Hi Wp..It's been so gray in our part of the globe, even setting a plant in an unobstructed south window has little effect..(S) My citrus (those not in a small gh) are placed directly in front of south windows. One advantage of living in a condo, the higher up you are, the better light you get. How far apart is your unit from the other side of the building, facing south? IMO, artificial lighting isn't enough for a sun-loving plant such as citrus..If by chance you have the light/fixture hanging in front of a window, this will certainly be beneficial, but natural light can't be beat..Especially if you'd like your plant to flower/fruit. Right now, this time of year, there's really not much to do with your citrus.. Most important is light..try supplying as much as possible, though it's difficult in Il. Proper watering is mandatory. Like Sue stated, you want to water thoroughly till water seeps out of drainage holes. Before watering again, be sure the soil is on the dry side. If necessary, buy a water guage, but the easist and inexpensive way is sticking your finger in the soil. If your finger comes out dry then water, if wet, wait a few days and retest. Lifting the pot to test weight is another way to check but I prefer the finger method. Never keep the soil muddy, or sitting in water. Citrus like humidity..a humiidfer works best..(for people, also) I mist daily, plus try hosing in sink/tub once a wk. Most people don't bother, but it's something I like to do..it helps keeps foliage clean, removes dust, and gives one a chance to inspect leaves/stems for insects. It also helps increase humidity. What size pot did your citrus come in? I hope you didn't overpot..it's normally best to increase 1-2 sizes up.. Soil type is another very important matter..A well=draining soil is best..something that's not going to stay wet despite heat, dryness and time. What type of soil did you use? Did you mix your own or buy packaged. I mix my own using (I'm sure some will disagree, but it's what works for me) all purpose, sphagnum-peat, sand and Perlite..sometimes a little added charcoal/large bird grit/orchid mix.) Sand(Builder's Sand from Home Depot, not beach sand) orchid bark, and Perlite helps with drainage. Do not fertilize this time of year. Usually, it's said a plant doesn't need food after repotting in fresh soil. If you don't have citrus fertlizer you can plan ahead, and order before spring...Have you ever shopped at Jamaican Gardens in Morton Grove or Libertyville? I'd call ahead, but they had citrus fertlizer available..they also sell beautiful plants, including citrus. You can always substitute using Azalea or Palm food. Don't bother with spikes..they're a waste of money and time. And don't work. Certain nurseries on Ebay sell Citrus fertilizer. There's more to growing citrus, but for the time being, the main thing you need to do is offer sun/light, water, and provide humidity. I hope your wife had a Happy Birthday..Nothing better than a citrus for a birthday gift.. Meyer's are fantastic. Good luck, Toni

"I would definitely complain to your fabricator. This doesn't appear to be something that can easily be "fixed." Don't worry about being a problem client. You paid $$ and didn't get what you should have gotten and what you expected. This is their problem, not yours. Good luck!!" Thanks chris45ny~ That's what I was thinking too, however they sent out someone I have never even seen or spoken to before to look at the counters and she was poo pooing the whole thing and saying "Well this is a natural product it is in the nature of the stone to have these variances..." I said , "Well Absolute black is pretty uniform in every piece I have seen and I don't think the person laying out the template did it correctly, they should have avoided the gray area and not placed it front and center of my sink." She was trying to see "What I wanted to get." I said "I want it to look right, period." She was then going to go back and talk to the boss and let me know what would happen... Meanwhile they wanted me to sign a paper that said everything had been delivered and was in fine condition which I said I would not sign. I am sitting now with a sink that is not hooked up, a dishwasher that is not hooked up all because I am waiting for them to decide what they are going to do! Since last Friday... Any more advice??? Thanks again

