Hi LF and RJ! Haven't been over here for a bit, but let me say: Well done, indeed! Not only did you manage to carry out the butchering, you have presented the emotional and moral issues very well. I particularly liked this passage: "...definitely more committed to our livestock, and strangely, so much more intimately connected to life and this earth... much more deeply than our city counterparts- who recoil in horror, and to whom we have difficulty explaining." The distancing of people from their food sources and the amount of denial that goes on among many people who get all their food from the supermarket is appalling. So much of today's supermarket food is overpackaged, overprocessed and downright disguised, to the point where it is impossible to see what the raw ingredients are. It allows people to conveniently "forget" that all food comes from animals or plants and to raise their children in profound ignorance of what food really is. I guess turning a blind eye is the only way that they can handle contributing to the horrors of factory farming. Sorry, I didn't mean this to turn into a rant. I mainly wanted to say that you did really, really well!

Is it possible there is construction trash under your poor spots in the back? Maybe I should rephrase that...it IS possible there is construction trash under the bad spots. Unless you personally supervised construction, it is almost a certainty that the workers tossed stuff around and, knowing it would be covered with topsoil later on, just left it. You might take a long spike (at least six inches) and see if you can drive it deep through the bare spots. Don't be surprised if you hit something solid. If you do not, then there are some relatively simple things you can do to the soil at the surface to restore the health. If you find solid things under the soil, dig them out. If not, visit your local farm and ranch store (they are everywhere if you look). Buy some inexpensive ground up grain. The cost should be under $10 for 50-pounds. Good grains include corn, soybean, cottonseed, alfalfa, and others. Usually it comes in a powder but alfalfa is pelletized. If you are going to seed, don't use corn. Scatter the ground up grain at a rate of 10-20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. In three weeks your soil will be brimming with healthy bacteria and fungi necessary for general soil health. Then seed like crazy. You want to have as dense a stand of turf as possible going into the winter so you don't have bare spots next spring. Any bare spots next spring will fill with crabgrass by next summer. By the way, the ground grains are the same ingredients as those in organic fertilizer, so you will not have to buy synthetic fertilizer if you follow my suggestion.

It depends on how they were attached the first time and what caused them to come off.

Oh thank you everyone for your kind/generous words. I didnâÂÂt mean to tease with just 1 picture, but I am sure that I would have gotten more posts asking for at least 1 picture. ï The picture was taken by my friendâÂÂs phone for whom I was making dinner (shrimp/marinated artichoke hearts in a garlic/capers/white wine sauce). Enjoying the nice company and good glass of wine = nice big smile. Dbfirewife/taggie/aktillery/kksmama/deedles: about the sconces: - need to give AOKATâÂÂs a shoutout for the inspiration from her beautiful kitchen) - Ugh: Thank you, and yes, I do love those sconces âÂÂlike those lights were created specifically for your counters and cabinetsâÂÂ. BUT I will never get them again. The quality control of these sconces was horrific. I had to go through 9-10 sconces to get these 4 because they were so incredibly flawed. I think that is why they no longer sell them. LampsPlus were ok w/ the returns etc. Williamsem: Handle in the front = much less splashing. âÂÂmakes me smile and think of GWâÂÂ: oh, I have so many things to be thankful for with Gardenweb. Everyone has been AMAZING!!! Olbat2be: ThatâÂÂs why: YES, my offer for a tour for anyone nearby is definitely open. I will PM you and we can set it up. âÂÂfriend had no interest in the tourâÂÂ: FUNNY! I get rather taken back also when my friends (who have not seen the kitchen) just say âÂÂNiceâÂÂ, and then move onto enjoying their drink or sitting down and start yakking about a blouse they just purchased or something. Like that blouse is important?!?! What about my use of my 4â filler (for my cutting board)? Or what about how my beloved Vitamix easily slides away when IâÂÂm done w/ it? DonâÂÂt you want to know about my spice jars? HAHHAHHAHAAA. Bookworm: pulls = Ikea Varde, w/out the little round âÂÂrosetteâÂÂ. I wanted something simple, quiet, and doesnâÂÂt catch on my clothing, so these were perfect for us. Now finding the right crystal knobs for my only 5 upper cabinets are another thing. Oy! Again, thank you very much: for the compliments and mostly, for all your help in so many things. IâÂÂve learned so much from GW. My kitchen would have never been as fantastic if it werenâÂÂt for GW. I often feel bad for people who discovered GW late in their renovation/design process. IâÂÂve been on GW for ?7years, so when we started down this road for this kitchen/renovation, I was ready. I had my tools/know-how ready to go. And if I didnâÂÂt, I knew where to ask! ï Amanda