I'm new to these solitary bees myself, having just purchased some this winter. A search here didn't turn up a lot of info, so I searched the web and will share what I've found. Foodwise, they seem pretty easy to please: in addition to the flowers of fruit trees, they particularly like heaths & heathers, eastern redbud, berries, willows, chokecherry, Cranesbill geranium, dandelion, broom, mustards, beard tongue, radish, salvia/sage, dusty miller, white clover, vetch. They're reportedly very fond of borage and pieris japonica (Japanese andromeda). Also like wallflowers, lavender, rose (single varieties are best) forget-me-not, violet, beans & peas, rhododendron, azalea, dill, parsley and carrots. Some of the above bloom particularly early, like the pieris and some varieties of heath/heather (my two varieties of heaths are just finishing and just starting to bloom now, and pieris will be blooming very soon). The latest I've heard on placement of the nester is that an east-facing exposure is best, well above the ground, and they don't like dappled shade. A nearby supply of moistened well-sifted soil (I'm told a good clay content is good) for building material will make their job easier. After the mason bees have finished their activity for the year, you may see other solitary bees using the nester (O. cornifrons and O. coerfulescens, and the leafcutter bee, Megachile spp. Apparently they all get along just fine. You may want to put something over the front of the nester to exclude predators (like woodpeckers) that will break through the mud-sealed chambers to feed. Some people report wire mesh works. I'm preparing to put my bees out just jow, in coastal New Jersey, USDA zone 7. We've had alternating warm and cold spells (several days in the 50-60 range, followed by colder spells with nights in the mid-20's), so I kept them in the fridge, but I think it is now reasonably safe to put them out here. You'll want to consider your local weather patterns. They can take the cold, after all, they are native insects, but if hit with frigid temps after they've emerged, or started to emerge, I'm afraid they might be weakened or killed outright. One website I found helpful is www.pollinatorparadise.com - you'll see articles on Rearing Solitary Bees, FAQ, and A Bee Garden for Attracting Osmia. If I can again locate the others that were particularly useful, I'll post them for you. I'll sure be glad to see any advice from GardenWeb members who have experience with these bees. In the meantime, though, like you, I'm excited and eager to set them out to do their thing! Good luck to you! Diane

I was wondering....I know you want to keep the closet in the Library, but could you move it to the other end? I.e., move the refrigerator all the way to the left and move the closet & walled-in pantry all the way over to the right. Alternatively, could you extend the "bottom" wall 6" or so to the right? It would allow you to fit the refrigerator + ovens on that wall w/o modifying or moving the closet in the Library. If the measurements are correct, is there only 34" b/w the walled-in pantry and the left wall's corner? Is there only 27" b/w the walled-in pantry and the ovens? Those are very, very tight aisles...especially with an oven there. Because of this potential issue, in Layout #15 I show what is more reasonable...reducing the 18" tall pantry to 12" to gain another 6" for that aisle to make it 33" b/w the walled-in pantry and the corner of the left wall. If the actual aisles are wider, you might be able to stick with the wider pantries. If the measurements are correct and you want that extra 6" in the aisle, then subtract 6" from any cabinet on the end of the left wall. Change...I suspect your mother is resistant to change and that's why you cannot convince her to eliminate the peninsula, despite all the problems it solves and how it opens up the kitchen so well. She's been living with the peninsula for 40 years and is probably so used to it that she doesn't want to change. As we age, most of us become more and more change-adverse. It's not a good or bad thing, just a fact. Oh and just as an FYI, I'm not advocating removing the peninsula b/c I'm anti-peninsula, I put two peninsulas in my kitchen, but I did not put in an island. It's more like #7, but with only the Prep Zone, Cooking Zone, and Baking Center in the "U"; the Cleanup Zone is across from the "U". Oh, and the peninsulas aren't as wide/long. [] There are several problems w/#3, especially if you keep the ovens and keep the sink centered on the window. (1) Combining the peninsula with an island makes for a very cramped workspace. (2) You will probably not solve your baking storage needs or be able to create a dedicated area for baking b/c you won't be able to have a Baking Center convenient to the ovens. (3) You will also have quite a bit of wasted counterspace...namely the peninsula and the right side of the sink. That's b/c it's not really convenient to the Cooking Zone, so it doesn't make a very good Prep Zone...at least not a primary Prep Zone. (It's also not a good Baking Center b/c it's not convenient to the ovens...the island is in the way.) Here are some possibilities; #15 is probably the "best" b/c it eliminates the island and allows you easy access to everything. (I also did "zone" maps for each, they're at the end.) .. .. .. In this layout, the absence of the island gives you much more work room, moves the refrigerator closer to the left wall, and allows less expensive appliances, in particular the refrigerator and DW. A standard depth refrigerator will now fit as will a standard DW...both less expensive than what you have been planning. Additionally, b/c the oven cabinet is pulled out from the wall around 6", you now have room for a 4" pullout broom closet behind it (see the link below). .. .. Zone Maps Here is a link that might be useful: Thread: 4'' Broom Closet from Ikeafans

lazydaisynot--I just went down to the basement to verify everything. Yes, I used used Permacolor in Bright White. This was not a grout that Lowe's or HD carries. I had to go to a tile store to get it. Some of Laticrete's Bright White grouts that are not Permacolor in fact are NOT actually bright white. From what I read and what Bill V explained, the non Permacolor ones have some sort of caramel coloring in them when you mix them up. So the white is not as white as one would hope. However, Permacolor doesn't have that caramel looking color and the white is very very white. I wonder if the reviews you read were for Laticrete's Bright White that isn't the Permacolor. Regarding the piping bag, it is really a tile supply! It is just like a heavy duty pastry bag. We needed it because as you may recall, we have an odd shaped tile and smearing grout all over it really wasn't an option, so we needed to apply it just to the spaces in between the tiles. I'm not sure if the stuff is or isn't sanded. I know I should be able to tell you. I will tell you that it feels like "cement on a sidewalk". I've had no problem with staining at all. If I get some sort of red sauce on it I just use my mixture of oxyclean/water that I have mixed up and wipe it with that. Voila, perfect again. You can also do a search on John Bridges website for Permacolor, and read what the pros say. http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?forumid=1 Let me know if I can answer any other questions. Here is a link that might be useful: Permacolor

OH MY GOODNESS. I finally checked out that blog, and I think I could LIVE there. So much to see, to learn, to try, and then more links to follow! That starter tutorial is the closest thing I've seen to a 'starters for dummies chart' that I've been hoping for. While printing it out, I got distracted by a discussion on bagels, so I had to print the recipe and instructions for those, too. I am, for the moment, ignoring all the other discussions I could check out. I need more paper! And to accomplish something more today. Plus, if one is going to spend one's life baking things like bread and bagels, one definitely shouldn't spend too much time spreading one's behind at the computer! A 'catch 22.'