I am LOVING those birdhouse water features. I'll probably have to have one! In fact, I'm going to gather up stuff to make one.......soon! Wish I'd bought that lavender chair at the yard sale,would have been great for one,but I wouldn't come off $10 for it,and she wouldn't take less,lol! Oh well,I'll find one in somebodys trash for free and paint it lavender! Love your site,always something new to see and drool over :)

As for feeling guilty, keeping fish is no different than a cat or dog. Most fish are farm raised. Very few are wild caught. "Most" fish sold now are hybrids and are a little more colorful than their wild cousins. Also, in a properly maintained and established tank, the fish usually outlive the wild ones. A far as low maintainance, it depends on your water chemistry and quality. Not meaning your tap water is safe to drink and has no bacteria, just pH,nutrients and hardness. For example tap water that is hard and higher in pH is going to be more work for the fish that require a more acidic environment, also the type of plants that will do well in it. This can be reversed for acidic water for the needs of hard water fish. Any way you can save alot of money by building your own tankstand. They usually cost as much as an aquarium kit. For live planted tanks with the "red" plants you like (my favorite also), you need a high amount of light. A few plants do well in the low light that is usually provided in "complete" kits. I can go on and on (I normally do), so I'll post a few sites for you that I found usefull. This first is all around the best IMO. P.S. Goldfish only become a problem if the tank and filtration isn't sufficient. A bowl is way too small for them. When they grow they emit more ammonia and poison them selfs. Also they can grow to 12"+, a min 30 gallon tank with good filtration will work great. Here is a link that might be useful: Best info IMO

It would be hard pressed to be better than: www.johnbridge.com. The best tile people in the nation are there for any and all questions and they tell you how to do it RIGHT the first time. pkla

I hope you don't mind that I post on this thread. The subject line was perfect. I just discovered a website that has alot of those free tear off patterns (at the craft store, when you are buying yarn). I have seen some of these, but never all organized on one page. These are mostly crochet, but some knitting too at the bottom of the page. http://www.purplekittyyarns.com/free-patterns/afghan-patterns.html Dana in TX