At the risk of being bannished, bashed, or labelled as a spoiler, I would be very hesitant to build any patio on top of that wall for safety reasons. If you really want a patio for people to sit on and add ammenities it really needs to be structurally sound. You asked for my opinion directly and I gave it to you based on the information that you gave me. As you said, a picture is worth a thousand words. That wall is clearly not on a solid footing (might have concrete under it but the stones are not solid near the bottom) and very crudely fit together. It might not fail, but the consequences of personal injury is very high should it fail. Its one thing to use a wall like this to neaten up the site and add a nicer aesthetic with a consequence of having fill and rocks rolling down the hill. It is a whole different story when you add a person or persons to the rocks and fill rolling down the hill. If you really want to have the patio, you really should have a structurally sound wall. This is precisely why a wall over 48" requires a structural engineer in most states. Some require structural engineers for shorter walls. It has nothing to do with whether they are part of the building or not. It is because of the risk of personal injury if such a wall fails whether it is next to a house, below a patio, or next to a path in the woods. If some teenagers go there when your not around and that wall lets go for whatever reason, you'll be in trouble. Its like having a couple of beers and driving home, you might be alright, but if someone else hits you you are toast.

Good to see you, Raeanne! We had a wonderful trip. DH and I joined up at the spa for the 12 days to use the private therapy pool, sauna, hot tub, and steam room. It was heavenly; they even served us freshly squeezed orange juice! Let's see, I took a National Park/Island tour of Antigua, swam at Malibu Beach in Barbados, walked into town in Tortola, took a spice tour in a Best-of-Grenada day, and went whale-watching in Dominica (pronounced Dom-en-eeek'-ca ....like the Singing Nun's song!!) I saw more whales in Dominica than I did in Alaska, so that was fun. We saw a sperm whale and her baby right next to our catamaran...our captain showed us the first spout of water (momma), followed by the little spout of water (baby imitating momma!), so we followed the spouts and found them! So cute, I felt one with nature, ladies; you would all have been very proud of me! LOL!!! Back at work, my director is now flying back to the UK. He gave me rave reviews and did not flinch when I asked for a promotion! He promised to get it done if at all possible this year. With complications, he promised to get it completed next year. Fine with me; as I was ready for an argument like I got from my last director. He told me he cannot run the department without me and has suggestions for a few years down the road of transferring me up to higher management levels. Not sure I want that at my age, but the money sure looks good up there, especially as I still will no longer have to manage people...been there, hated that!!!! OK, gotta run some more metrics on 2007 data. TAKE CARE, EAT HEALTHFULLY, AND NEVER NEVER GIVE UP! DeeMarie

I totally agreed with the bottom 2--and would have been okay with either being eliminated. Thank goodness S. is gone--he really was the least talented, and most cocky of the group. In all honesty, the girls aren't much better than he, but will probably eke out another week or so, simply because I don't think they want to get rid of them all too soon. Hard to guess who will win. I've said it before--I don't think the producers will want to pin their next several months' profits on someone with serious health issues (Casey). Hard to picture James even going on that show--performers of his genre are adamant about 'selling out' and steadfastly remain small, performing in coffee shops, etc, rather than going that route--so he's not really genuine. My dd would probably call him a 'poser'. He's good though, and can actually sing very well when he's not screaming. I do like him, I just can't figure out why he even tried out for AI, IF he's truly the kind of singer he is trying to make out that he is. I like Scotty, but he could definitely use a couple more years of prep before he becomes a pro. He does have a great voice--but not one suited to the 'assignments' they give on idol. He's country, and nothing but country. I do think it will finally come down to probably Casey and James, with James winning.

