one problem with this 'wood' is it's sort of a made up name--like the lite. It's a catchall name to cover several different species. Make sure whomever you get it from does indeed Janka rate it at 1900+ A quick look at the internet gave me ratings for everything between 1300 and 2200 so they are obviously calling different wood species Amendoim. I have a friend with an 80 lb dog who has Merbau (1700) and she has light denting, so I wouldn't go any lower that 1800-1900. And it really is the dents that you'll notice and you'll hate. Yes, the dog would be the worst offender, but my Mother's oak dents with moving furniture--yes it's heavy but still... And if it can be repaired, it can only be done by a professional. We always tell her it's patina, and all wood floor will get some, but you don't want it to look awful. I'd post a special Amendoim/Big Dog just to make sure. I suspect it will be fine, but you REALLY need someone with a big dog to know for sure. And for Lynn--Thanks so much for the compliment. I'm always told that less is more.... but my office is for my comfort--there is a big lounging couch on the other wall. The plants in this room are silk so I don't have to fuss. The paint is Ellen Kennon's Buttercream. I fought, fought, fought buying a designer paint, but I just couldn't find a yellowish tone I could live with other than hers. I wanted something light, neutral, but warm-toned because of all the dark furniture. It works very well even with the natural cherry in other rooms. I painted the ceiling the same color so I wouldn't have to do edge painting and it works beautifully. The walls look taller and the paint just seems lighter on the ceiling. And if you can live with darker floors, you won't regret going harder. I have a friend with Brazilian Walnut, they look fabulous in her home and she says they are indestructible.

I forgot to mention, vet did say the hair discoloration was probably due to the licking, since it wasn't inflamed or anything-- good call, girlwithaspirin! I will admit, I have jumped on people's cases (sometimes probably more harshly than I should have, unfortunately) when they post here looking for advice when they really need to be getting their pet to the vet ASAP... but there's a big difference between emergencies and non-emergencies, and message boards like this can be an INVALUABLE resource for getting some good ideas and possibilities to run by a vet if the need arises. I don't assume that my vet, or my doctor, or anyone with an advanced degree or title is so brilliant as to know EVERYTHING there is to know about their field; if I can help out by doing a little homework of my own, it certainly can't hurt, you know? Perhaps it would be good for someone to post (or re-post) a list of things which a pet owner should call their vet about IMMEDIATELY, before seeking advice from a message board... there are a lot of pet owners out there with the best of intentions, but just not a lot of practical common sense; perhaps such a list would be a good thing to print out and keep next to the computer or something. :)

Thanks everyone. Really appreciate all of the suggestions. The slate had actually caught my eye. It does read green, for sure, which doesn't inherently bother me, but makes me nervous in context. So scary picking something so visible, expensive and permanent! The point about when I may choose to do the siding is a good one. It's quite expensive by the time it all gets added in. And frankly, it's been difficult to get the attention of contractors and painters. It took so long to pick a roofer that I really lost energy on the siding even if the finances hadn't been an issue. I lack the expertise to know what absolutely needs to be replaced right away, and what can be fixed or wait. And I'm just not trusting answers I get from the contractors, to the extent I get answers at all. They're more likely to just send a massive estimate replacing everything. I may choose to replace a few old windows at the same time, so I absolutely could end up waiting a while, although the state of the siding makes me nervous in terms of how long I can reasonably wait.