Today I went hiking several hours north of Seattle. On my way home, I spotted a feed store and stopped in. They had Cherrystone Grit made from 100% crushed quartsite rock in growers size #2!! I was excited and bought a bag, but I want to double check that this will work. I believe I have read that others use "cherrystone." Farther down the package it lists hazardous materials as quartz silica and aluminum oxide. Maybe this is my source?!

I've been using my first and middle names for something like 14 years. I found it's easiest to just be me and helps people remember who I am better. Maybe I'm getting old but I have a hard time keeping the association between user name and real name straight. I do dog rescue and people need to be able to remember who I am. As for the comment about not hiding that is very true. They just did a study recently and found that if people felt they could hide behind a username they were more outspoken if not downright cruel than if they used their own name. It doesn't happen here, but I see it in far too many other forums. This forum is like a garden -- a safe haven where names show interests and loves and are not cloaks of anonymity. So many of you have pretty names its easy to see where your love lies. :) Peace, Jane and the Hole in the Wall Gang Here is a link that might be useful: Hole in the Wall Rescue Photos

I think this has been a fruitful discussion. I hope it continues. The more I think about this, the more I believe people should be encouraged by KDs, the kitchen sellers at the big box stores, cabinet makers, etc., to consider counter heights when planning a kitchen. And I think a big shout-out to many of the great contributors here at GW is called for because until I spent hours...well, really weeks of hours...reading through reveals, advice to folks planning their kitchens, and such, I never would have thought of all these types of details being important for a good, functional, pleasant space. GWE’s (GardenWeb Experts) are the bomb!! Last night I made a big salad and started a pot of “clean out the refrigerator” soup. I really liked chopping and that kind of prep on the higher counter. My DH helped a bit a really liked it as well. I also made scratch biscuits. I hand-mixed the dough at four different heights: on the higher counter with the triple breadboards on top (didn’t like), regular counter height (didn’t like), on the breadboard when it was slid into its slot, just below counter-height (liked it much better but still a bit high), and then put the breadboard across two counter-height stools (a bit too low). I think a small stretch of counter somewhere in-between the latter two would be nice for that type of work and other baking, machine-mixing, yada yada type tasks. I’ll continue the experiments. My chiropractor...who I seldom need anymore due to the excellent exercises he’s given me to strengthen my back and keep myself in alignment...does a weekly radio show on our local station. I called in this morning and mentioned this issue and asked him about it. He was very enthusiastic and gave some examples of people he has worked with who have had back issues directly related to long-term repetitive movements where things are not at the right height for them. So, really, for someone who cooks a lot, this isn’t a trivial issue. I really want to learn more about this. Oh, gosh...my friends already think I’m the anti-high-heel and heavy-purse nazi, now I'll be the counter-height nazi, too. But I had a back injury for which I was told I would never fully recover, only have limited mobility, and will always have pain. Well, I proved them wrong on all counts due to proper exercises (mostly from chiropractor) and body movements. I can go hiking with a 30+-pound pack and other activities, like 50-mile bike rides, that they said I'd never be able to do again. And I haven't taken a pain pill since 2008. It's because I've become the healthy-back nazi, LOL. This stuff is important for quality of life issues, imho. Off my soap box. @westsider 40 - Good points about not kneading long. I really don’t bake often where I need to knead. When I do, I move my large breadboard to my table and do it there. So it might be best to just continue doing it that way. @Oaktown - 14” difference! Wow. You would almost need two separate kitchens to work best for the two of you. Yeah, I think you should have a stool under each appliance and in each toekick. Just pull the whole thing out when you’re cooking. DH can push it all in when he’s cooking. @tracie.erin - Interesting on the stove height. I can see why that would be good to have it lower since your arm motion is different when stirring and such at a stove vs. chopping/slicing/dicing in a prep area. I do think my stove is the right height. If we do raise the counters on the wall, we’ll have to make adjustments for a lower stove top. Thanks for the tip. @laughable - Yes, I’m trying to put a lot of thought into this kitchen. And you are one of the people who have really inspired me to put in the extra time and effort to get it right. It will be my last so it better be good! I usually transfer from stock/crock pots in the sink because I’m unbelievably clumsy, lol. The pictures aren’t showing, darn it. I just am getting the Photobucket “This person has moved or deleted” message. It could be my computer. I had to take it back to factory settings last night and am still loading updated drivers and such. I’ll come back later and check it again. I can visualize your explanation of what he did in his own kitchen and why. Still need to get to my library to see if they have any of his books.

Hi Jeannie Schaldach We love, love, love our Cristallo. Everyone who has seen it has fallen in love with it. In our case, it has been bomb-proof so far. We prepare food, cook, and eat on Cristallo surface. We eat every meal on our island, and we have to young kids who are not too careful. The countertop has been indestructible, so far. No stains, scratches or chips. However, our installer has told me, right after the installation is finished, that the stone can be brittle, therefore we have been very careful to make sure that it doesn’t get hit hard or in a funny angle. And we haven't re-sealed ours yet. I was told by the installer that it won't be necessary. Hope this helps. Cheers~