So. The guys finished up their part yesterday and now it's up to me to do the rest. Their work looks pretty good if you don't look real hard at all the details (which I am going to stop doing in a day or two, I hope, since done is done). These are Applad cabinets from IKEA (semi-gloss white--love them!) and their solid beech butcherblock Numerar counters. The sink is a big honking 16-guage near-zero radius corner Vigo from the O site, faucet from IKEA. The shelf was ripped from one 8' Numerar counter and installed on 10" corner brackets from the hardware store which were screwed into studs every 2 feet. I'd originally gotten some of those posts where you have to drill holes into the shelf edge and slip it onto the posts but they weren't sturdy enough for an 11" deep 1.5" thick solid hardwood shelf that will have cast iron pots on it---so I switched to this method (thanks to my daughter for finding it online!). It is STRONG. The parts that show on the wall under the shelf will be patched and tiled over. The undersides of the shelf were routed out so that the bracket is recessed--will see about patching that over with thin strips cut from leftover butcherblock using a circular saw. They also routed out a channel for the LED tape lights (again, thanks to Yllimuh!) so you can't see the tape unless you crane your neck under there which I do not intend to do ever. LOVE the LEDs. The outlets with the transformers are inside cabinets at the ends and they fished the wire through the wall on the side with no uppers. Still waiting for the appliance people to come back and install the DW and slide-in range, which I hope will happen in the next few days. I paid them for installation months ago but it had to wait until now. I am going to get the IKEA "Bursta" table in the 32" square size (with two pullout leaves which i think make it about 60" long?) and keep it pushed up against the wall most of the time with 2-3 chairs around it. It can be moved into the living room if I ever want to have 4+ people at a sit-down meal. Or just pulled out into the kitchen a bit. It'd be cramped in there but it would only be for rare occasions so it's fine with me. I think I'm going to repaint the walls. They are a very pale gray but I think they'll look better the same color as the ceiling and soffits. There are too many planes in there to have different colors going on, even subtle ones. Oh, also, I skim coated the sand textured walls (except for the vertical parts of the soffits) by rolling on thinned joint compound with a paint roller (!) and squeegeeing it smooth with a Magic Trowel (!!!!). It worked amazingly well and was much easier than the conventional skim coating method! It took only 2 coats. I also bought a drywall sander Shop-vac attachment for $25 on Amazon--WAY worth it to not have to drape the doorways and clean up dust off everything for weeks afterward. It vacuumed literally all the dust as I sanded. I didn't even wear a mask. Amazing. Overhead light only LED lighting only from the other end of the room looking at the opposite side - 24"W fridge goes in the first tall empty space and the end unit is a 24" wide pullout pantry

Joann, I have longer list and keep on adding more info as it resurfaces in the posts. Still some info is missing. Here is my latest Amazing Aunt Aubrey - Oklahoma - female Adellabedella - ? ? ? Alisande (Susan) - PA Scranton ? orig.from NYC - female Angela_Nor_Calif - Northern California - female Angelaid - Idaho ? - female Arkansas girl - ? ? ? Barb-45 - south-west Washington. - female. bengardening - Middle of South Dakota - female Bigack. (Susan) - Fairmont WV - female Big baby - Southeast Minnesota - female breenthumb - Upstate New York - female Bulldinkie - Kim in PA - female Cardamom - North Texas - female Carla35 - ? ? ? Carol in California - the beautiful central coast of California - female Caroline - Larimore, ND You can Google me at 806 Booth Ave. W. Casey (Karen) - St.John , Newfoundland, Canada - female CathyId - SW Idaho, - female. czech_chick Carol - Long Island, NY - female Cherryfizz - Windsor Ontario Canada - female Chemocurl - Indiana Cheryl ok - southeastern Oklahoma - female ChiSue - 30 miles north of Chicago - female Chi83 - Irvine, S.California - female ChloeCat - St. Louis - Home of the WS Champion Cardinals - female ColeenOz - Australia - female Chubby Rat - El Paso, Texas - female Cynic - Minnesota - male dances_in_garden - Ontario , Canada - female DeaMN - Southwestern Minnesota - female deborah ps - Palm Springs, California - female des_arc_ya_ya - N. central Arkansas - female dirtundermyfingers - Stacie in Nebraska - female dianamo 1 - MO - female Dollydolots - British Columbia, Canada - female Donna37 - South central MO - female Dotmom - N.Central Minnesota - female drewsmaga - Oviedo (by Orlando) Fl