Thanks, guys. Billy is a ham. He was raised with us all the time (I was off with the knee when he found us)a nd is a big baby. He will come and meow for new toys. You may not be able to see it in his "Hiding" picture, but while he is fixed, he remains very lean since he is either sleeping or playing. The other two males are fat, but not Billy Bad A... kay

Yeah! Doesn't that make you feel great! You know your exchange person is going to love it now. Can't wait to see it. I sent pictures of my birdbath to my daughter in college because I needed some positive reinforcement. My son hasn't been happy with my craft since he had to have stitches in his knee stumbling into a bird feeder in the garage. Unfortunately, some grout had come out and left a sharp edge of a dish exposed. Can't convince him it was a fluke and I'm keeping things put away better.

I will try to answer questions. I don't know our GC's rationale and that's a good point that I should just ask him to explain his thinking. I doubt he is thinking resale as we have very clear with him that we intend to live in this house for the long term. (And the neighborhood defintiely does not call for huge "professional" gas ranges.) The capture point is a good one. The counter is that it's a small old kitchen. A big hood would dominate unreasonably, IMO. And I'm tall enough to bump my head on it too. So I think the slide out is a decent compromise. We have a gas furnace that is located in the attic. I doubt it has it's own mua, though the attic is also leaky. We have a gas tankless water heater located on the exterior of the house. And we do have a wood burning fireplace--currently never used, but with very long range tentative plans to convert it to gas and use it. The kitchen will have multiple operable windows (one of my main goals for this remodel is windows I can open in the kitchen). Thanks everyone!

It's not uncommon for seedlings to put out a rogue bloom, but the blooms don't produce a fruit that hangs on and it can take years for it to bloom again. I hope that in your case, it will keep trying though!