Following up, a few months later... Things seem to be back to normal in the garden (thanks again for all of the advice and support). Nothing dead, and even a few new creatures -- a toad (must've come over from a man-made garden pond nearby) and a bunny (an unpleasant surprise -- living in an urban area, this is our first rabbit ever, in four years!). Birds are plentiful, and we're seeing a few goldfinches come by as the coneflowers dry up. I spent the summer enjoying the garden mostly from the inside... next spring will bring a clean slate and I can stop feeling funny about being out there (and about being here). Interesting, though: Like Hyta, I had not one Japanese beetle. Not a one. And I didn't spray anything besides all-season oil for aphids. Saw this in the newspaper today about more dangers from imidicloprid, this time about lingering dangers to honeybees: "Unfortunately, we are learning that Merit has some ugly side effects, namely causing what has been called colony collapse disorder, where thousands of honeybee colonies are disappearing for no obvious reason. Now we know that any plant that is treated with Merit and has blossoms that attract bees, those bees will receive a non-lethal shot of Merit. But it will cause them to lose their ability to find their way back to the hive. It also weakens the bee's immune system so the bee usually dies of some fungus or virus. ... "We yardeners can't deal with the bee problem in agriculture, but we definitely can take a look at how we are using Merit in our own yard. Some of the most effective and popular systemic insecticides for rose bushes have Merit as the main ingredient. Honeybees will always work over rose blossoms and so are exposed to a little bit of Merit -- enough to affect them badly." Provided the link for those of you who want to read more. (P.S. Maryl, I made sure to spray my clothes each time; thanks for the tip. And Joanne, now you must forgive me. I never have any e-mails about responses to a post. Still, please accept *my* apology for not responding sooner to say it's no big deal at all. :) )

This is an update to the sp1 info. Susan Bradley in the latest windows secrets newsletter said there are 2 new updates to do to prepare for sp1 if you have not done it yet, this is to help prevent some of those issues that were listed above. from her article Quote: "Microsoft released two patches to fix problems with Windows 7's infamous first service pack. Both should be installed before updating to Win7 SP1. KB 2533552 corrects a flaw that produces a failed SP1 update, leaving users with a cryptic error code (shown in Figure 1) and a difficult recovery. Systems that received SP1 through Windows Software Update Services were hit particularly hard, as noted in a TechNet blog. KB 2534366 fixes an issue with multiple language packs; some systems would hang at a black screen after SP1 was installed. If you haven't already successfully installed Windows 7 SP1, install both KB 2534366 and KB 2533552 first. And if Win7 SP1 is already installed, accept KB 2533552 for future service packs. Yes, it's true; I'm finally ready to give the all-clear for Windows 7 SP1 but only after you've accepted KB 2533552 and KB 2534366, as noted above. Rather than using Windows Update, I urge you to download and install the SP1 update manually to make sure it's successfully added." and the latest list of her recommendations for windows patches list Regularly updated problem-patch chart and the link to sp1 direct download SP1 she mentions to allocate about an hour for this.

Update - after 2-1/2 months, my house project is proceeding well. Most of the wiring is done by my contractor's sub. I do have a few issues: 1. Last fall, we discussed the type and capacity of load center I would need, and before I could do anything, he installed a 200 Amp 40-breaker one. It was too late to change anything, so I let it go. Two days ago, he said that I need more capacity, and it would require a new meter, new underground service, and a new load center. He offered to buy the 200 Amp one from me with credit for the required 400 Amp one. Why do I need 400 Amps? Well, I am using electric heat and the boiler installed is 20 kW, which is 83 Amps. He said that the load should not exceed 80% of the breaker capacity, giving 104 Amps. The closest breaker available is 120 Amps. In addition, I have a 30 Amp domestic hot water heater, and plan to install a range with an electric oven, which requires 50 Amps. That totals 200! That's why he needs to run a new line. I could us a propane gas oven (we have no natural gas) and we don't plan to have any AC. I think the boiler was way oversized. The heat loss calculation gave 60,000 BTU/hr, which converts to 17.6 kW, and I think that calculation was over generous. So, I could ask that the boiler be replaced with an 18 kW one, which might help. I think that would be much cheaper than replacing the panel and feed wiring; what do you think? The house has been being heated with a 5 kW space heater in the basement during construction since January; this has included many days with sub-zero temperature. Even with windows and doors not yet installed and roof insulation incomplete, the inside temperature was held at 50 degrees. 2. He also told that current code requires "tamperproof" receptacles, which are very inconvenient to use (and more expensive too). I have about 40 boxes already wired, but the receptacles are not yet in. What do you think about that?

Lascatx, your wing chair with the embroidery is lovely. I wouldn’t be in a rush. I think I noticed some slight discoloration from someone’s head. Yes? is that what bothers you? I have some ideas for how you might remove that (if indeed there is discoloration). Fori — very nice wing chair lines. The chair has good bones. I was at a home operated antique store barn and fell in love with one of the most attractive, ample wing chairs with wings that bowed out in the most elegant way. The upholstery was very worn and it would need replacement (expensive) and probably a slip cover to protect that. I asked the owner for a price and had to gulp hard. I believe the quote was something like $600. I had to pass. Maybe it was Thomas Jefferson's. Nicole — I was looking at sewing machines and came across another of those German built Gritzner-Kayser sewing machines like my green one. This one was the copper color. The seller was asking ~ $360 and the machine didn’t even look cleaned up, so it probably wasn’t oiled and adjusted either. One thing about that model, I don’t beleave it has the same amount of ”lift” between the presser foot and the bed as some of the other all metal 158 prefix Kenmores have (5 quarters). Last night I came across some selling two machines for $50. One was a Singet that I don’t care for, but the other was for a Kenmore 158.504 that looked promising to straight stitch (ss) or zig zag (zz) heavy material. But I don’t need it and the drive is about 75 miles each way. Gas is expensive nowadays. Tempting though. Everyone here with chairs that need upholstering should list what sort of room and meals, lake, ocean, mountains or canyon views they can offer, as well as features like wilderness hiking or cultural highlights such as theatre, concerts and museums or 3 star dining. We could queue up for your visit with your scissors and talent.