liz, Here is a link to a GardenWeb thread discussion on rain barrels. There are also many more thru the GW search engine. If you have any questions after reading through the thread please ask. I can answer your more technical questions. I have irrigated a garden using 55 gal drums. This is a place to get some meaningful information. Pros and cons. http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/carolgard/msg1219123617374.html Aloha

Your tiles are vinyl asbestos or asphalt asbestos...they just contain the fiber in the matrix. What you are seeing is the floor polish (wax) being ground into dust. Have the dust tested if you want, but I am quite sure you have nothing to be concerned about.

Done! But, somewhat along the lines Jakabedy noted, there were some questions that seemed (to me) to presuppose not-thinness so it was hard to know what to base my answers on. I am thin (BMI 18), and also a bit older (60) so I hope that doesn't mess up her responses. However, I suppose if the same survey is seen (from different experiences) to be asking from the "wrong", e.g. opposite point of view, then probably it is stroke of survey-writing genius. What's interesting (sad, really) is that whether one is thin, or not, weight is such a potent issue for girls and women. I have often wondered if part of the much-ballyhooed (and real) overweight problem we have in the US is driven by the over-arching focus on weight as a body-image/attractiveness thing, rather than mostly a calorie, activity, genetic heritage issue. I, too, would be interested in seeing the reults when they are published. L

Oh dear. I see no action on this side for a long time. Re your bench project, are you mosaicing a pre-made concrete bench? Need a little more info please. I've made a bench recently from scratch, and I mosaiced w/mostly dish shards. On all my shard work outside, the only winter problems have been a little chipping on red ceramic tiles from Lowes and a major problem w/a hand-painted plate I used in a birdbath. If you use porcelain tiles, there should be no problem. Your bench is probably completely by now. Sorry for the late response. You could have posted on the other side for a quick answer.