I see it but don't know what to make of it. Are you thinking of making an espalier prune tree? From your sketch it is too close to the house for anything else. Al

Arif, what is'PETER engine'? Sorry! In this case, the wheel is driven by the force of the running water in the river. You can see that people have made a "wall" by bamboo sticks in the river bed across the river width to force water to flow through the narrow opening on the left where they positioned the wheel. Having been stopped by the "wall", the water would move faster and more powerful at the opening, thereby causing the wheel to turn. So, it's a kind of 'eternal power', I guess... :-) The noise you heard was from the rushing water and from pouring water, actually. No pump. Maybe in this age of 'global warming' this method should be used more to save us from environmental pollution...LOL! Xuan

Thanks Josh for the reply! I have them under the ledge of the patio, so they are getting some wind protection. I could put them in the greenhouse away from the fan and they would be better protected wind wise, but I think it may be still too hot for them in there? Yes Josh, I love blood oranges! I have another blood named Vaniglia Sanguigno I got from Logees when I was on vaca in CT, but it is not in fruiting stage yet. I just think blood oranges are so beautiful! And i am also excited for tasting a finger lime. The vesicles are round and the juice is suppose to just pop in your mouth. I was reading some fancy chef article or something that says because the vesicles are round and closed until bit into, the release of flavor in very intense and tasty along with the added addition of texture when it pops open. Again, the article explained it much better than I am here. I hope they have the red finger lime in the US one day. What is considered "too hot" for newly transplanted citrus? Mike, I know the worst part is the change of seasons and hauling the citrus in! I did this for years. But now I have the greenhouse and it has made a tremendous difference! For the first time i did not have to worry about leaf drop due to indoor lighting issues. If I remember correctly Mike, you have a greenhouse, but still bring them in around February when it gets real cold? I kept mine in the greenhouse all winter with heat of course. I only kept it in the low 40's on the coldest nights, sometimes even getting to the upper 30's, experimenting since it was my first year, and the citrus had no issues! I was suprised! Definitely reacted much better to the greenhouse than all the years being in my house with lights. Although I did not have the greenhouse up yet when Sandy came, which was a good thing because who knows if it would of gotten destroyed. But when Sandy came, I had my one room in the house filled with all my citrus and figs and other special plants so I would not lose them in the storm. Then, I had hauled them all back outside just to have them all hauled back inside less than a week later because of our freak Halloween snow storm! I am sure you had part of that too Mike? Oh, before I go, should I give them any epsom salts or vinegar now, or when I first fertlize over the weekend? Thanks guys! Christy

Well, essentially what you want to do is 'tole' painting (a centuries old form of folk art that is generally said to have originated in France, although I have also read it has been traced further back to China, where furniture was painted with decorative art). History lesson aside, it's a great project for the kids! I'd encourage you to check the Tole Painting board here as well. You'll probably find someone who's done a mailbox. I've done lots of tole and have worked on some metals, but no mailboxes. The 'general' process is: seal the piece, apply the decorative paint, then seal with a finish sealer. If it were me, and the surface is already glossy, I'd probably skip the first (prep) coat of sealer. (It's done to seal porous surfaces, such as bare wood or fabric, so the decorative paint will 'glide' onto the surface rather than absorb into it. Since you're working on a mailbox it's not porous and won't suck up the decorative paint like bare wood or fabric.) However, if the mailbox is 'chalky', then I'd do the prep sealer. You can get a tole sealer at any craft store, just be sure to get one that says it won't yellow with age. I prefer Blair sealer products for that reason, sometimes hard to find, but there are other good ones. I have a birdhouse I painted morning glories on, the paint still looks good and a little wren comes back to it every year. But it hangs in a tree only in warm months, so is not exposed to beating sun, ice or road salt splashed, etc. So I'm not sure I'd use 'traditional' craft paint (Delta, Deco Art). I would suggest a bit sturdier paint made for exterior projects (Deco Art Patio Paints) or the small cans of rustoleum (lots of color choices and it's made for metals/exterior use). For finer detail areas, you can even use auto touch up paint. That stuff tends to be thin and set up quickly, so it's not as 'workable' as prior products mentioned. (A practice run might not be a bad idea, so the kids can get a 'feel' for the paint they are working with so they'll have better success working on the mailbox. Shiny poster board would work.) The most critical part is the final sealer. Wouldn't use polyurethane (more suited to interior). Would suggest a heavy duty sealer (such as marine varnish) that can grab to metal, etc. and still withstand the elements. Another tip you might want to consider: paste wax. I bought some expensive wrought iron pieces for outdoors and applying a good coat of paste wax to help repel water, preserve and protect it was suggested. But that would be the final step after sealing (and allowing sealer to dry completely).