Baroo2u, we used Osmo Top Oil to finish both. The counters are soft, they dent and ding and scratch. I chose them because I like weathered wood and I'm a klutz in the kitchen. I was afraid I'd chip stone counters immediately. I knew these would start to get banged up early on, so I could just relax and roll with it. They were a quarter of the price of stone too, so that helps. Even with all my dropping of sharp things, they've turned out to be more durable than I thought they'd be. After they were installed, the head of the crew who made and installed them said, "They're wood, beat them up. When they look bad, sand them, top coat them and you'll have new counters. sjhockeyfan, cool! I'm so glad that helped you out. Feel like sharing a picture?

A shallow grave was not uncommon when hand dug by one individual on private property, especially in winter. Vaults were not common either. There are cemeteries in southern Illinois containing graves without vaults. Sometimes this is evidenced by a significant depression over the grave. For example, I had a grade school friend who was hired to mow a cemetery one summer in the 1940s. He was merrily making his way across the landscape with the mower when he and the mower sunk into a grave. Now, this young man was on the superstitious side and he thought for sure that the dead was about to grab him. He scrambled from the hole and ran from the cemetery. It is only in the last 60 years that some of these communities have passsed ordinances requiring burial vaults. Before that, it was the family's choice. A number of families short of funds buried without vaults; Some did it for personal belief reasons: There is a passage in the bible when paraphrased reads: You are made from dust and to dust you shall return. The reasoning is: Why prolong something that is going to happen anyway. Without vaults, wood caskets eventually decay and collaspe. Sometimes, a collasped grave makes a void under the surface and is not apparent until someone steps on it. It is dangerous to the grounds keeper and to anyone strolling the cmemtery. A vault requirement has become commonplace to protect from this hazard. Your theory of murder of Dear Addy is very plausible, but consider other possibilities: 1. Addy keeled over from heart attack. The shocked husband did not know what to do and buried her just as she fell. He surmised that he would be under suspicion. She would have been fully clothed and with shoes. Embalming is not necessary if the body is buried within 3 days after death. In early America, embalming was a luxury and not commonly done. It became popular during the Civil War because it was necessary to preserve the body for a week or more to allow time to ship the body and for relatives to gather for the funeral. Many soldiers were buried on or neaby the battlefield where they fell - some in mass graves. These bodies were not emblamed. 2. Addy died by an accident. 3. Addy committed suicide. Such an event would have been hush-hush. The 6 yr old: I know it was possible to put a 6 yr old on the train and semd her from Denver to Chicago. I myself would have not done this. I would have required an adult escort. I guessing she was put in charge of the Conductor who would have seen to it that she got off at the right stop and to answer her questions. Passenger service was much more personal in those days. But if i had been that little girl, I'd been very afraid. I would not have sent her alone on such a trip. There are too many things that could go wrong. Maybe her birthdate is in error and she was older than 6. An Aside: In my family search, I found an ancestor who died during a harsh winter. The ground was frozen deeply and the cemetery crew was not able to dig a proper grave on time. (They did not have bull dozers, back hoes, or nimble tractors back then. In frozen ground, graves were dug by pick and shovel.) A wake and funeral was celebrated on scheduled. The casket and body was put outside to freeze. The "stiff" was left frozen until the grave could be deepened. He was interred about 2 weeks after the funeral.

Cup of Glad this thread is continuing to get so much traffic. I'm curious first, why are you replacing your windows? I ask because what most people don't realize is in "most" cases the best windows for any home are the ones that were originally installed - The exceptions to that can range from poor quality windows, poor install, failure Think about many homes that were built around turn of the century - 75 -100 yrs ago, how the windows have stood the test of time. Yes, they are not "energy efficient" however, from a proper fit & aesthetic view point they work. I think when the window sales people massage the homeowner on the "efficiency" issue - If you are changing out 16 windows let's say at avg rate of $750/window - for product & install that would be 12K - . The equation the sales people negate to offer said homeowner is what the return on investment would be & how long it would take to get there. I have done this, believe me - It would take most folks 10-20yrs to realize any investment. If you have done your homework & still feel replacement is the way to go - other considerations that should be taken; What is the original architectural render of the home? Can a replacement window capture that? think size/scale - muntins, mullions, configuration, trim, fascia - One can't just figure a one size fit & then install without a compromise elsewhere. Pictures of the exterior of your home in daylight & night help with proper choices. This is where I see many failures. One can have a beautiful 1900 home and take out all windows & replace w/replica vinyl - One could put in custom wood in the same home, but that does not guarantee aesthetically correct rendering. I found looking in window books & catalogs helpful only to a certain degree - I had to make sure the size, material configuration was indeed matching to what the original rendering of the home was (that was only for 4 windows!). Yes, it took some doing - when I finally thought I had it right, my architect friend brought yet another issue to light - "The muntins make the window look squatty" huh? - turns out the configuration of the muntins created a rather horizontal appearance in the individual panes rather than vertical - she was right. BTW we used Marvins - the project was a kitchen gut in 1930 Dutch colonial home. The replacement windows were done because the part of the kitchen we replaced the windows was once a screened in porch and PO put in aluminum picture windows w/side casements on front & back - ALL wrong for the home & unbalanced. Research here and other places led me to the Marvins - very pleased with the product. For the rest of the windows (26) double hung - we considered Marvin's sash replacement product (mentioned above) but do to the scope of our original renovation & cost over runs we decided against this. Instead I found "the window doctor" - yes that is the name of his company. For $200/window he replaced all parting strips, re-weighted where needed, all new roping, repaired chalking - Many of the windows were not operational, painted shut etc. Every window is now operational & they are lovely over 80 yrs young & very fitting to the home. I wish more homeowners would give consideration to rehabbing windows rather than ripping them out for a substandard product. Ok, I'm an old house snob - truth is told Best to you - stepping off soapbox

Well all I can say is Wow. I went to the link you posted and read the story about your Aunt Engie. I had tears running down my face reading the story and when I got to the part that the nurse said the time was 10:10 I just happened to look up at my wall clock and guess what it was exactly 10:10. Rosemary you are a very special person. I have loved reading all about your Aunt Addie (you should really try to "finish" the story and then have someone make a movie out of it - really) and I always look forward to reading all your posts here at the table. Your parents must have been good special people as they definitely raised a wonderful daughter.