Yes Deanie. Not a dumb question. You want to keep the HOSPs out of the box, and the Chickadee hole is too small for them. I don't know that a hole reducer would keep a House Wren out though. You may not have them in your yard. I had never ever laid eyes upon one until last summer. On May 1st, I had one show up in my yard. It went from box to box, filling each one with sticks. They are like the HOSPs in that they will destroy eggs and nests of other cavity nesters. They do not look or sound like our sweet Carolina Wrens.~Angie

Rounded edges up? Interesting, that's what I thought but I called George at East Teak this afternoon and he recommended the opposite! He said the face with square edges is meant to face up, however it can be done either way. The way my boards are milled, the face with rounded edges is very slightly narrower than the face with square edges. So that when two pieces are butted up against each other tongue in groove (and I'm just lightly pushing the boards together by hand, not hammering them), the faces with square edges actually touch each other without a gap, while the faces with rounded edges leave a gap (maybe 1/16", maybe a little less). I know others have mentioned that T&G ipe boards should leave a gap when tapped up against each other, but that doesn't seem to be the case with mine. The boards are touching on one face even when lightly tapped together; regardless of whether that face is up or down, the boards are still touching. So now I'm concerned that the boards won't have room to move and I might get swelling and buckling. Are my boards milled differently than most? So which side do I install facing up? Here are my thoughts on each option: 1. Install with square edges up, and no gap on the surface. This is what East Teak recommended, and I like it because it doesn't leave grooves between the boards that can collect dirt and gunk. But this might not be ideal because I guess rain water could "pool" on the top of the decking. 2. Install with rounded edges up, showing a gap on the surface. But since the square edges on the bottom will still be touching, it seems that would let rainwater into the grooves between the boards where it has no place to escape out the bottom. Seems like this would be even worse than rain water pooling on the surface of the deck! I'm really struggling here... Since one face of the boards will be touching when installed regardless of whether I have that face up or down, it doens't seem like either option would make a differnce regarding potential swelling/buckling. A few more pieces of information - this flooring is for a screened porch and the roof has a 18" overhang on all sides, so the flooring shouldn't really see a lot of rain. And the floor also also slopes 1" in 10', so it does promote some runoff when rain does hit it. Also, the ipe is kiln dried. Any help would be appreciated!

"On a slightly other note, it never really occurred to me that I had a "right" to be intimate with BF while his daughters are present in the apartment. The last time they were here that was 10 difficult days for me where everytime he tried to kiss me goodnight and our door was open, I was so tense I just felt angry. I am hypersensitive to being observed, and I knew they could see us. It's just not natural for me - I am a little uptight but also I'm just concerned to not do anything in front of them that they would be upset by/tell BM" It is my view that you should be affectionate in front of the kids. After they've seen the aftermath (and during-math, if that's a word) of a bad and/or dysfunctional relationship, they need to see what a good one looks like. They will learn from that example more than any talk. That doesn't mean you have to be perfect or that you can't even disagree. But, as I've said before, kids need an example of both how to love someone AND how to deal with a disagreement. Now, I'm definitely not saying that you should have a make-out session on the couch when they are there. But a short but sweet kiss or cuddling on the couch while watching a movie or even an affectionate nickname will show them that you are happy together and secure in your relationship.

What NHBabs said. One of the selling points of these trees is they tolerate shade, which combined with their small size means you can squeeze them into spots an Eastern White Pine wouldn't work. No need to waste a "prime" spot on it. It would be perfectly happy (relatively) close to your house, close to power lines, or at the foot of a honeylocust. Many of the fancy cultivars aren't reliable in Zone 5. Is this a named variety? You are almost better getting a cheapo tree from Lowes. Best would be a tree from a local seed source bought from native plant society. As far as them being all over the place...there could have been an unusually smart landscaper, developer, or local nursery who got them from a local seed source or an unusually hardy variety a few years back. If you see a neighbor with a really old one ask where he got it. As for the pictures...nothing in that picture makes me concerned.