Tricia, Actually that's what I was alluding to when I said, whatever other goings on were going on DURING siesta. I don't know if there actually was a Yellow Rose of Texas, it's cool to think there might have been! But in any case, there apparently were some activities going on in the Mexican camp which helped the Texas army catch the Mexicans not only by surprise, but in positions compromising enough to require some recovery before they could swing into action. I took a Geography of Texas class in college where I learned a lot of history as well as geography. I've gleaned some additional education from different sources through the years as well. The most interesting facts are the ones that got left out when elementary school!

I generally set things in place, and short of hitting it with a something on the large size...like a tractor, car, snowplow, or the occasional horse who gets loose and uses it as a scratching post, they don't move. start with finished elevation, and work backwards. I usually use either 2" bluestone or similar thickness patio pavers, or 4 1/4 solid half block from a hardware store. Under that, a layer of sand...often about 1/2", sometimes an inch. Below that, 6-8" of base...item 4, class 5, something similar. Excavate hole, lay in base in 2-4" layers. Pack, tamp, whatever. Repeat two or three times. Lay in sand, level. Put down your pedestal base, and put your statuary on it. Select pedestal base material to compliment/match your surroundings, or accommodate your elevations to allow you to mask it. If you have a base large enough (on your statuary), you can make the pedestal base disappear under your piece.

The hostas are going down and we have a light freeze for the next three nights. The problem is after that the prediction is for over a week of balmy temps before the next freeze. I'll be lucky if my babies don't decide it's spring and start growing again. Its so temperate here that winter is a great time to do garden construction. I have one minor and two major beds to complete this winter. Next year is year 8 of my ten year garden renovation, I'd like the last three years of it to be less building and more making pretty. I want every plant to be happy and healthy. Might be a pipe dream. See y'all at the alphabet!

I initially thought of camel/tan/brown for the sofas, but I'm afraid that it will be an overload of medium brown/orange with the doug fir cabinets and window trim and the huge live edge coffee table. Several of the leather samples I'm waiting for from Room and Board are in that brown color range, so I'm not ruling it out. I've always loved camel leather. I just don't want to increase the overall orangeness of the room. My cabinets feel bossy. We are definitely keeping the rug. It's huge and antique and we both love it. It's fairly neutral, with stone/taupe as the lightest color as noted by @eld6161. Maybe I should take another look at the leather color offerings in the taupe and beige range. I wouldn't be opposed to those colors as long as it was fairly natural looking (not artificial). We just don't want to make a mistake. We'll be living with whatever sofas we buy for a LONG time. I really appreciate and welcome all input. This stuff is hard!