Thats an interesting point dcarch. I think I actually have a book called feng shui in the garden. We junkers certainly use the four elements more than any kind of gardener I've ever seen. It would be fun to think about more ways to enliven our creations by how we place them. kathy ps Unfortunately I am not at home where this book is, but at work. One of the boilers apparently exploded leaking water everywhere. Fortunately the restaurant was open so the problem got noticed. The poor oil company repair guy has been out straight all weekend due to the problems because of the ice storm, including coming here earlier today, now this! I reading my garden web to try to sooth this headache!

Sorry, but I need to whine here, as I sit in pain with a crushed black and blue pinky finger (really really bad) trying to move what someone referred to as a feng shui ball (cement ball). Feng shui my butt - I'm all out of tylenol. Be careful!

I concur, Chris! This is a great idea for a forum. I'd be very interested in this topic.

Oh my goodness! I never expected such thoughtful and varied replies! But thank you, thank you, thank you, all of you. You have all given me much food for thought. I am in the only remaining rural section of the Garden State -- Northwest New Jersey -- directly across from Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania. Yes, there ARE woods in New Jersey and NO, most of us aren't anything like what you've seen on "Jersey Shore" or "Jersey Housewives." LOL Sorry if I sound unnecessarily defensive, but OMG -- perceptions have NJ have gotten so bad that half the time I lie and say I live in PA!!! ; ) Just to clarify: I was using the term Feng Shui tongue-in-cheek as I had read somewhere that red and yellow were recommended in kitchens designed under that paradigm. Also bought a book about it when we were searching for a new home. I found many of the ideas made sense, as in common sense -- like de-cluttering and making conscious decisions about placement of our objects. I did, however, stop reading after about the fifth chapter because it got too darn complicated, even superstitious. A funny side note: just recently my husband and I moved our bedroom furniture because I wanted to wake up in the morning to see the view outside (windows on south facing wall). I told him I had read that the head of the bed should be on the north wall for marital harmony and feet should be facing south. So basically I convinced him to help me move the furniture by promising he'd get lucky more often if he only helped me change the direction of the bed. Well, that effect was indeed achieved and an additional unforeseen benefit is that we got a better traffic pattern bc we don't have to navigate around the bed to get to the closet anymore. So while apparently I had that "rule" backwards -- it worked for us! LOL I am reminded of a line from Hamlet (I think): "Nothing is neither here nor there, but thinking makes it so." ; ) That said, thanks again for all of your feedback. There was not one person whose posting didn't warm heart. This is a GREAT forum and I'll post pics just as soon as I get one of those round tuits. Warm Regards -- Mamiam