I notice your post is a week old, so you may have already made a decision...nevertheless, if it were me, I'd lose the boards you put the sealant on. Use them for something else (to defray cost)...fencing or trellising of ornamentals, whatever, as long as you keep them away from your source of food. Don't you have timber yards or sawmills there where you can buy oak boards? I bought rough-cut 2"X12", l6 ft. long oak boards in my area (Maryland-Virginia), for about $6 or $7 apiece, 10 years ago, that are nearly as solid as they were when purchased. Of course I wouldn't dream of going to Home Depot (or some such similar retailer) for oak boards, but we have lumber yards and sawmills in rural areas that will cut oak boards to your specifications at a reasonable price...and 2" means 2" at a sawmill, not 1 1/2". I happen to have capped the 2" oak boards with cheap 2X4's (pine) as added insurance against decay (and also to have a place to plant my rear end while working in the raised beds), and I have no problem with such beds lasting 15-20 years, or so. To each his/her own, but oak is abundant in my area, and probably outlasts pine 5 to 1, so I wouldn't think of using pine for raised beds. Also, I can't work in a raised bed that's more than 39-40" wide without climbing into it, so I limit all my beds to that width (and I'm 6'5"). I realize (and read in this forum) that people make much wider beds, which they walk around in, but one of the chief benefits of raised beds (in my mind) is to avoid tramping and compacting the soil. Again, to each his/her own, but I have raised beds that never have had a foot in them since they were built. So, my suggestion is to remove what you have and use it elsewhere (not around something you'll eat). Find reasonably priced rough-cut oak boards (they'll last so long you won't have to worry about "sealing" them), and make your beds an appropriate width (so you won't have to climb into them).

First thing I would do is put the feet of the cribs in jars or plastic bottles. Bark Scorpions are excellent climbers but can't climb straight up glass or smooth plastic. People used to hang plywood over the cribs that was larger then the cribs. That way, if a Scorpion fell from the ceiling, it landed on the plywood. If it ran off the edge of the plywood, it would hit the floor and not the crib. Go to Home Depot and ask about a fluorescent black light for Scorpions. They will know what you want. It's basically a 12" battery operated closet light. You buy that and a black light fluorescent bulb to fit it. The incandescent bulbs don't work (the ones that screw into a regular fixture). Scorpions will glow very brightly under the black light and be easy to spot. Sweep the babies rooms every night. They generally won't move until you touch them, so they are easy to catch. They are fairly quick once touched, so plan carefully. I use tongs. You can drop them in vinegar to kill them. Have your home sealed, or do it yourself. You'll see ads in the local papers for Scorpion control. Especially check around the pipes under your sinks and seal those openings in the drywall. Read the article from U of A that was previously posted. In addition to removing their habitat outside, the house sealing helps a lot. Scorpions haven't been studied all that much relative to other insects, so there is a lot of misinformation about them. I've read every book and article I could find. Bifenthrin is the most effective pesticide that I have found for Scorpions. It will kill them, altough you'll hear people say that nothing can. It is also safer for people and mammals then many others. Talstar (a brand of insecticide) is expensive, but I highly recommend it. You can order it online or ask your pest control person to get it. You used to not be able to find Bifenthrin in the stores, but now I see Ortho is using it in their granules (not liquid though) for Fire Ants. I would water in the granules in a ring around your home and around your property. I would also spray your tree trunks, although no pesticide company I've talked with even knows this. Bark Scorpions live in trees. They love palms and pines. Make sure you cut back any trees that overhang your roof. I didn't completely stop seeing them until I began spraying the tree trunks. My property was infested with them when I bought it. On one collection hunt, my son and I picked up 147 of them! That's what drove my self-taught doctorate in Scorpion eradication. I know see about 1 per year. They are fascinating creatures and lots of people keep them as pets. I'm fine with them in the wild, and even avoid stepping on them. In my house though, I view them as any other intruder.

Great Leafbrain, growing with each new day and getting bigger. Up to 80lbs so far and turning bright orange. My neice who is three came over and inspected them. She's very excited about them and can't seem to decide on which one she wants. So warping the vine with tape worked out great. Sorry to hear about you problem. I hope you are able to save the pumpkin. Tamara Last year pumpkins

ok..i was over at the house last night rearranging and rearranging. Here's some different looks... 444 - loveseat is infront of window. couch on main wall. 446 - this is to show how far the loveseat would be from entertainment stand if you put it to the right of the entrance when you walk in. 447 - loveseat is angled 448 - shows how much space is wasted behind with loveseat being angled. just looks outta wack. 452 - this pic was standing inside the room. loveseat is on left. sofa is infront of window. e. stand would be on main wall 455 - shows a different angle with seating arrangement like 452. ruler shows how far stand would come out from wall. and that's if the stand were centered on the main wall. I'm honestly thinking that i'm going to have to put the entertainment stand on the back wall (415) when you walk in. It does fit on the broken up walls but because there will be no room on either side i think it may look funny. Plus, the wall to the right when you walk in has all the light switches so it would have to stick out a little more. gk5040 you said about float the sofa straight infront of the tv wall.... would you stick it about mid room? or back farther? i didn't try the floating arrangement last night. what about all the wasted space behind then? You're right, my furniture is DEEP. i'm glad i waited to buy end tables. the ones i wanted are again HUGE bombe style :) I'd actually consider selling the entertainment stand before switching new furniture. I had a heck of a time in the stores trying to find something and i really like it. I could always just use the middle piece of the e. stand but..... thoughts?