One of the top things we required for buying our current (and last 3 homes) was that the backyard face south, mainly because we like a bright indoor space but it is also perfect for gardening. You are right that summers are brutal in heat and sunshine, but that is not the best gardening season in Florida anyway. What I have discovered however is that the north-facing front yard gets almost as much sun in the yard away from the building shadow and that the shade is "open shade'. Useful for growing things that would get fried in the sun (lettuce, roses). I think where trees are located and the shadow of the building could be more important, as well as whether your condo association allows pots (if that's what it is) and where the water supply is because you will get tired of hauling water very quickly. Good luck. Denise

I have some I copied of my mother's that look pretty bad. Some day I will have her's. I have my grandmother's, many written on whatever scrap paper she had to hand, including wedding invitations! Some are in her writting, lots with "swell" written on them, and many clippings. Eventually I will have them all typed into the computer with notes on what it was written on. She was very good about writting on the recipe who gave it to her. When I finally finish it, I will copy it to cd and give copies to all my cousins. Mare_wbpa, My late MIL was Polish, our parish church was Polish and was closed a couple of years ago. Is there any way you can get your hands on a copy of the 1st cookbook that I can buy? And can I purchase one of the new ones thru you? I would love to get either or both! So many of my MIL's recipes are gone. I have a lot of them in our first church cookbook, but many more disappeared. I thought I got them when she passed away, but the box I thought they were in has something totally different in it! We put out a second one, but none of us thought to put the old recipes in it, so it isn't as good as the first, only because we lost all those in the first one. As the grandkids do not have any of grandma's recipes, I took my copy of the first one, now almost 30 years old, took the coil binding off, and spent hours scanning it, then took it to Staples on cd to have printed and bound for my neices and nephew, and my kids. Glenda, that might be an idea for Park and Park, Jr. if they would like to have your recipes. Tami

This was posted on another thread, but I'll post it again here. I like it because all the work is done ahead of time. Just add the drippings from your T-day bird at the last minute and you're good to go with gravy. Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy Makes about 2 quarts For more flavor, after roasting the turkey you can skim the drippings from the pan and add them to the gravy just before serving. It's best to discard the strong-tasting liver before using the giblets. This recipe makes enough to accompany a large turkey and still have plenty for leftovers. 6 turkey drumsticks, thighs, or wings reserved turkey giblets reserved turkey neck 2 carrots , chopped coarse 1 head garlic , halved 2 ribs celery , chopped coarse 2 onions , chopped coarse Vegetable oil spray 10cups low-sodium chicken broth 2 cups dry white wine 12 sprigs fresh thyme 1/2 cup all-purpose flour Table salt and ground black pepper 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Place giblets, neck, drumsticks, carrots, celery, onions, and garlic in roasting pan, spray with vegetable oil, and toss well. Roast, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. 2. Transfer contents of roasting pan to Dutch oven. Add broth, wine, and thyme and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced by half, about 1 1/2 hours. Pour through fine-mesh strainer into large container (discard solids), cover stock with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until fat congeals, at least 2 hours. 3. Using soup spoon, skim fat and reserve. Heat 1/2 cup fat in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until bubbling. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, until honey colored, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in stock, bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (Gravy can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.) Reheat gravy in saucepan over medium heat until bubbling.

Oh good - I'm glad to have given you a new idea! Can't you call your fabricator and see what he can come up with? You need so relatively little stone. If you aren't going to be able to get it, consider 7" transparent or painted glass sheets, like those in the images from GlassKote below (link below). pharoah did this DIY at the thread below: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0507524529536.html Another option would be to use large format (12" x 24" or larger) marble tile, as decent a compliment to your own stone as you can find, and have them cut to 7" with as small a grout joint as your tiler can give you. By the way, what is your stone? A lot of "quartzites" are really marble anyway. You may be able to find the very same material in a different format. Large Format Carrara Marble tile Here is a link that might be useful: GlassKote