If you think the roots are badly congested, pot up slightly now, without disturbing roots other than to make a few vertical slits in the root mass and cutting an 'X' on the bottom of the root mass. If roots aren't badly congested, just wait. Get the plant outdoors and acclimated to full sun asap in May - as early as you can, as long as you're conscientious about moving the plant indoors when temps under 50-55* are predicted. The plant will respond extremely well to outdoor conditions. I would repot just after Father's Day. Let the plant recover until after the 4th of July, then cut it back as hard as you want to. The plant will back-bud vigorously, and you'll have up to around mid-Oct outdoors for the plant to recover .... again, if you watch temps. It's best not to cut back hard AND repot at the same time. If a plant needs both, I prefer to repot first, which leaves all the photosynthesizing machinery intact. After roots have recovered and have a good amount of stored energy, THEN you can pretty much cut back at will. Attempting stressful operations like a full repot or hard pruning are best avoided in winter and early spring for houseplants. Planning your repots so they take place between Father's Day and July 4th pretty much ensures a plant with good energy reserves that is better able to withstand stress than at any other period in the growth cycle. This, combined with maximum photo-period and photo-intensity, makes for the fastest recovery time and lowest vulnerability to insects, disease, or other complications related to low energy or slow recoveries. Al

I need to complete a hardwood floor that was partially installed several years ago. Looking at the layout, the existing floor is "U shaped". The kitchen is one leg of the "U". Part of a long hall would be the other leg of the "U". and the bottom of the "U" is a short foyer area. This is all continuous hardwood strips running parallel to the bottom of the "U". The layout of the floor needing to be completed will be a flipped over "U shape". One leg of the "flipped U" is the dining room. The other leg is a continuation of the hall. and the base of the "flipped U" is a landing at the top of 2 sets of steps; one set of stairs going down to the basement, one set on the other side going into a sunken living room. My problems are: If I begin at the existing flooring and work up both legs of the base of the "flipped U", how do I make sure the strips are lined up properly when they meet at the base of the "flipped U" AND how do I insure the top step nosings for both sets of steps are properly positioned for the top steps? If I start at the base of the "flipped U" to make be sure of the top stair nosings positioning, how do I join the new floor to the old since both tongues would meet? Do I cut off the tongue where new meets old, cut a groove and top nail? Thank you. john

ptamom - you cracked me up...I believe they are Cypress trees. They work well to "block" neighbors :) Thanks aliris. We still haven't sealed the granite. I tested a "sealer and enhancer" in a corner and it darkened it, which I didn't want but it was the only sealer that said it was for "honed" granite. Not sure what to do now? Of course the people at Home Depot and Lowes have no clue what I'm talking about when I try to describe our stone and the texture of it. DH is currently installing "the pig" aka the garbage disposal and hoping to have running water for our sink by midnight tonight. Fingers crossed. I've spent ALL day researching hardware. Such a small thing causing so many questions. Not sure why I'm second guessing myself now when I thought the decisions had been made a while back. Maybe because now, hardware is actually ready to be installed? Tomorrow we have a birthday party to go to but hoping DH can get the fridge and possibly even our new Bertazzoni range and hood in tomorrow. So excited!!!

krabbypatty: Glad you're finding that your plan is workable. We do like our kitchen--we spent $ on the "infrastructure" in order to get the space--a high priority. A goal was to not have to say "excuse me" in my own kitchen. Each of the vital areas--sinks, breadboards (cutting boards, range--have two exits from them so that no one is trapped there, with the possible exception of the most used cutting board/breadboard which is in the crotch of the peninsula side of the U. The "sandwich station" pullout next to the refrigerator has proved to be a really wise idea. There we cut tomatoes, butter toast, open and cut cheese, pour milk into cereal, serve ice cream, plunk grocery bags. We're really enjoying the freedom to spread out. The dehydrator's been resident on the countertop for 2 months yet we still could do other activities. (It goes into storage pretty soon, as soon as storage closet gets shelves and a door.) Recently two couples joined us for dinner. I went to one corner and zoomed up some blender salad dressing. Went to another corner and pulled out materials for popovers and heaved them into the oven. Two women and I all messed with veg peeling and cutting on the peninsula and built two casseroles and a salad. DH puttered around with two marinated Alaskan salmon and headed to the grill on the deck and bothered no one. Various adult beverages were served in appropriate glasses at the top of the G and yet I could continue working and orchestrating, uninterrupted. Used dishes began to pile up but it didn't matter. Our flatware box was open and ready on the peninsula all through the dining room meal and was consulted twice. Afterwards,well meaning helpers began messing with the dishwasher and I didn't care. __ Drake the Lab claims to run the place. We've developed a new command: "lobby!"so he will leave the G and go to the very spacious T between the two corridor halls and take his blinkin' dog chews or whatever with him. He loves to carry about wood hunks or plastic pop bottles. Also a nested pair of large black plastic flower pots, one inside the other, a clumsy toy that has survived for 3 months without being torn apart. Needless to say, I'm concerned for the future of the oak floor, but hey, DH chose it and he installed it and Drake is HIS dog. Buehl: Not sure if I've ever seen your kitchen. Thanks for the photos and the description of the scouts in the kitchen. That brings back fond memories. Good of you to work with these kids. Many children today don't much exposure to real cooking. Or proper understanding of eating with others. Sounds like your well-planned islandless kitchen is up to all kinds of adventures.