nowb. The Woodlands (by Houston) TX - female Ellie45 - Alexandria, VA - female FlamingO in ar (Susan) - near Eureka Springs, AR - female Fran1523 - SE Massachusetts - female Fun2BHere - Southern California - female Gazania - SW Pennsylvania just north of Pittsburgh - female georgysmom - Williamsburg, VA. - female gemini40 - ? ? ? glenda-al - Birmingham, al - female gibby3000 - ? ? ? gmom74 - Roswell, Georgia - female Granlan TX - Texas panhandle ? - female grinch_gut - Stacy in OK - female Haffie - North Shore - MA Heather ON - Ontario, Canada - female Hellion - North central Florida - female hoovergal - Hoover, Alabama - female. hostapasta - Western New York State - near Buffalo - female houstonmom - Houston, Texas - female Jannie, Janice, age 58 - Kings Park Long Island NY - female Jasdip - Southwestern Ontario (Canada) - female Jaybird - Texas - female jbelle108 - Boston, MA - female jeaninwa - Colorado Springs, CO - female jel48, - Michigan U.P. - on the Keweenaw peninsula - female jemdandy ? ? ? -male jennmonkey - Virginia ? Seattle? - female joann_fla - North Florida, orig. NJ - female Joan mn - E.Minnesota (Pine City?) / Ocala, FL in winter - female jodi_in_so_calif - Orange CO, CA - female joyfulguy - southern Ontario, Canada - reputedly male Kathsgrdn - Central Kentucky - Kathleen - female Kathi_mdgd - S.Calif,Oceanside to be exct. - female Kathy G in MI - northeast Michigan - female kat__wa - Washington - female Kayjones - Panama City, Florida - female Kfca37 - Bay area CA Kittywhiskers - 4B - female lazypup - Chicopee, Massachusetts - male Lidia1959 - Mid-Missouri , an hour from St. Louis - female Liira - Edmonton Alberta Canada - female lily316 - south central PA lindalou - Tonawanda, new yor k - female lindie_mi - west Michigan - female Linda_in_Iowa - Ames, Iowa - female linda_6 PA - Sewickley, PA - Female Lisa_fla - Orlando, Florda - female Littlebit - West TN - female Lindaohionowga - Linda Ohio now GA--Fayetteville, GA - female lindyluwho - Remlap, AL - female littlebug5, - north Missouri - female Liz_ga. - fayetteville - female lovemymimi - Mesa, Arizona - female LuAnn_in_PA - PA (southwest) - female luckygardnr - Southwestern Ontario (near Jasdip) - female Lynn D - Johnstown, PA - female Marilyn Sue - Central Indiana, Madison Co - Female mary7060_mi - Northern lower peninsula of Michigan - female Mamatoad - Tucson, Arizona - female Marita40 Mary - St. Paul MN 2011-Rome - female Marry - northeastern Indiana - female Matti5 Cheryl - Northern CA - female maybee - Iowa - female mboston - Lakeland, FL - female mcmann - southern NJ originally from Pittsburgh - female Michelle PhxAZ - Phoenix, AZ - female minnie_tx - NE Texas - female mom24 - Pennsylvania - female momof6 - SW Louisiana - female moonie 57 -female MonicaPa - Blue Bell,Pa - female mwheel - Falling Waters, WV - female nanaofmany08 Linda weeks - western KY - female nanatricia - central Texas - female Nanny98 - Southern Oregon - female nancylee_ ky - Western Kentucky - female Nicole - Colorado Springs - female NitaAZ - Sierra Vista, AZ - female Nodakgal - female OklaMoni - Oklahoma City - female oldgardener_2009 - western Washington - female Pam 25f - northern NY pammyfay - N.VIRGINIA ? patti43 - Ocala, FL - female pattico - female paula_pa - Pennsylvania - female pekemom - Lynne from southern Colorado - female Petaloid - Southern California - female petra - female pickyshopper - Ontario , Canada - female Poohbear 2767 - Dunlap Tn - male Phyllis mn - North Central Minnesota - female ratherbegardening - near Lansing, Michigan - female RavenCajun - Houston,TX area - female Reader77 - Johnson City in upper E.TN (almost in VA) - female Renee FL - DeLand FLorida - female redcurls - Ft Lauderdale FL - Female ronf - Southeast Minnesota - male ronm80 (Ronnie) - south Georgia - female Rosemaryt - Rosemary Thornton - female rosepetal2 - near Liverpool, England - female ruthieg__tx - Texas - female Sable - Monterey Peninsula, California - female Salgal - ? ? ? SamKaren - Milledgeville, Illinois - female Satine - Northern Maryland - female schoolhouse - Ohio scissors - ? ? ? secsteve - Delaware? - male sheilajoyce - southern California - female sherrmann - Wisconsin - female sjarz (Susan) - Canada - female sjerin - Bay Area in Ca, originally from Oregon - female sleeperblues - northwest Wisconsin - female Socks12345 - South CA - female ? soxxxx - mid East Texas - female stoneybaloney - Patty from Kansas - female sue_va - Stuarts Draft, VA - female Sunny DJ - SW. Pa, near Pgh.... Sunshines - Weeki Wachee, Florida - female susanjf - in SE Michigan - female Sushipup - Monterey Bay central coast of California - female sweet_betsy - Decatur, AL - female Tally - Los Angeles, California. - female Terilin - Texas - female Thistledew5750 - ? ? ? Tobygirl - Upstate New York - female Trishaw - Landrum, SC (upper W. part ~ 5' from NC border) - female trixietx - Texas panhandle - female two.25acres - SE Wisconsin on 2 1/4 acres - female Valla55/Bj - central Kansas widowed - female Vannie - Tyler, East Texas. Dallas and Shreveport vee1 - Pensacola Florida VetaAl - Vestavia Hills, AL - female Vicki lv - Las Vegas, Nevada - female vicki7 - North GA - female wanda_va - Front Royal, Virginia - female wildchild - CA - female zeetera

