You won't know for about 5 years.

I hate to say it, but both are pretty, HIGHLY hyped trees, that are not especially good choices for most areas. I would dig up the Paulownia (Empress tree) and get something else to give you shade in the back. I would probably enjoy the pear tree for this spring, and then think about replacing it, before it starts to produce lots of little pears for the birds to scatter far and wide. Since we don't know where you are, it's hard to make suggestions for substitutes. Let us know where you are located, and what the soil is like, as well as how much sun the area gets, and you will get suggestions to replace either or both. If you are far north or west, then both trees may not be too much of a problem, as conditions for spreading are not favorable, but....

Dear All; Got a call from our cabinet man this morning: they'll deliver the rest of the cabinets Wednesday and begin installation Thursday. Of this week! Thank you so much for reminding me I am not odd for having second thoughts! I specifically remembered sweet marthavila's post about her lusty red Aga but didn't equate it with what I'm feeling because, well, you just didn't seem "crazy" in your post. You seemed rational. I was feeling crazy about second guessing everything, not rational (it's so much easier to correctly and kindly assess others!). I'm not crazy, I'm human! I'd forgotten that .... Note to self, channel marthavila. Maybe it's just me, but it seems as if there's been a panoply of drool-worthy finished (or nearly finished) kitchens lately, and with each one I find myself thinking "oh wow, now there's a kitchen!" When I see the kitchens which are strikingly different from our (proposed) kitchen I'm able to just love them and move on. But it's the white kitchens which all appear to be a v. creamy white which have had me second-guessing, even though I nixed every creamy white out of our kitchen months ago! But in these pictures ... yummy. Pass the spoon! (And yes, I am talking about you and your beautiful cabinets here, buffettgirl. I guess the white cabinet grass is always greener in someone else's kitchen!) In truth, our kitchen has ended up costing more than we'd thought / planned (name one whose doesn't, right), but as each decision was made so carefully and with so much validation behind it I don't begrudge it, necessarily. It's that we cannot afford to do this kitchen over any time soon (if ever), so that's why my worry over "what if I hate it and we spent so much on it?" Again, thank you for reminding me a) I am definitely not alone in that regard and b) that it is better to spend more to get what I really, deeply want and which makes my heart sing than have gone with the "oh well" or the "whatever" choice. ricklish -- so what sink are you going to get? I love the look of your mom's sink .... Thanks for your supportive words. Carla, thank you for the exercise. You're right! pcjs, holligator, mollyred -- thank you for sharing your own second-guessing stories with me. I love reading how much you love your beautiful new kitchens. Rayna -- boy, you and I will totally get each others no-sunlight kitchens! I'm excited about seeing your space -- thank you for your bright encouragement. These are my sunglasses, and they should look fabulous in the kitchen if it is too bright! Thanks for reminding me, rhome410: You and your sister are wonderful! plllog -- you made me laugh and I love the analogy. That's how I feel about so many of these beautiful, artful kitchens here on GW. I'm going to love my counters! organic_donna -- coming from you and your incredible home (because I've seen your bathroom, too!), I really appreciate your generous words. your home is stunning. tinker_2006 -- I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing all your pictures and reading your posts. You have such exquisite taste that your home, with its combination of stained and painted finishes, is going to be a thing of beauty. I know it! amck -- congratulations on your daughter's wedding! What a wonderful way to start the summer, with a beautiful bride in the family .... Thank you for reminding me that we each have our dreams and there's nothing wrong with pursuing them, and in fact it could be just plain pound foolish to not do it. sherilynn -- I always love reading your posts! You are an incredible and generous font of information and boy do you have a gorgeous kitchen. Thank you for talking me through your different whites and the wax ... an interesting thing to keep in the back of my mind. The trim in the rest of our house is a v. deep cream (BM Calming Cream), it almost looks yellow. It reminds me of the trim of my youth (in GB), really old oil-based whites which have yellowed over time. I'm going to peek at your whites to see about using them on the kitchen ceiling. Thank you! daki -- do you like your new kitchen? I guess the second guessing never really goes away. It sounds wonderful. akchicago -- thank you for the important reminder to not sell any part of this process short. Don't forget the budget; don't forget the utility (both short- and long-term) and don't forget my pleasure with it! Important for all of us to keep in mind. cat_mom -- thank you, Friend! You know what an animal-lover I am but how stupid is this? After looking at your kitchen I realized "holy cow! We forgot a pet feeding station!" And your kitchen is so incredible -- I'm just so happy to have seen your pictures! Lynn -- I've thought of you as this has been going on, remembering your post from last autumn about how you work from home and that the noise and confusion just got to you. Without your knowing it, you've already comforted me! Your kitchen is so pretty, it's definitely a(nother) comfort to know you cried over the door. (That sounds bad, but I mean that someone with a visibly gorgeous kitchen also fretted about it along the way.) When looking at your pictures I saw your chopsticks and that made me think of Mu Du Noodles on Cerrillos (in SF) -- we love Mu! (esp. my 1.5 year-old son, who loves Mu cuddles) malhgold -- the v. first time I "saw" you on GW I misspelt your user name. I've felt bad about it ever since. (We "met" when talking about the Thermador Freedom Columns. Did you end up getting them?) Thank you all, and a Happy Presidents' Day! -Brooke

Here is a real story. In the late 90s, I had a coworker whose parents moved to this country and signed a purchase contract for a house about $200K. Her mother felt unsettling, and decided the house had bad "Feng Shui". She then backed out of the contract and lost $20K deposit. Today the same house is worth more than half million dollars because the neighborhood is extremely popular. Not too shabby an investment for a house with bad Feng Shui. Here is another angle to see Feng Shui. For thousand years many people who live in places with best Feng Shui where everything is placed at right spot, and each structure faces right orentation. Do those people also experience death, illness and misfortunes in life like everyone else? Yes, they do too. It tells you how useful the idea of Feng Shui is. You now need to find a good home inspector to identify any issue of this house. It is one hundred times more important than reading Feng Shui books or hiring a Feng Shui master.