ken, it's not a matter of better phrasing - it's the inappropriateness of the response. There are many trees that I don't particularly favor but I would never suggest someone remove them from their garden simply because I didn't care for them. It's highly presumptuous!! Plant what you want in your own garden but leave others to their own choices. Removal of existing trees just because they have matured beyond their initial young appeal is also a matter of personal choice. And while it may be uncommon in some parts of the country - those areas that are not heavily treed to begin with - having large trees planted in close proximity to a house or other structure are also not unheard of. In many cases, the trees were in place before construction. If the trees are otherwise healthy and not currently causing conflict with the structure, just their close proximity is not a requirement for their removal. If that were the case, the tree removal guys in my area would be booked years in advance!! Large native trees are very common in gardens here, even smaller urban and suburban gardens, and instances of falling trees or limbs are rather infrequent. In some cases, removal of any existing trees, especially native species, requires approval from local authorities.

Kelly: My order from RU also comes this week: Poisedon, Munstead Wood, Dee-lish, and Lady of Shalott. Granular gypsum is sold cheaper at feed-store or at Menards at $4.59 for 25 lb. bag. Despite being next to a limestone quarry, my soil-test came back barely adequate in calcium , due to calcium bind up with magnesium and phosphorus at high pH. Gypsum made a BIG DIFFERENCE in my tomato. For many years my cherry tomato would crack in rain, then it gets mushy & watery at hot temp. After using gypsum, my cherry-tomato are firm & crunchy & thicker skin and no longer crack with heavy rain. If the bottom of the hole is too hard to dig, I put gypsum, pour in some water, take a break. When I come back, the 17% sulfur in the gypsum soften the hard-clay at bottom, so I can dig deeper for drainage.

I don't think people are insulting you. Take or not take their advice, it's based in their experience with wood floors and personal taste and preference. Not personal to you. I had the same problem with my pine wood floors. Didn't like the look of the poly with its tone but learned to live with it. It's expensive to treat wood floors and I had trouble finding a good person to work with redoing mine. Then, with the downstairs flooring, while waiting for the several floor refinishers to call me back, I had an epiphany . . . wax. Ye olde Johnson's paste wax. Rub it on, buff, happy for the rest of the year. It's just as good as the poly, and doesn't have to be sanded off if there's something you don't like about it. That was how they did it in the old days and it ain't broke IMHO and it ain't in need of fixing. So much easier and warmer, even than the low shine poly finishes. I had poly upstairs and wax downstairs. Much preferred the wax . . . Mind you I'm no perfectionist and didn't have dogs.

The example you provided of the same floor in your neighbor’s place, sanded & finished is definitely still historic and looks good. It’s still the original floor, just a little less rustic/industrial looking (and nicer to your bare feet). The purpose of the building has already changed, it’s not a rice warehouse anymore, after all. You are allowed to make it liveable. You won’t be ruining the history of the place by doing that to the floor.