Good! I almost panicked when I read that Fortex was a hybrid because I just saved seed! I thought P. vulgaris were not hybrids ever, so thanks to all for the clarification. OK, yes, keep saving those seeds. I do get a few mongrels here and there but it is easy to tell, the seeds will look different. Just a comment on the green bean varieties. I find Kentucky Wonder as tasty as Fortex. True that the optimal size for picking is a lot smaller, but then it is continuously producing from early spring to....now (I am no longer picking, I am keeping the rest of the production for seeds now) and nothing attacks them. The Fortex seem prone to being attacked by black aphids and have a much narrower thermal range where they go into happy full pod production. They do get these HUGE pods that are so tender and without strings, I agree. However, KW will produce from the 50F to the 100F no kidding. They do not have their maximum production at 50F or 100F, but they still form pods. I have not tried Contender yet. Have other folks noticed this with KW? I wonder if they got adapted to our large night/day thermal swings, since I have been saving seed now for several generations. They also seem to stay pretty pure (no mongrels), even though I grow other P. vulgaris near them.

Thanks everyone for your great comments! Brooke, glad to hear you and your babies are doing well. At the moment, my dining room is a blank slate. The look I'm shooting for isn't formal, rather a sophisticated cottage style? Floors: Dark brown stained hardwood Windows/doors: 1 small window, 10-foot long French sliding doors to the deck, 9 foot archway between kitchen and DR. Lots of sunlight. Trim: Black! Well, at least on the French doors. I've been dying to do black trim in one room! Walls: I'm thinking something neutral like the tan in the striped ottoman above. That picture has been my overall design inspiration. Window treatment: Undecided, need something for just that small window. Furniture: For the moment, I'll be using the Ethan Allen pedestal table that used to be in the eat-in area of our kitchen. I love it, but it only has one leaf, and I'm hoping to find a big round table that will seat 8. I'll keep the 4 E.A. chairs and re-upholster them with a blue patterned fabric or slip-cover them. I like comfy chairs that encourage people to linger at the table. I also like when all the chairs don't match. If I end up having a square table instead, I might even do an upholstered bench on one side. Thanks so much for helping me! BTW, the toekick the KD has been calling "flush" does look a lot like sandy's. Or maybe I'm confused on the terminology. Erika

This is from Pottery Barn, but I don't know if antique brass will fit in your color scheme. It might be nice as a counterpoint to your dark hardwoods and to warm up all the white and marble. That seems to be the trend. $300. Overall: 24.25" diameter, 37.75" high Height including pole(s): 45.75” minimum, 60.75” maximum Short pole: 8” Long pole: 15” Canopy: 5" diameter Cord: 6’ long Bulb: (6) 40 watt B type (not included)

The OP has a mid-century ranch, just like they said. You are just posting different styles of it, Patricia. Much more Mod than traditional ranch. Both are correct for that era, and both can have a diverse range of features, even on the same house. It’s like saying “That Trans-Am and that Firebird are different cars!” No, they aren’t. Same car with different features. Anyway. Some ideas: Original corbels, perfectly appropriate: Good size for cedar posts: This rendering looks good and proportional: Search ‘50‘s ranch house columns’, and other similar terms, for lots of inspiration. With a low roof, you most likely wouldn’t be happy with overly heavy-looking posts. Please sell or donate those wonderful original metal columns, or use them somewhere else. They’re very desirable. :) We bought some, painted them, and attached them to our cedar posts on the back patio: