Pup, Growing roses takes lots of trys, and lots of patience and most roses need at least 3 years to see if they really work. I have Constance Spry near Westerland and Tamora and Belle Storey underneath. Belle is one of my favorites, but she is not a cutting rose and probably needs some time to gain strength. Once she is established, she is a great producer. A lighter pink rose that might work for you could be Compassion, a newer Harkness, or Hybrid Musks Felicia or Cornelia. Both of these are not fast growers, but once they establish are incredible. I think you could think about a yellow on the other side of Westerland like Crepescule. Hoov has a picture of hers in the Gallery. I love Royal Sunset. It is a beautiful rose for our foggy area. It produces an abundance of fragrant blooms. But, it is not a cutting rose, the blooms do not last, but there are so many of them, it doesn't matter to me. And I do not think the colors would go with Westerland, they are very different on the color spectrum. If you live in the East Bay, you are welcome to come over and see mine. Have you thought about adding some clems for variation? One of the things that attracts me to English gardens is the way the gardener can add in companion plants and produce an incredibly serene palette. BTW, different strokes as they say, I love petals on the ground. Carol

Oh Dream... I'm sorry you learned the hard way (like most of us who did). Poor little doggie gets blamed for it all. LOL I would have never known had I not purchased this HUGE heavy deep (read $$$) styro circle for a flower arrangement for my Dads headstone. I didn't like the green poking through so weilded out the blue spray paint.... u know the rest. lol Boy was my Mother maaad when she realized it was going to be iffy whether I would have the arrangement finished for decoration day as planned or not. My Husband is another smarty who told me "well I could have told you that was going to happen". pffft , Should have then!! NOT could have. lol

Don't know if you have access to DeWils cabinets (http://www.dewils.com/) but they offer a white, glazed finish and a primed finish ready for paint. Both are painted maple. IIRC, the glaze is a 30% upcharge. It's not a heavy glaze as some are but it's a bit more yellow than we want so we're buying primed cabinets and having them painted. I haven't received a quote yet but it can't be more than the quote I received to sand, prime, paint and glaze my GO cabinets. In fact, it should be less since it saves 2 steps. I'm figuring it will be a wash or a bit cheaper than buying their glazed cabinets. Becktheeng purchased primed DeWils cabinets and had them painted. Here is a link that might be useful: becktheeng's finished kitchen

I use bar cloths (bought in bulk) to wipe counters -- they're large, thick, and cotton. With an under-mount sink, I just fold it in half lengthwise,and hang it so that it's halfway on the countertop and half way hanging down the side of the sink, friction holds it in place. I always rinse and wring it out when I finish with it and before I put it there, so no puddles have ever formed. With under-mount sinks there's no caulking bead around the rim on the countertop to get nasty and moldy from having a damp cloth hanging over it, so no reason not to hang it there. I don't suppose you could do it if you had a wood countertop, but I'm assuming you're talking wood? I change towels out every morning, but use the same one throughout the day. It dries fairly well hanging there, I'm not sure if it drips into the sink from the hanging end, or if the water just evaporates, either way it has been working fine for a couple years now. Love the idea of a towel pig, but not only have I never found a suitable one, but I don't really need it, and am greedy with my countertop space -- especially near the sink, so no pig for me.