Hi Frieda. Without being at all presumptuous it seems to me that you want from an historical novel exactly what I want - a tale well told. A tale that holds together both internally with a consistent voice and externally with some regard to that slipperiest of ideas - historical accuracy. It would be a trifle disingenuous of me to say that I care not a jot for the integrity of the historical framework that underpins a novel. I think I just allow the novelist a little more leeway than you in terms of the elasticity of the "facts" he might cobble his little tale together with. Of course egregious errors in the retelling of indisputable history will bring a novel tumbling down for me as much for you - perhaps we just differ in the definition of "egregious". Further to your dislike of "presentism" I suggest you never pick up Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire . Just finished reading this examination of Spartan society and the Battle of Thermopylae where three hundred plus Spartans plus a few thousand allies held off a Persian army of some hundreds of thousands, inflicting grievous losses and giving Greece time and inspiration to save itself and perhaps western civilization as we know it. Perhaps your mention of your own concept of "presentism" made me hyper aware of any examples in the text but it was riddled with it. Battle plans develop "new wrinkles", soldiers imbibe "snootfulls of wine", are exhorted to "dump 'em but be ready to hump'em" when they rest their shields. Despite speaking in a declamatory and formal style worthy of Homer most of the time and engaging in lengthy, philosophical conversations about the Gods and true meaning of courage, fear, love and warfare the Greeks at various times decide that a priest is "full of s--t", the enemy are a bunch of "d--k strokers" and "a-- f-----s"". In fact the "f" word is dropped so many times at times it reads like a novel of modern army barracks life. Worth reading for the battle scenes alone - I'm a sucker for blood and guts - but nearly ruined as a novel for me by that newly defined mortal sin of historical tomes - "presentism". Thank you Frieda. Larry

I wonder if late 21st-century and early 22nd-century readers/writers will rebel against what they might perceive as the "fantasyheads" of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. It's happened before: The romanticists of the early 19th century rebelled against the classicists of the 18th century. The realists of the late 19th century and early 20th century rebelled against the romanticists. The moderns of the post-WWI era rejected the "sentimental glop" of the Victorians. The postmoderns of the last four(?) decades of the 20th century turned everything upside down, inside out, and crosswise. Yet the classics of all those movements (except the last mentioned, but only because it really hasn't had time) have continued to shine through. What will the next movement be? Post-postmodern, maybe. Is it already in the works? Gee, I hope so because I haven't been very fond of the popular literature of the last few decades, and it saddens me to think that the era of my life will be represented by a lot of incomprehensible, impenetrable (to future readers) experiments. But I guess it's always been thus. Well, no, that can't be true, because we can read the literature of earlier eras and get things out of it that will give us some insight into their times and what made them tick. Can you imagine interpreting our own age with only the fantasy that has been written during it, if the fantasy is what survives? Yikes! And it will probably be the fantasy because historically that's been true -- look at the Arthur legends, mythology, fairy tales and such. So, yes, the Harry Potter and Dr. Seuss books do have a good chance of lasting to 2106. Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan and all those Oz books have survived the changing tastes of "movements." I haven't read Potter, but I have actively loathed the other childhood fantasies I mentioned (I didn't even like them when I was a kid), but that only means that they are bound to be beloved for a long, long time because my reading taste has never been a good predictor of what will be popular or classic. Personally, I like Mummsie's list of books -- that era of realism is the one I seem to find most congenial.