I should add, that none of these has any fragrance I could detect. Both the white and the yellow are tall, the white one has canes easily 8ft long. It's contained in an iron railing cage as you can see. The yellow one is about 4-5ft tall and is probably some kind of tea as it has slender tea-like growth. None have received any care for some years, so they must all be very cold hardy as we had single digit temperatures last winter for three nights in a row.

and now for the finale... after 4 weeks of work, the cabinet looks terrific, with a warm golden finish. Many thanks for the recommendations, as the product labeling is bewildering! Lessons learned - gel stain works great, but sanding leaves washed out spots. Had very little blotchiness - no good explanation of why it happened where it did. - testing on scrap wood is a must for color and finish checks - paste wax product must not leave white residue (ugh) - gel stain mixed with wood filler works very well to fill cracks - multiple trips to the hardware store is a time sucker: get everything you think you need and return the unused products - red oak was cut as replacement piece, and took multiple stains to match - take lots of pix to keep from getting discouraged and to see progress Final selections: cherry stain on QS veneer then either Honey maple and/or Antique maple gel stain (small tins). Polyurethane wipe (50% mineral spirits): 2-3 coats followed by paste wax. Total cost of finishing products, solid brass hinges, etc Amazingly, neither cat prints nor cat fur is visible in the finish! ... =^,,^= diana Here is a link that might be useful: Cabinet restoration: the saga in photos

Thanks for sharing, Aegis and Terri, When the Group crosses the line from being relaxing to a burden, then it is time to reduce the size of the collection. Annie's podcasts are enjoyable. Sometimes, in order to get started on a collection, you have to decide what you want to collect. I go through this downsizing every few making some neighbors happy. I gave away four a couple of days ago, but today, another four came to me by way of a friend who is going away for a while. Here are the "mice." Joanne This post was edited by fortyseven on Thu, Feb 5, 15 at 23:26

I know painting the cabinets will be relatively expensive -- but they need it! The color is fine but they look horrible with all the paint chipping off. You can't see it in the photos but it's there! And as everyone comes in the house through the kitchen, i can't really hide it. I feel that if I would have them painted when we go to sell, I might as well do it now and enjoy it for the next several years. @cyc2001 I would LOVE to replace the OTR microwave with a hood, but I have decided this is one thing that isn't going to be worth the cost of doing as I would have to install a hood and relocate the microwave as well. Painting will cost the most and I think replacing the backsplash and moving the TV won't be as expensive. @cluelessincolorado if I keep the cabinet color the same, and do a subway tile backsplash up to the bottom of the cabinet, do you think a traditional white would look good, or am I better off going with an ivory? If I do move the TV where the open shelf is, then of course, I'm getting rid of the "clutter" of my coffee canisters, honey and decorative rooster jugs. I do want to keep my coffee maker and coffee items out because I do use them everyday as I rush off to work. Wondering if that funny space at the end of the counter would work for a coffee station?