Last year we raised "meat chickens" and put them in cages and sent them off to be killed. I was crying the whole time. It maybe was a little easier because I knew this kind of chicken wasnt bred for a long life. But I felt guilty for raising such a chicken (kind of like the Replicants in Blade Runner) This year we got "mixed heavy breeds" and are keeping the females for laying. We raised, hugged, talked to and spoiled all of them. We started with 15 males. They are now at the point where they are terrorizing the pullets and each other. So weve started butchering them. Five last weekend were the first weve killed ourselves. We decided this was more humane and in a way the completion of the process we had started. My husband cut off the heads, I plucked ,and he eviscerated them. He was cutting up the first when I heard him say"There are live bugs in this crop"we both kind of laughed. But it was just this whole cycle of life thing. It was very hard, the whole thing and harder for him since he actually killed them. We helped each other through it. It was kind of agreement between us to raise these animals, care for them (believe me they had good lives), humanely kill and then eat them. There is something kind of profound about putting into your body food that really comes from the land you live on. There is a wonderful section of a book by John SeymourThe Self-Sufficient Life: Independence on Five Acres (1970) in which he talks about thishe did all his own butchering and was a most kind soul. Has anyone read it?

Thanks, David!! And yes, it used to be a mess. But I don't subscribe to a "this vs that" method of trying to attribute success (or failure) to a single component. I've come to realize that the more I study things, the more the interrelationships are the critical items. In other words, it's not "soil chemistry vs soil biology", but how the two of them interact and support each other. A good soil chemistry allows a great biology to grow, which acts as a reservoir for food for the lawn. This avoids the "yo-yo effect" that we see in the regular long-term use of synthetics. A good chemistry provides lots of nutrients in good ratios to each other and massive growth. To answer your question about what I did, I concentrated on getting Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfur and the micronutrients (Iron, Zinc, Manganese, Copper and Boron) settled in the right proportions to each other. Notice that I ignored Nitrogen and pH. Once the other items are settled properly, the pH will find the "sweet spot" all by itself, and anything organic supplied will supply Nitrogen into "the bank". It's not a recipe for making the lawn (or garden) look great next week, but the soil will almost manage itself if you get the chemistry and biology working together. At this point, I can feed it some Milorganite or Soy Bean Meal and it will handle the rest all by itself. Then I spend my time trying to help others that want to do the same, or chasing the deer out of my Hosta.

The benefit of 304 SS is that it doesn't rust as easily as lower grade SS.In a kitchen enviroment it shouldn't really. The thick 16 gauge will prevent warping over time resulting from the heat output of the BS/CC. The seamsless construction prevents grease from depositing in the seams which makes it very difficult to clean. Eventually rust results. Remote blower allows a more powerful blower plus less noice,especially if it is more than 6 feet plus away with a silencer. Silencers are about $150-$200 and the ducting is not very expensive. BTW: The price for Top End Appliances in any category seem out of line:) BTW II: I don't know if the ebay question is a serious one but you go under Home & Garden then click Inside the Home,then Major Appliances,then Ranges and Cooking Appliances,and finally Range hoods. Or search "42 Hoods" and set a price range to exclude things like sweatshirts. Here is a link that might be useful: Ebay Range Hoods

Pressurepro, Thx for the info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is the CabotÂs solid stain the one I keep reading about on the board that's having all the issues? The new product that was introduced in 2005? Most people reference it as a Deck Stain product. I see there are three different Cabot solid stain choices. OVT (oil & acrylic) and Pro VT. What are the differences? Which one do you recommend? Which has the best history? I pretty sure I'm going solid. The only question left, in addition to the ones above is why not paint the pergola with regular exterior latex like Benjamin Moore. Does Cabot's stain/latex have unique characteristics that make it superior to regular exterior house paint? As you can see I donÂt know squat about paint and stains. When I started this investigation I figured all stains where just that...oil based stains. I had no idea some where latex. I've been advised not to "paint" the pergola because it's a nightmare. Hopefully CabotÂs solid "stain" provides some benefit over regular exterior house paint. Please help convince me. I'm very nervous about the choice. The only thing I'm certain of is she wants a solid white much like you see on the East Coast. Think Cape Cod or Wilmington. We built this beautiful pergola; unfortunately it's out of cedar and not Douglas fir. The good news is it will not be walked on, itÂs vertical. Any on thoughts or suggestions? Thanks for ALL the help and advice!!!!! Big Tex