Plumbing is simple, here are the basic precepts: 1.) cold is on the right, hot is one the left. 2.) -hit doesn't flow uphill. 3.) payday is on Friday. I'm enjoying "The Great Mortality" and there has been recent discussion of medieval santitary provisions, or rather lack thereof. Hooray for Mary! (the operator's manuals for commercials sewing machines are often similar to that which you received with the sink... they can provide hours of humorous reading since they're pretty thick). And I'm quite sure our own little "survivor", Sue, is just tickled pink to wash out her flannel Union Suit and be done with the no heat phase. Praise be good friends! That's great news and I sure hope you realize improved comfort and savings in the coming season. I would like to see Phoebles and Clousseau cooking up some mischief together, too. I suspect no counter would be high enough with the two of them in the same room, lol. Mary, do you make the absolutely sinful Christmas Pudding made with suet and steamed and served with hard sauce? Mum used to make that and I've not had it in years but it's so delicious (a cardiologist's dream/nightmare). The mould is quite old, belonged to my grandmother and quite possibly her mother, too... should look for it on the next trip to THTTF. Eden, you and I share the same appreciation of just what a can of paint and some elbow grease can do. :) I smiled when you said you shopped for new stools and then decided to spiff the old ones up. We have that in common, too. If you lived down the road we could trade furniture when we tired of what was in our houses, lol. 'bug, the hearth is raised from the floor using 2x10s, 2x4s, and a layer of 3/4" plywood atop that to provide lateral stability. There is also a layer of 1/2" cement board on top of the plywood (non-combustible). Atop the cement board there will be mortar and tiles (non-combustible). The skimcoated chimney is inside the room and that is non-combustible. The stove will be positioned just over 36" from the walls and trimwork around the windows. This meets and exceeds the code requirements our town uses (they are very strict), requirements vary somewhat with the sort of fuel a "stove" uses, propane, pellets, corn, etc.. Additionally, the stove is outfitted with a metal heatshield on the bottom of it. When in operation the tiles below the stove remain cool to the touch. Interestingly, the company offers a complete line of heat shields for sides, back, and stove pipes to assist in more challenging installations. Our insurance company has been great; we've provided them with all the specifications of the stove, the hearth, and a copy of the signed inspection. OK, gotta run and deal with those miserable restaurant benches. I managed to get a splinter of the plywood in the pad of my right thumb yesterday. It began to fester and became quite sore. I increased the discomfort by picking away at it with a pin, but I THINK I got it (tiny!). But "Thumbkin" is still annoyingly tender. Make it a productive day, you guys.

My favorite restaurant supply store find is my measuring scoops. I gave a set to Diana in the my favorite things swap - you can see a picture on that thread. Restaurant supply stores are good for getting substantial stainless steel measuring cups and spoons instead of the wimpy aluminum ones that bend or dent. Or the big thin spatulas that can be used for tasks like lifting a layer of cake after you have split it horizontally to add fillings. In addition to what others have mentioned, they often have the cake pans with straight sides instead of sloped which is nice when making layer cakes. Around here there are two kinds - the ones that sell mainly food with a bit of equipment and the ones that sell mainly equipment - everything from utensils to major appliances. Smart and Final and Cash and Carry are the food kind - they are under the same ownership but Cash and Carry is bigger with more specialized food. For example, our Smart and Final has a few kinds of Torani syrup but the Cash and Carry has the full line plus some other lines of flavoring syrups. The equipment ones aren't all equal either. The area that has Cash and Carry has about 3 of the non-food restaurant supply stores. One carries nicer more varied stuff than the other two. But all have at least the basics like the stainless steel sheet pans, good cooling racks and lots of utensils. All the ones around here are open to the public. You don't have to be a restaurant or have a tax ID. Here is a link that might be useful: Link to thread with picture of the scoops

I miss our malls. One had an arcade and a movie theater, so one could waste the whole day there having fun. It was recently demolished. The other is still standing but the last time I was there was only to go to bath and body works and then to the soft pretzel place and great American cookie. I haven't been in probably a decade, as its just not a convenient trip for me anymore. The other night minion at my job sometimes goes there just to walk for exercise and says that its still pretty well occupied by stores, but not very busy at all and he wonders why it's still standing. He suspects its the food court, which has those places ONLY found in food courts, though I have noticed a lot of those places are joining forces and opening standalone stores. For example the are building a great American cookie/ marble slab creamery combo nearby. Still, even though I miss those days of lurking at the mall all day, I acknowledge that I contributed to their demise. I prefer the variety and convenience of online shopping,and don't feel bad about it. I remember everyone of my friends growing up had the same clothes, because there was only the mall and Kmart to shop in, and they didn't have much variety. Now, I am looking forward to November so I can break out my Thanksgiving dresses, turkey leggings and pumpkin pie headband, and stuffing earrings. Can't find any of that at the mall! And Sears would probably never have a pink rice cooker in stock. So malls are fine for nostalgia but for practicality, its better that that real estate be converted into something more useful, IMO.

I desire to purchase absolutey nothing! I have been down sizing for years now and I actually have empty storage spaces in the house. The attic is empty and most of kitchen cabinets are empty. I have only 4 pairs of shoes and my hanging clothes are only about four feet, not including the winter coats and a few sweaters that hang with them. I not only find peace in having less to maneuver around, I also find a lot more value in what remains. Not wandering around and not buying is not hard to do, given how so many of the storefronts have disappeared. Other than the usual suspects of Walmart, Target and Kohls, there is really not much for miles. Even though I live in the burbs of DC, the real shopping is almost gone and all the malls within a reasonable distance from me have closed. The one remaining about 15 miles north of me has so little traffic that the stores in it dont even open until noon. I really dont understand why this is. This area is densly populated and there is a high income level here. I can see no explanation for it. but it is true. I actually worked in retail at the mall for a number of years. dont know what is to become of the actual builiding. Other than the three usual suspects there is no where to go to shop, anyway. The local Macys died an ugly death last month and was the only breath that was left in the mall. All gone. BBB, all gone. Pennys, all gone, from near here. Ktichen stores, all gone. There are no little unique shops of any manner in this community. They could not afford the retail space and the over head. Only the big box stores survive and Kohls often seems to have more employees than it does customers. I really baffles me, but I stand by my assessment of the situation.