tishtoshnm - Congratulations!!! You can make corn bread with the cornmeal milled in the Nutrimill on the coarse setting. I just normally used a coarser grind than that, but it makes a nice light corn bread and I use freshly-milled wheat flour in the recipe. Golden Cornbread (source: Bob's Red Mill) 1 c. cornmeal 1 c. whole wheat pastry flour (I use hard white wheat and get great results - just don't do anymore mixing than it takes to mix the batter together) 1/2 t. salt 4 t. baking powder 1 T. sugar (optional - I use agave nectar) 1 egg 1 c. milk (I usually use 1 c. homemade kefir - homemade or commercial buttermilk would also work) 1/4 c. butter or margarine, softened SIFT together dry ingredients into bowl (I never sift, just make sure the dry ingre. are well mixed). ADD eggs, milk and butter. BEAT until smooth, about 1 minute. DO NOT OVERBEAT. BAKE in a greased 8-inch square pan for 20-25 minutes at 425°F. SERVE warm with butter and a beaming smile. ------------------------ WOW! That's a lot of oats. I'd suggest if you don't have one, beg/buy/borrow a FoodSaver and a roll of bags to store you oat groats in. There's a lot of fat in oats and they can go rancid if they aren't kept in a dark/cool storage area. You'll get longer storage if you vacuum-seal them and/or freeze them. I try to only purchase enough oat groats for about 2-years worth at a time. I have a Marga Mulino Flaker Mill that works for making flakes or a coarse grind, similar to steel-cut oats. The freshly-milled oat flakes cook a little quicker than whole oat groats. Here are some recipes that might help you out without investing in more "toys". SLOW COOKER CREAMY WHOLE OAT PORRIDGE (source: The Splendid Grain - by Rebecca Wood) 1 c. oat groats 1 piece (3-inches) cinnamon stick Pinch of salt 4 c. water Place all ingredients in a slow cooker. Set on high heat, cover, and simmer overnight. ------------------------------------ OAT GROAT PANCAKES (source: The Splendid Grain) 2/3 c. oat groats 1/3 c. buckwheat groats, toasted 1-1/4 c. milk or soy milk 3 large eggs 2 T. unsalted butter, melted 1/4 t. sea salt 2 T. Sucanat or light brown sugar 1 t. baking powder 1/2 t. grated nutmeg Combine the oats, buckwheat and milk in a blender container. Cover and let soak refrigerated overnight or for 8 hours. [The next morning...] Blend until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and process to combine. Preheat a griddle. Drop the batter by the lableful onto the griddle and bake for about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden. Serve hot with the usual pancake accompaniments. [Grainlady note: It's important to soak oats before preparation (according to Nourishing Traditions - by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, Ph.D.). I add 2 T. whey from my kefir or drained yogurt, or you can add kefir, buttermilk, or yogurt to aid in breaking down the hard-to-digest phytates.] --------------------------------- IRISH OATMEAL (source: The Nourishing Traditions) 1 c. whole oats 2 c. warm filter water 4 T. whey, yogurt, kefir or buttermilk 1 t. sea salt 2 c. filtered water Place oats on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F until they turn light brown. Process roasted oats to a medium grind in a home grinder (blender). (The resultant meal should be part flour, part small bits.) Soak from 7-24 hours in a warm place in 2 c. warm water plus whey, yogurt, kefir or buttermilk. (Note: Those with severe milk allergies can use lemon juice or vinegar in place of whey, yogurt, kefir or buttermilk.) The fine flour particles will rise to the top and may be lifted off carefully with a spoon. Bring additional 2 cups of water and sea salt to a boil, add soaked oatmeal and cook over very low heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. [Grainlady note: I'd sift the flour out of the mixture rather than skim it off the top.] -------------------- Oat flour: 2/3 c. oat groats = 1 c. oat flour. BANANA CRUNCH CAKE (uses oat flour AND oatmeal) Crunch topping: 3/4 c. oatmeal (quick or old-fashioned, uncooked) 1/3 c. firmly packed brown sugar 2 T. butter or margarine, melted 2 T. chopped nuts (I use a LOT more ;-) 1/2 t. cinnamon Combine all ingredients; mix well. Cake: 1/2 c. butter or margarine 2/3 c. firmly packed brown sugar 1 c. mashed banana 2 eggs 1 t. vanilla 1 c. oat flour 3/4 c. all-purpose flour (I use soft white wheat or spelt OR hard wheat and rye in a 3:1 ratio) 1 t. salt 1 t. soda 1/2 c. chopped nuts, if desired (I only put them in the topping) (I also add 3 T. flaxmeal, but that's optional.) Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy; blend in banana, eggs and vanilla. Gradually add combined dry ingredients, mixing well after each addition. Stir in nuts. Pour into greased 9-inch square pan; sprinkle crunch topping evenly over batter. Bake in preheated moderate oven (350°F) 40-45 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. ---------------------------- OATMEAL SCONES 2 c. oat flour 1-1/2 t. baking powder 1/2 t. baking soda 1/2 t. salt 2 T. sugar 1/4 c. butter or margarine 3/4 c. buttermilk 1 egg Preheat oven to 400°F. Sift together dry ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse corn meal. beat together buttermilk and egg. Add to dry ingredients, stirring with a fork until a stiff dough is formed. Knead lightly on board dusted with oat flour. Flatten into a round 1" thick and 5" in diameter; smooth out edges. Mark into 12 wedges with a knife. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Serve hot with butter and jelly. (source: Allergy Recipes, American Dietetic Association) Hope that helps you out a bit! ;-) -Grainlady