Snake oil is alive and well! Embo likes to mention the fact-yes fact-that until and unless an actual soil test is done, one may not know what nutrients are in "short" supply. But here's the deal: First, almost all soils have adequate nutrients for most plant varieties, and second, in newly transplanted trees, root formation is slowed by the addition of nitrogen to the rooting area. I think we can all agree that for a new transplant, it is root system regeneration that is job 1 for the tree......can't we? So why do something-anything-that will tend to retard this process? What's more, what is the requirement for live oak (or lacebark elm for that matter) for pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet? How about potassium? And what about phosphate? That's right....in actual soil systems-not plants growing in a research greenhouse in soilless medium somewhere, these values are complete guesswork. And how would one relate a ratio of "needed" nutrient A to that thousand square feet? Or acre? Or inch of trunk diameter, to get into truly primitive thinking? No, I didn't think you-OP- or anybody else could answer one of these questions. This isn't corn or soybeans.

deanna ... don't know how you were doing the strawberries, but here's my fav ... it's a perserve using whole berries. they stay plump in a thick syrup ...don't really set. STRAWBERRY PERSERVES Source: Cooperative Extension Service of the University of Georgia. The berries remain whole and plump -- do not expect the syrup to set... it's a syrup. Makes about 4 half pints 1 1/2 quarts strawberries stems removed 5 cups sugar 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice Chose firm red, ripe berries. Do not use berries with hollow cores. Combine strawberries and sugar. Let stand 3 to 4 hours. Bring strawberry mixture slowly to a boil, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Add lemon juice. Cook rapidly until berries are clear and syrup thick, about 10 to 12 minutes. Pour into a shallow pan. Let stand uncovered 12 to 24 hours in a cool place. Shake pan occasionally to distribute berries through syrup. Heat mixture and pour hot preserves into hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4" head space. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids. Process 5 minutes. I note you're Zone 8, so if you have access to figs, here's a similar recipe FIG PRESERVES Source: NCHFP Yield: 5 pints Fig preserves were one of Dad's specialities. He didn't use the lemon and he didn't BWB, just sealed 'em. Do not expect the syrup to 'set' .. it's a syrup. 3 quarts figs 3 quarts boiling water 4 cups sugar 1 1/2 quarts water 2 lemons thinly sliced (optional) Pour 3 quarts boiling water over figs. Let stand 15 minutes. Drain and discard liquid. Rinse figs in cold water and drain. Prepare syrup by mixing sugar, 1 1/2 quarts water and lemon. Boil rapidly 10 minutes. Skim syrup; remove and discard lemon slices. Drop figs carefully into the boiling hot syrup, a few at a time. Cook rapidly until figs are transparent. Remove figs and place in shallow pan. Boil syrup until thick, pour over figs and let stand 6 to 8 hours. Reheat figs and syrup to boiling. Pour hot preserves into hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Wipe rims of jars and adjust lids. Process 5 min BWB. KAY

The tighter the spacing, the less grout there will be. Less grout = less scrubbing, so the tighter the joint, the better in my book--so 1/16" is perfect. Spacing can also depend on the way the tile edges are made. Some tiles will have to have larger grout lines. Many tile setters will automatically do 1/8" or larger grout lines on the floor. If you like the thinner 1/16" look, you will likely need to make that point VERY clear with your tile setter no matter what his "norm" is. Also, if you go with 1/16" spacers, you can use unsanded grout everywhere--it gives a nice soft smooth look vs. the grainy look of sanded grout. Unsanded grout is also easier to clean IMO. As far as color for the grout, it really depends on the look you're going for. We did solid white glossy tiles in our kids' bath & a Carrerra marble porcelain-look-a-like tile in our master bath in our last house both with a silver-grey grout. We loved it as it created a nice contrast to all the white. If you're looking for the grout to blend in with the white, then a white grout would be the way to go. Another thing to consider is that colored grout will hide more dirt/stains than a white grout. The schluter vs. flat accent question falls under the personal preference answer again. It's whatever you like as you will be the one living with it everyday. Hope this helps!

Okay - thanks everyone for your input. I spent the evening looking over my bills and refiguring the math. I went with a the heat pump for several reasons. #1 - Going complete electric. The furnace was our only gas appliance and once I did the math, I realized it wasn't worth it to keep gas supplied for that because of the delivery charge. (see #2) #2 - in our case, electric heat is cheaper. See if you follow my math: Electric - Right now we pay $0.10 per kWh with an additional 12.77% service charge for various things. I didn't include the sales tax in this calculation b/c it is the same for both services. With fees, that would be $0.1135 per kWh With a HP at 9.5 HSPF, we pay $11.95 per million Btu. Natural Gas - Right now we are paying $0.74 per therm with a $27.99 per month delivery fee (which is standard for our area). Based on last years usage: 12 months x $27.99 = $335.88 We used 681 therms x $0.74 per therm = $503.94 Total cost of $839.82 / 681 therms = $1.23 per therm with fees. With a 95% Eff furnace that ends up being $12.95 per million Btu. Since we are improving the insulation, our therm usage may go down by 30% but our monthly service charge wills stay the same so: [(476 therms x $0.74 per therm) + $335.88 delivery charge] / 476 therms = $1.45 per therm with fees That would drive our our cost per million Btu to $15.26 So . . . Heat Pump Unit and Furnace + AC Units at equivalent efficiency cost the same thing - $5,200 Heat Pump costs $11.95 per mil Btu for heat Furnace costs $12.95-$15.26 per mil Btu for heat I am assuming the cost to cool will be equivalent since both units will use electricity and are equally efficient. In addition, I get $400 rebate on the heat pump. #3 - Our mild climate. While anecdotal, I talked to several people in my area with heat pumps and they were very happy with the temperature control in their house. No one had trouble with the heat pump keeping up during our short and infrequent cold snaps. #4 - Heat pump is greener. Natural gas is a fossil fuel and while fossil fuels are also used to generate electricity, there is always the opportunity for renewable energy sources to be introduced. If we get a NG furnace, we are stuck to only using fossil fuel as an energy source. So . . . that is why I decided on a heat pump. And yes, we are addressing all the insulation and air sealing issues so the house will (hopefully) not be drafty and conducive to heat pump being able to adequately heat our home. Thanks everyone!!!