There will be others responding who can give you detailed (and more educated)answers to your questions. All I can do is tell you my experience, which is much like yours. I read, researched on line and at the library, got terribly confused and stalled putting in a pond because I was so confused. However, once I bit the bullet and put in a 160 gal preformed pond with a PondMaster 1350 pump, things became less confusing. This size pump is adequate for 160 gals and is strong enough to run water to a waterfall as long as you aren't going too high - mine was about 2' above the surface of the water. It also has different fountain heads (including the bell /umbrella type). If you want a waterfall you will also need to buy a hose to run from the pump to the top of the waterfall. My understanding is that the bigger the pond and/or the more fish you have, the more filtration you will need. I have found that the PondMaster pump I have is adequate for my needs for now, but I would like to make a skippy filter next - mostly for the fun of it and because I have a better understanding of it now (thanks to the great people here on this forum). There are all kinds of instructions in this forum for making them and also in other sites on line. A prefilter is necessary. It protects the pump from sucking in stuff that will clog it. The filter will gunk up [very technical term :-)] and need to be rinsed from time to time. You can buy a pump with a manufactured prefilter (my preference at this point) or make one yourself using a container with holes and filter material through which the water has to travel prior to reaching the pump. The prefilter is between the water and the pump while the skippy filter is between the pump and the water source for the pond: ie waterfall. I like the prefilter that comes with the PondMaster pump I have. It has a charcoal filter and a synthetic type filter similar in composition to what air conditioners use. They aren't expensive and come in a packaged set or as single items. I usually change them once or twice a year. Biological filters mean that helpful bacteria do some of the work of cleaning the water (along with plants). The bacteria need a surface to attach to. People use scrubbies, plastic strapping tape, manufactured balls with lots of points, lava rock, etc. LOTS OF SURFACE!! A skippy filter is one example of a home made biological filter. A prefilter also harbors the beneficial bacteria, but doesn't have as much surface area as a skippy. I also add bacteria to the pond. I believe they help keep the pond bottom crud-free. There are a number of different kinds: Microblift and Pondzyme are two that I have used. I am only familiar with a PondMaster pump, so others will have to tell you about different brands. If you were going to have a homemade filter AND an umbrella type of foundtain head, well, I'm sure it could be done, but it would be an interesting challenge to do it. I hope I have helped rather than confused you more. And I know that more experienced people will help even more. Good Luck and TAKE PICTURES to post on the gallery!! Anne

Andrea, I'm living between the Lancaster area and Chillicothe. The donor's site got cleaned out, she had about 4-5 rows and it was all before bloom. As for the lady I mentioned witht the 350+, it's somewhat a hobby but she puits out a sign and sells pretty nice size clumps at a very reasonable prce (seems to be based on availability/rarity...but consider my Spiderman costs $50 less than a popular online vendor...) If I'm not mistaken, Bainbridge is on the west side of Chillicothe off route 50? Judy's little farm is about the same distance in the on the other side of Chillicothe off route 50. She's located a few miles above Tar Hollow State Park on state route 327 (can't miss the park signs on route 50) I don't have her phone number but she has a small, but noticable hand painted sign she hangs during the bloom . She's retired but does quite a bit of church work and is closed on sundays. I'm heading that way tonite to catch up on yardwork at home once I finish up here at the folk's place...Seems a never ending routine but if you'd like shoot me an e-mail at runningfree_1965@XXyahoo.com (remove the XX) and I'll try to get you some contact #'s to insure you don't make a wasted trip. (no computer at the new place yet) She and her husband are super nice and I'm sure you'd enjoy the visit, variety, and prices. Thanks for the link, I'll have to look into it. Planning to visit a relative in Hillsboro and sneak in some fishing at Rocky fork or Salt Creek lake and I'm all but positive Bainbridge would be on my path! Had a few more new visitors today but just got home a little while agao and the sunlight made pics difficult: The 3rd one is a neat peach-colored spidery thing, yet another that's going to my house!

I have pole beans: Peregion- a nice semi bush, Valena Italian- a good dual purpose bean, Rattlesnake, and Christmas Lima. I would be interested in any of the following Tomatoes: Riesentraube, Amana Orange, Pineapple, Ice, Indigo Rose, Evergreen, Hillbilly, and Peiping Chieh.

Brass, particularly in a satin, raw/natural or aged finish is back in a big way. (I'm using Delta's champagne bronze finish [looks like satin brass] in my bathroom.) But if brass in not your thing, chrome is a classic and probably the best option for a kids bath. It's also less expensive, more widely available and easy to match between brands. Your photos don't include the lighting, but it's considered acceptable, even preferable, to mix metals, if you don't want to replace them with chrome. Would you consider having your contractor add a recessed mirrored medicine cabinet over the sink instead of just a mirror? It's more of an investment than an off the shelf mirror, but the storage is priceless.