Yes, we did it ourselves. As I mentioned above, we used a spiral cut saw (a RotoZip) and a carbide grinding bit. I think a router (with carbide straight cut bit) would also work well). Disconnected everything (well, almost. Some of the faucet parts were pretty well stuck and we ended up just cutting around them) and supported the sink from underneath. Traced the new sink template and went to town with the Rotozip. It was really pretty easy. I'd say the biggest thing was the large amount of dust generated by the cutting. We had one person following behind the saw with the shopvac and there was still lots of mess. Nothing insurmountable but be prepared-take everything out of the cabinets etc. Other notes: -If you have the adjacent soap dishes (see old sinks above) the sink we used was one of the only ones readily available at Home Depot/Lowes (it was actually at Lowes) that would cover everything. Your basic oval drop in wouldn't have covered the soap dish. I'm sure there are LOTS more options online and from plumbing suppliers but my mom didn't check out those venues and really liked the Cimmarron anyway (I also think it looks great). -The old sink was HEAVY. Make sure its well supported underneath before you start cutting. We also started by trying to cut out just the sink bowl but the cultured marble is much thicker right by the bowl-our cutting bit wasn't long enough and it was very slow. It was much more successful to follow the template outline which was a little farther out. LMK if you have any other questions! BTW-My mom saw other homes in their 30 year old tract that had done this which was where she got the idea-I'd never thought of it either!

David is correct (Kasie is always correct - right David?). The heat pump is in defrost (a/c is on) plus the heat strips. Next time you mesure this temp, take a quick run outside. The heat punmp should be buzzing and the condenser fan off. The heat strips will give you about 13 degrees for every 5 kw (based on a blower fan volume of 1200 cfm). So, if the heat pump is putting out 85 degree air when its frigid out and you have 10kw of strips, you should measure about 111 degrees after the air handler. If the heat pump is not running, but the 10kw strips are (emergency heat), you should have about 96 degrees (70 supply air temp plus 26 from strips).

Good point Luis, I just figured the upstate NY part would narrow it down. The experiment is more geared toward the winter and bloom hardy specimens, but I’m not ruling the others out. To satisfy your curiosity, some of my mop heads are still totally green and others are just about in full dormancy, and they’re all lined up next to each other. Same goes for just about everything else around the area. It’s been a warm fall, and for the most part the stuff that’s totally dormant is in the mountains or spots that pick up pockets of colder air. We’re forecast for upper 50’s to mid 60’s every day for the next week.

Kenji on more flavor with bone: Bone In, or Out? Talk to most chefs and they'll tell you that it's always better to cook meat with the bone-in because it adds flavor. I've always been pretty skeptical of this one for a number of reasons. First of all, the exterior of a bone does not have much flavor in it at all—you have to dig down into the marrow to get at it (just ask my dogs). Secondly, meat muscle fibers are pretty tough customers when it comes to allowing molecules to move around within them. If an overnight marinade can only penetrate meat by a few millimeters, fat chance that flavor from a relatively flavorless bone is going to make much difference. Indeed, I tested this out with a few prime rib roasts a couple months back. One I roasted bone-in, another I removed the bone and tied it back on, a third I removed the bone and tied it back on with a layer of aluminum foil in between (to completely prevent any potential transfer of flavor), and the fourth I roasted boneless. All three of the roasts with bones tied on them were indistinguishable from each other in both texture and flavor, so there's that myth smashed for ya. On the other hand, the boneless roast did come out a little dryer in the specific region where the bone was missing. Really, a bone accomplishes two things: It prevent some moisture loss by reducing the surface area of a steak, and it keeps that section of the steak from overcooking by acting as an insulator. Ok, three things if you count looking-really-awesome as an accomplishment. I personally still go with bone-in cuts when I have the option because I enjoy chewing the crispy bits of fat around the bone, but don't let anyone force you to do it if you aren't interested