Hi Daisygirl, We live west of Davenport and have been doing sfg for around 10 years. I just happened to run across mels new book a couple days ago and decided to try the course vermiculite and peat moss. I called all over Quad Cities no big box stores sell it in large bags including home depot. But Ford & Sons in Geneseo IL will sell big bags for around $16.50 per bag in stock. They are 20 miles east of Davenport toll free 800-383-4661 or 309-944-3703. I found other places that could order it but you pay shipping and some were as high as $28. My ground is excellent but i'll just put some around other plants like the raspberries and save 1/3 to mix with the vermiculite and peat moss. In Iowa potatoes and corn are best grown in larger areas the old way. Never put grass clippings on your beds or the next year you will have weeds galore. The best mulch around larger plants is cardboard. You can also cut holes in it to plant early things till the tomatoes get big. Sfg is the only way to go! We have 4 4x12 beds and I plan on making on making two more 3x12 beds this year. My wife and I both work and don't have time to be out pulling weeds during the summer. Plant and Harvest. I'll put pictures of our garden on my page today.

2 Wall Lamps with 1 Crystal Lamp on big table only OR Raise Lamp Shade Up by changing the HARP? Textured White Plug-in Swing Arm Wall Lamp Base that has a 150 watt 3-way switch may be nice for around my bed and then I can put my crystal lamp in the far corner near the windows on my junior chest like Les suggested. My only fear is they will be heavy and fall off the wall and not give me a peaceful sleep worrying since I have had shelves fall off the wall that my two friends helped me install. My other option I have decided is I can raise the lamp shade by changing the Harp since the Kara crystal ball lamp on my iron table has just about none of the silver stem showing that leads up to the light bulb while the other lamps in my room have 1 inch showing. My current harp (where the shade is put on before the finial is attached on top of the shade)is 8". I can buy a 9" or a 10" harp and then there will be less difference in height between the two lamps since there is only 2.75" inches difference between them. I like them the way they are now since I actually like having two style lamps I am finding out that have the same crystal, chrome & white shade theme going on but different looks otherwise. But I know I would like the look better if the lamp shades were similar heights. I love the light they provide in my bedroom (I have no overhead lighting and I do laundry at night and fold my clothes on my bed) and since the Kara's base is only 5.5", I have enough room on my little table for my tiny alarm clock, box of tissues and my water. The space below houses my white telephone and I am comfortable this way. What is everyone's vote? Should I order online and hope I like the swing arm wall lamps (never had one before) and do not have to return the pretty Textured White Plus-In Swing Arm Wall Lamps if they come damaged or I do not like them for some reason OR should I keep what I have and raise one of the lamps shades a little bit OR keep what I have and leave the height difference? After watching the HGTV Sweepstakes Home Tour tonight, I like the look of my serene Master Bedroom much better and I am happy how it is slowly evolving. I lived with vibrant colors for too long and this is my year for peace and serenity. I will leave some bright color accents for my downstairs rooms. For instance I have bright cherry red pots and a teapot that I love for my kitchen. Thank you everyone. I was going to put this as a new post for voting but I decided not to. If anyone thinks I should, please let me know. Remember I am choosing Picture#14 with the Madie on the left Junior Chest and the Kara on the right Iron table. If Squirrel has any time or someone with paint shop skills to add the wall lamps beside my bed to see if I would like the look since I love the crystal look beside my bed but the idea came to me again today when my friend told me he would install them if I really wanted them when before he told me NO. I would then just keep one of the two Crystal lamps to put to the far left on the junior chest to add light to my bedroom. Here is the link to the Harp: http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/(pjrujq45s3c5g045l0ytd4yx)/productDetails.aspx?SKU=3229473 Here is a link that might be useful: Textured White Plug-in Swing Arm Wall Lamp Base

We always called them Horse Apples but learned the 'proper' name was Bois D'arc. I usedto make the sliced, baked flower type decorations but found out fast you wanna' wear gloves and NOT use a knife you're not willing to toss! They are native to TX, AR, OK & MO. I read that years ago in Central TX, you couldn't get a home loan unless the 'piers' in a pier & beam house (one with a crawl space) were of Bois D'arc wood because it was known to be rot resistant & repelled termites. Past generations used it for fence posts because it was said to last 100 years. Suzi

Reading back on my post 2-1/2 years later, I am a bit shocked at how far I moved from there... I ended up purchasing a 36" Wolf induction cooktop, Wolf 30" M-series oven, and Wolf convection-steam oven. Despite kaseki's very fair warnings that induction cooktops have a notable failure rate, leaving one with a unique cutout in your countertop that is very limiting, I went with the Wolf cooktop because I liked its configuration, and its price, though costly, was a better value than other $$$ brands. I gave up on the Benchmark bc it had consistent negative feedback on a few features. I gave up on Thermador as a brand bc it had more consistent comments that Thermador customer service was lacking, and its oven models lagged behind other company's in innovation. For example, their combi-steam oven (and Benchmark's), had a water container that took a lot of space from the oven. However, I will note that one GW poster rigorously tested the Wolf, Thermador and Miele ovens in one showroom (~1-1/2 years ago), and felt that Thermador was the most even-baking, even if their convection fan technology was not the obviously best-designed. I went with the Wolf convection-steam oven bc it offered more useable space and was a lot less maintenance/easier to clean than the Miele, although it has fewer features and lacks a broiler, as the Miele has (although I originally thought the lack of a broiler in the Wolf was a deal-breaker for me). I went with the Wolf M-series oven bc I needed to stack my convection-steam oven and 30" wall oven. While I am not certain that I won't have problems with blue porcelain crazing and cracking, Wolf has had a long time to work on the issue, and it is an entirely new design from the L-series with the porcelain issues. We STILL haven't gotten our kitchen up and running, and are in the last 2 months of a 3 year building process (way too many problems!). I will add that in the last year, I once again started thinking that I should have put a Wolf convection-steam oven in my island and purchased side-swing double ovens where my 30" wall oven and 30" (front) convection-steam oven are stacked — and I would have come out significantly ahead in ergonomics and $$. I hope this summary of my decisions catches someone at the right time in their decision-making! Sorry to veer off from Thermador and Bosch here, but I seriously considered those brands, so summarized here.