mimi, the big old fashioned bulbs are my favorite, too. The LEDs I got were supposed to be like these, and yes, they are the same size and shape, but the color...eeek! I wonder too if I will ever get used to them. A few years ago, before I ever payed attention to types of lighting, I would sometimes see commercial places with LED lights on their trees, and I always wondered what was wrong with the lights (they were always the clear white), especially when I would see them next to the usual kind. bungalow, if many people don't like the LEDs, maybe we will have to go through another Dark Ages until the technology catches up:-) I am thinking I am going to be doing without house holidy lights this year, too. I just can't bring myself to plug these in. For the inside I have an old aluminum tree with a color wheel, (I don't even want to know how much of an electric hog the wheel is, but I don't leave it on long) so I didn't have to worry about lights inside before, but this year I had really wanted to purchase a more traditional tree loaded with lights. That will not be happening, LOL. alex, that's a wonderful way of thinking, comparing it to moonlight on snow. Unfortunately, I am not there yet, and wonder if I will ever be. It snows where I live :-) I too wish manufacturers would improve things, but, I am not terribly hopeful at this point. I hear about the wonderful things that have been done to fluorescent lighting, too, and I do use it in some areas of my home, but I don't find it to be a wonderful light colorwise, even with the updated fixtures. One of my friends has replaced all the bulbs in her home with CFLs, and it looks strange and cold and eerie like an imaginary doctor's office (she decorated in all neutrals, that may be part of the problem, not sure if colors work better under fluorescent?). I pay attention to lighting in stores where they want the items to look good, and while they use lots of fluorescent, they also have a very heavy hand with the halogens. Which come with their own problems. reno, as it stands, I would rather not have lights than the LED lights too. But I am going to be seeing them more and more on other people's homes and now I am going to dislike holiday displays, something which I have never done...I even liked those tiny yards full of every holiday creature in molded plastic. Now I am picturing the same thing but with LEDs. Horror film stuff indeed! Amy, how do you like your cabinet lights now that they are alternated? Is the color more palatable? Did you get used to it? joanie, interesting on the warm white lights having phosphors. I wonder how long that would last. Fluorscent bulbs that try and mimic incandescent warmth claim a phosphor coating, too. Supposedly it does not last the life of the bulb. Sheesh I am going to need a scientist and a decorator just to change my lightbulbs from now on. ttodd, sounds like you've gotten used to it, which is probably what we will all have to do. I wonder if kids react in the same way, or if they love the LED light displays as much as we loved the incandescents. *sigh* At forty I wasn't ready to be an old fogey longing for the yesteryears, yet, here I sit. susieq, what will you do when the incadescents are eliminated? Actually, I have no idea if ALL incandescents will be gone...and if so when...I mean even though T9s are much better in fluorescents you can still buy the old T12s of humming buzzing fame. I am just in a quagmire here because I want very much to use less energy, reduce my carbon footprint, etc, and yet gosh I hate the way some of it looks. carrie, what color are your lights? What is the brand? I am still sad, but at least I know I'm not alone in my dislike of the LEDs. I would still love to hear from someone who LIKES them, and know what brand they bought, what colors or clear, ect. Thanks for all your responses... Joanna

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Thanks for your kind words - here are some answers to your quetions. The counter stools - I'm pretty sure that I got them at the website below - I had them stained walnut. Looks like the website is down for maintenance right now, but try back later. Her's a close-up of the stools - THe mmirror is from Bombay Company - but I've seen somthing similar in Ballard. Topiaries came from a local Florist Called Johnsons (got them during an after Christmas sale). Yup, I have some quimpoer from Pierre Deux on the walls. The lamps came from different places - the red ones from a store called Kellogg Collection and the mustard ones from a place called Annapolis Lighting. As it turns out they both have pomegranates on the sides on the lamps. Didn't plan it that way - I just liked the scale. They look VERY similar. I wanted to have kind of have a ying yang thing going on with the red and mustard color. One side - golden couch w/red lamps, other side - red couch golden lamps. Yes we'll be decorating the tree will go (I think) in the room with the red couch - the side chair w/wood arms will go to the office for the holiday season! Thanks all! Here is a link that might be useful: Counter Stools