I kept it at 325 because it HAD to be done by 6:00 and it was done in about 3 hours, then sat to rest for 30 minutes. The meat was very tender and the gravy was great thickened it with a slurry of flour and cold water. Served it with mashed potatoes and sting beans. Yum. Thanks for the assist LindaC! Sue

You said you applied plumbers tape, but sight unseen I would bet you got the wrong tape. Those cheap little blue&white rolls of PTFE(teflon) tape commonly found in all the hardware and home supply stores are single density Teflon tape. Single density tape is only intended to by used on SAE & NPT threads up to 3/8". You angle stop valve is no doubt a 1/2" NPT thread. For 1/2" and greater threads you should use the red triple density tape and even with the triple density tape it still requires three full layers to insure a seal. You can find the red triple density tape in all Lowe's or HD stores in the section where they keep solders and soldering paste. You will find Yellow Rolls Double density tape (commonly labeled as "Gas Tape"), the tape is also yellow, and you will find RED rolls of Triple Density Tape. Although it is called Red, in reality the roll is red but the tape is a light pink color. When applying the tape you begin on the end of the pipe and make one complete turn around the threads even with the end of the pipe then continue wrapping so that each wrap overlaps the successive wrap by 2/3 the width so that by the time you get to the solid part of the pipe at the end of the thread section you will have 3 full layers at any given point. The tape must be pulled to tension while wrapping to insure it gets down into the thread grooves. Those cheap rolls of white single density tape are about $.99 a roll, expect to pay about $2.98 a roll for the triple density.

Ask your plaster applicator what they think. My understanding is if you spray down the plaster you may get streaks in the finish. I would not do that without asking first. We don't even plaster if rain is forecast in the next 24 hours. Once the pool has some water in it you should be able to safely turn the water up to increase flow. Ideally the pool should fill within 24 hours. You could use two hoses if your pressure is too low. We always duct tape a white cloth rag around the end of the hose to diffuse the water flow and reduce the chance of scratching. Do not turn the hose up so high that it is whipping around the floor of the pool.

Happy to report that yesterday I drove the Jeep for the first time. Easy peasy. Going out again for the next three days - grocery shopping at Walmart, two dr's appts. the next two days. A friend is going w/me today, but after today, I'll be solo flying. Hip is soooooo much better, but the old back is the problem, which never gets better - just worse. Still thanking God for my quick healing - just three months ago, I didn't think I'd be this far along. Thanks for y'all's prayers and concerns. Keep up the good work, mosaicists - you're still the best.