Lizalily, thanks for that...I love hearing good stories. We are not sure about radiation/I-131 treatments yet, just that surgery is what is the most likely first step. Yes, the thyroid controls so much of what happens in our bodies that when it's off, everything goes batty... I am looking forward to CALM energy, as you said...not this fluttery anxiety-fueled energy that I've had for a while. And yes, it will be the hard part - to sit on my swing and relax in the garden instead of working on it...that will be the hard part. Sitting and listening. Thank you so much for the encouragement. I appreciate it a lot. More, perhaps, than you'd know. Nanadoll, it's not a hole that bothers me...rather, it's a good location for a new rose. I'm struggling to figure out where all the roses go now, let alone a new one. LOL. FM does indeed sound like a gorgeous, fragrant, perfect-under-window rose, though...so I may just have to figure it out. Tomorrow is another day, as Scarlet O Hara would say...I'll be getting some things done in the garden tomorrow; now that I know I'll be putting Q. Liz in a big tub until I know where her final home will be, I'll hopefully be getting that whole area handled tomorrow...Queen Liz out and replanted, and then both Gruss An Aachens into the ground. To be able to get that done would make me happy indeed...because then that front bed would be mostly complete. BTW, does anyone know when it's a good time to put bands into the ground? I've got two that I want to get into the ground, but they're still sort of small...both, however, have bloomed for me (a Fragrant Plum and St. Cecilia), so they're doing all right so far. But I don't know when I should put them into the ground...what height or age, or whatever. If anyone could give me that info, I'd greatly appreciate it! Best- Herding Cats

I have never been thrilled with the seam in our Silestone (color = Gedatsu). I would have been way happier with no seam at all but that was not possible. The seam never upset me tooooo terribly but it was a little bit of a sore spot for me for a bit after the remodel. Now going on 4 years later I only notice and think about it every now and then, not often at all. And when I do I think, Oh that darn seam, I would be great if you weren't there! And I move on. So many other great things to concentrate on, I won't let that blasted seam ruin everything else. I hope this helps? AND while we're talkin', something I never wrote about is the fact that the underside of all the silestone wasn't polished! It is a chalky white. You can't see it unless you bend down and look up so it's not a big deal at all, but I really would have been much happier if they polished the underside! Anyone else have theirs unpolished? Was I to request it be polished? Did they screw us over by not polishing the underside?

Stick with your soapstone idea; it is what you want. Ask the stone yards you've been working with when they anticipate getting new shipments. Realistically you aren't going to be ready for soapstone for at least four months (assuming you'd start next week). By the time you need it, there will be some new stuff in town. Do you have a subscription to Angie's list? If not, get one. Even if it saves you only one headache, it is worth it. The fabricator I am using gets A+ on there for value and responsiveness, and I couldn't be happier. To chime in on your previous posts about not even being able to get bids, I have been surprised at the places that have never gotten back to me despite them asking me to give them dimensions and my requirements. Apparently they don't want my business, and even if they returned my calls or e-mail now, I wouldn't work with them. I obviously don't know you at all, but my perception from all the planning and research you've done on this is that you would be better off being in total control of the project. Now, buy a really good book on being your own contractor for a kitchen remodel so you'll know all of the exact steps needed when, and DIY (the hiring of subs and coordination of steps). I am making this recommendation as a fellow control freak about some things I care deeply about. We are looking into a self-guided bike trip in Italy, and I am very uptight about the places they might pick for us to stay (we had a very bad experience with a travel agent on a small trip last year). It is not that I need deluxe by any means (in fact, I want small and intimate with charm rather than fancy but sterile), but I also know exactly what I consider optimal in lodging that suits ME, and I am pretty leery about handing over that control. I'm guessing you are the same way about your kitchen.

Wow, I'm sorry you had so much trouble with your sink. I had a similar saga with the countertop in my laundry room. Every problem you could imagine. It was really strange. But I disagree with those here who dismiss online sales outright. I ordered many things online and found substantial savings--often 50% or more. And on a $1000 sink, that's a lot of money. I did not run into a single problem with any of my online orders, and I was able to find products, such as period-specific light fixtures, that were not available to me locally. On the other hand, I was very unimpressed with the process of ordering things through local showrooms. (And I usually go out of my way to shop locally, so this was a big surprise and disappointment to me.) It's very difficult to comparison shop, because showrooms rarely display prices. Also, because little info is made available, you must rely on a salesperson, but the salespeople--even when they're incredibly helpful--don't always know the details you might expect them to know. Like the fact that a particular sink is not a good fit for the faucet you simultaneously selected (actual example). And because you don't place the order yourself, there is a lot of room for error. (I could create quite a list of the ordering errors that occurred with my local purchases.) And because the items are often delivered to the contractor or the sub rather than to me, the person who selected and purchased it, there's room for even more error. Again, I could create a list of the things that were installed in error because the sub didn't seem to know what I ordered, even though they all supposedly receive copies of the order once it's placed. "Gee, why are you putting in Moen valves in the bathrooms? I'm not getting any Moen fixtures." No joke. And just because you order locally doesn't mean that your items will come in perfect order. You should have seen the condition of the doorknobs I got, as compared to every item I ordered online, which came so well packaged they would have been safe in a hurricane. In my experience, at least, shopping online beat showroom shopping hands down for service, selection, reliability, and price. Because I like to support local businesses, I am very sorry to report this, but it was true.