I'm laughing at all you gals! And mostly laughing at the logical inference that by choosing to hunt, I'm somehow less than "all women" (sic). Don't question my femininity, Bubba, or I'll kick yer ass! (LOL!) Nah. I wouldn't really do that... nor will I let you define my femininity... Yes, there are aggregate statistical differences between men and women. Yes, we're differently wired. But it is so easy to be an "outlier" while maintaining "purity" that definitions like this are laughable at best. Maybe it's my generation. The women who came before me did such a good job of defining themselves and their "roles" that comments like these are more amusing than inflammatory to me. P.S. Jan, you've shared much of yourself and your life with me over the years. We both know you're a lot of things... but you're no "wuss!" ;o) P.P.S. Weebus, your comments mean a lot to me.

ThatÂs a very nice, organized little garden you have. Give it some time. Most vegetables take a couple of months or more to produce. Patience is what gardening has taught me. Although that fence is providing wind protection, it may be shading your plants too much. They need AT LEAST 6 hours of sun. The more, the better. The exception is lemon balm which likes the shade. You may want to gently move the peppers and tomatoes back into pots if theyÂre not too big and try a container garden that can be moved to a sunnier spot in your yard. You may also want to invest in a moisture meter (Home Depot or Lowes usually has them). How much water they need depends upon how much light, heat and wind exposure your plants get. Also, IÂve seen many forum members on various sites complaining about chilly spring weather. That may have slowed growth. Tomatoes (and peppers) donÂt like cold weather. IÂd take it easy on the fertilizer until theyÂre a bit bigger. Too much ferts can fry a seedling. Good luck!

If he wore it here in Santa Cruz, CA he would probably have paint throw on it. They are really anti fur here. I can see that for exotic animals but mink are just rodents raised for their fur. My Mom had a mink stole when I was growing up. I loved to just pet it. I now have a teddy bear made out of mink fur. Clare

first-is the dishwasher meeting your needs... the key is to like and use the dishwasher.second-have you looked at the new single deep sinks-they are deeper and even if some dishes stack in the bottom,it's not cluttering the view so much.Re:drying dishes laying on counter...once you realize you have fewer to wash/can they get put away? If you have a household with lots of action...that alone can be reason for 2 sinks-prep isn't the only reason... people in and out/washing hands/getting water/dumping an empty jar or can in the sink/etc. In that case,what you are calling your mess of an area can be positioned in one spot with dishwasher......stick to the single bowl sink...and a 2nd smaller sink for secondary functions in another spot.You have avail:window wall/powder room wall and island. I think in kitchen design that is one of the hardest things for people to consciously reconfigure. Kitchens everywhere are laden with the old dbl bowls sink for wash and rinse. With new efficient dishwashers that handle more items/load better and are economical to run along with single deep sinks, the old "cluttered" sink area is less so. This is product shift and behavioral shift, so the "old way" isn't always forfeited immediately..... but an improvement can be made in any new planning.How would you feel about keeping the main sink on island with dishwasher but reduce it to a generous deep single bowl...and a 2nd sink on powder room wall or the corner or window wall? The window has the bumpout..get someone-like a skilled tradesman that does window install to look at your soffit setup and the mini soffit that runs above half wall as well as window and the ledge and soffits everywhere,really....some looking into areas behind soffits might be warranted. I would want a quote for window and soffit work separate from kitchen....and get a couple quotes for that. Size of window? Not sure-if you save money somehow with not messing with side door/etc, put a french door in with the mini terrace outside with decorative rail around-as in italy/etc-for ventilation and set plants on the rail and terrace-[not for walking out]... would be for effect.Or 2 dbl hungs milled together that you can lower from top-double hungs are okay because you can walk up and open them easily[no counter in front]...some grills in glass? not sure of the other window styles you have. Stay a little consistent.You have a lot of planning,don't you. I think your soffit work is pretty extensive so have you had that looked at/quoted? You can do that right away and still be planning the kitchen.