I've been noticeably absent from all my boards lately and now find that I have a little more time to browse...and found this very timely conversation ;-) Cady and Mel will remember that I've been renovating/restoring my parent's '56 contemporary that had been neglected for almost 25 years (mom had alzehiemer's, dad took care of her, she died he wouldn't let us touch anything, brother is terminal and could care less about fixing or cleaning) Well, the end is in sight ...the house is to be officially listed this Tuesday. I made a marked effort to bring back the landscape to what my mother had planted in the late 50's early 60's ...not strictly due to nostalgia but because my mother had an excellent eye for design and color that spurred my interest in gardening at a very young age. I found the comment on Frank Llloyd, "* Wright originated the visionary concept of a rear living-room opening into a garden terrace -- fifty years before the California architects generally credited with the concept" described my parent's house to a 'T' and we tried to make the most of it - it may not be a Wright but it is certainly '50's California. I thought I'd share a few pictures...I will take all the final photos this weekend when we do all the little nit picky stuff. This is a view of the refloored rear living room and gives you a shot of the windows overlooking the back patio i.e garden terrace pre landscaping - http://www.ofoto.com/PhotoView.jsp?&collid=342900975105&photoid=501321897105 This is that same back patio Before - http://www.ofoto.com/PhotoView.jsp?&collid=567043265105&photoid=287043265105 And after After - http://www.ofoto.com/PhotoView.jsp?&collid=342900975105&photoid=921321897105 We did remove the junipers out front (person loathing involved in that decision) and repeated the fern/fuscia theme my mother had had out back. I'll take photos this weekend. Barbara in Hollywood

While looking at the above government link, I notice San Jose, CA, has high sodium (Na) in their tap. My sister there has high blood pressure, while my blood pressure is low. But my risk of heart attack is higher than her, see below excerpt from WebMD "Higher doses of calcium increase the chance of having serious side effects. Some recent research also suggests that doses over the recommended daily requirement of 1000-1300 mg daily for most adults might increase the chance of heart attack. " http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-781-CALCIUM.aspx?activeIngredientId=781&activeIngredientName=CALCIUM Also see http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/256791.php "The finding came from a new study by a team of experts led by Qian Xiao, from the National Institutes of Health, and supports prior research from last year which indicated that calcium supplements are linked to a higher risk of heart attack." UPDATE: Bought 3 different brands of cherry juice to see if they help with sleep. Trader's Joe cherry juice is too sour & bitter. Indian Summer cherry juice is too watery. Neither of these help with my sleep. The cherry juice that helped was one from nearby Wisconsin (1 hour away) ... its FRESHNESS was what worked. In my experience, FRESH grapefruit works better than STALE cherry juice that was cooked (pasteurized), which destroyed the enzymes. Here's an excerpt from below link: http://bembu.com/foods-to-help-you-sleep 2. Grapefruit Eating grapefruit before bed has been an old wives’ tale for years, but as it turns out there’s a reason why this has been known to help sleep. It contains lycopene, an antioxidant in the body that has been shown to improve the way you sleep. Grapefruit can also help you lose weight if needed." I also notice that fish oil is very effective for good sleep. I took NOW fish oil, since it's the cheapest & best rated on Amazon, only 14 cents. I'm switching to NOW liquid fish oil, lemon flavor, since I get more Omega-3 per price-unit. Fish oil works when magnesium and cherry juice failed. There's days that I could not sleep, and fish oil did the job when nothing worked. I'm going to try cod-liver oil, to see if that helps with sleep & better skin & my vitamin D deficiency. Will report the result later. Both vitamin A and D is known to help with hormonal imbalance.

LOL Becky...looks like I’ve come full circle:) Yes Naf and Cpartist I love the washed out brick. Also love this light brown/dark brown contrast. Thinking dark stained pergola over moms garden and using some landscaping to add interest and color to the exterior. I hear you on the mud room Cpartist, but there is a door from the garage to the mud room(family will use) and another from the garage to the backyard. So I’m thinking the side entry (guests will use) would be better if it didn’t lead to the mud room/laundry...rather not have guests walk through my laundry mess:)

In Ontario any homeowner can submit their own drawings, however, they will be reviewed by the planning department to ensure the drawings meet code. However, a professional I,e, draftsman, designer, architectural technologist etc must complete and pass exams and thus obtain a (Building code identification no) BCIN. An architect does not require a BCIN, however, they must be licensed in the province in order to have construction drawings approved. Some further explanations http://www.andythomson.ca/2016/11/15/why-a-bcin-is-not-an-architect/