Yeah the GST does not have those little nubs sticking out at this stage, nor does it have such "spotty" markings. Funny runmede that you mention that BSTs can use citrus. I read somewhere that "sometimes they use citrus" - somewhere besides the above post, I mean. And the other day I'd been out and picked up a few teeny BST cats on a couple tiny sprigs of dill, and three or so GST eggs, attached to small pieces of citrus leaves. All I had was one water bottle so put the whole lot in there. Well later on when I realized "hey I need to get those cats out of the water bottle!" - I could've sworn the orange leaves that had been in there had been much bigger. And there were no GST cats, just eggs in there. But I KNOW BSTs don't eat citrus. Well anyway I'm not sure but I could swear there was much more to the citrus leaves with the GST eggs attached. Was I crazy or did the BSTs eat it? Maybe something to try again another time and see what happens, this time actually paying attention to the leaves and cats. Always something! kelly

A picture! LOL. Right now it looks like a redneck dogs breakfast. Just picture long willow sticks everywhere, string, old plastic sheets blowing, tinfoil, the row covers, and now the big owl standing guard over it all. DH tried to do his part by hiding and making hooting sounds, LOL, what a goof! Plus it''s just finished raining, with wind, so it's a twisted wet mess under some wet row cover. Good thing it's not really visible from the road. I like the idea of those scare balloons - seems like I've seen them in my travels somewhere so I'll have to keep my eyes open for them. As I was picking yet another pail of raspberries today I was wondering why the birds don't do me a favour and eat them instead of the wheat. Thanks for the links on the flight netting, Tabardca. Yes, Betty, the sparrows just latch on to a stem and peck away - the beards on the wheat doesn't deter them at all, and when they're done with the stalk there isn't a kernel left, it's just stripped. I'm not sure if a radio would work. I wonder what kind of music sparrows would find appalling? Going with the current theme out there I think I'd have to play Gretchen Wilson's Redneck Woman over and over and over again, LOL.

thanks jjaazzy! i too finally got to speak with john yesterday. my uneasiness about ordering from a source on another continent was put to rest. he is sending me three samples of the hammershell tile. i wanted to see the square and the rectangle patterns so he is making them up for me. the backing is porcelain and i knew about the coating from the website. so, for the hammershell tile the price is $28 US per square and he told me the shipping for 80 sq (my guesstimate) would be $300 US via UPS. i was planning to use it on the floor as a trim/border for marble or porcelain under the tub so it wouldn't be in a high traffic area. i had my suspicions about it's softness. i think by the tub would be safe though, just as long as we don't bring it out too far. i guess i'll make my decisions about that as we get a little closer. that's very strange about the shimmer under the halogens. i wonder if it would make a difference if viewed from another light source? i'll have to see it when it comes in. we don't have any lighting yet (they've just gotten to our roof) so i think i'll take it to a lighting showroom. THANK YOU for the heads up! in the meantime, let me know how you do with shelltile.net. i'll have to look them up as i haven't come across them before. i'll let you know when my samples come in. ...oh, and which of the tile are you looking to buy? thanks again!

coco...I posted a long thread about this a few weeks back when I was refinishing my black walnut top. I used a 4" natural bristle brush for all of the coats. I followed the directions...put the initial product on with the brush (liberally) and then followed it up with a clean cloth (old tshirt) that was then saturated with the Waterlox and wiped very steadily (no pressure) behind the brush. It took 3 people...one to brush, one to do the rag behind, and one to hold up the metal clamp light so we could see what we were doing. Once I got the tiny bubbles which yielded a rough finish, I had to get more aggressive with the sanding and even used a 220 in places. I sanded until the board was very smooth and I couldn't SEE any visible bubble. Then I followed with a final coat of Waterlox what was perhaps applied a little thicker than the previous three. That is what WORKED FOR ME...it may not be right for you in your environment/humidity/temp, etc. You could also call the Waterlox people. There are a few threads here (mine included) that you should search for and read...lots of good info. I am about 90% satisfied with my finish...The professional wood floor guy looked at it last night as he was finishing the final poly coat on floors and thought it looked realy good. I may do another coat of finish once we get moved into the new house and settled. HTH capegirl