Hi Thahalibut Welcome to The Plant Exchange! I thought you might like to know there is no email link on your member page, thus no way to email you. You might want to get that set up before starting a trade post, or replying to one. To set up your email link, just go to the bottom on any page here, and click on Member Pages Then click on Edit your Personal Information, Page, and Preferences You will then probably be asked to login in again. Then check the box Allow other users to send you email via forms at our site. That will place a link on your member page, making it handy for traders to reach you. While there editing you might want to also place your state abbreviation in the one box provided for garden zone and location. (see I am zone 5/6 S In) It is beneficial info to have when trading for many reasons. Additionally, there are some traders (myself included) who often do not respond to many posts where the location of the OP is unknown. By putting the state abbreviation in your zone box, it will be listed in your Member Page, and it will also automatically be displayed each time you post. Happy Gardening and trading. Sue

There is some learning required for using a tiller. Have your neighbor show you how to use it. Perhaps you didn't lower the drag stake and/or raise the transport wheels. Even after you do that, it takes several hours of using a tiller to learn not to "fight it" and to let it rock around and find its way, instead of trying to "over-control" it. Don't get a "death grip" on the tiller and don't strain your back or arms. Front-tine and mid-tined tillers get a reputation for being hard on the user because you do need to learn the proper technique to use them effectively. The problem with borrowing a tiller to till rocks is that you run the risk of breaking the tiller or yourself. Our soil here also has a lot of rocks, so I use a mid-tined top-of-the-line Merry Tiller. Its slow tine speed and controllable high tine torque let me "roll out" some surprisingly large rocks. I till once or twice a year, so I have accumulated a large rock pile from rocks that my tiller has "rooted out". My Merry Tiller's triple reduction transmission and dual V-belt transmission give it unique ability in heavy rocky soil and, by allowing it to proceed somewhat slowly, I can till much deeper than its rated 12 inches. I routinely till as deep as 16 inches, which is about equivalent to double digging with a spading fork or spade. The top-of-the-line International Merry Tiller is expensive. If an investment in it is beyond your budget, you might want to purchase a good spading fork and spade. Double-digging a garden plot is good exercise, and before I got my Merry Tiller, that is what I did. If you hire your soil tilled, the guy will most likely use a rear-tined tiller which has a high tine speed. A high tine speed doesn't work well in rocky soil and, even without rocks, a rear-tined tiller has a hard time tilling 6 inches deep. Most hired tilling jobs aren't that deep, and usually amount to a pulverized veneer about 3 or 4 inches deep. The hired job looks well-tilled, but that "beauty" is only "skin deep". Rocks are tough on most tillers, so if you hire your garden tilled, get someone with a farm tractor and a stout one-bottom moldboard plow. MM

It will be a carnosa, no doubt. Susan, your Hoya is tolerant of low light conditions. That is to say, it will not die in your vampire abode. However, it will stop blooming, because it does very much prefer high light conditions. You basically have two options. You can either give it the best light you've got, sticking it RIGHT up against the window, and be content with its pretty leaves, or you can get some kind of grow light to supplement what you have naturally available. Other general care instructions are that carnosa likes to dry out between waterings. You'll want to water it until the water runs out the bottom, whenever you can stick your finger in a couple inches and it feels dry. It's best to err on the side of watering it too little than too much. It is a myth that Hoyas do not like to be fertilized and prefer to be neglected. The common species are just tough, so in other words, do feed it. ^_^ When you repot it, which should be done periodically when the soil is draining too fast or the plant just seems less enthusiastic than usual, try to use a chunky mix. Most people here use a blend of peat, bark, and perlite. You're so very lucky to have inherited a beautiful heirloom plant. It is not a difficult Hoya to grow, so relax and experiment and I'm sure you two will be bonded in no time.

I might look for a lamp that could move forward on the chest enough (without danger of toppling off) that the shade just hides that thermostat. Place it just a couple inches to the right of where it is now, or move the whole chest to the right a bit. It won't affect the functionality, esp if you use an LED bulb = no heat. Then look for a large piece of art, or a couple of stacked pieces to fill in over the right side of the chest, as shown above. Another idea is a gallery wall incorporating the thermostat: I would trade you those beautiful folded blankets for the star wars lego decor my grandson has decorated my house with! eta: I was just looking at it again and think Cyn's idea to switch the cabinets would work. You could then place the floor lamp in front of the thermostat and just ignore it.