"Won't watering in the evening lead to disease?" In much of the US, yes. It won't where I am, because it's too dry. And I get a lot more precipitation than you do (I don't get to say that very often). I had soil that would not absorb water very well, so I set my sprinklers to run in cycles. I'd water for 20 minutes per station (6 stations), then repeat for three cycles. I actually set each station to run for a different amount of time, but that's due to my sprinkler system. The main point is that you want to give the water a chance to soak in before watering the next time. I'm surprised fescue is the norm there. I would have expected warm season grasses. I was going to suggest buffalo grass, but I don't think it's adapted to CA. I think if I were in your shoes, I'd be tempted to switch to either sheep fescue or blue grama. Unfortunately, both are bunch grasses so they'd likely need reseeding periodically (as would a tall fescue lawn). They'll both spread a bit if mowed (the sheep fescue can spread somewhat aggressively) but are still considered bunch grasses. Blue grama will go dormant if it gets cold enough. I've seen native grama stands that were green at the end of August here (basically after almost 3 months with no water). Sheep fescue can go dormant in summer, but will stay alive on as little as 5-10 inches of precipitation per year. I've planted some in my back yard but haven't had time to see how it does in semi-neglect. The grass that Gary mentioned is a hybrid between KBG and Texas Bluegrass. I think it's still classified as a KBG variety, but it's a hybrid.

Terriks, that's a good one!! The issue I'm having with some suggestions (both here and from a couple of "real life" friends) is that I don't want this title to sound like it's the name of my business... if you know what I mean. For example, Resourceful Interiors sounds like a great name for a business. Kinda wish the editor had assigned a name. This is a lot of responsibility! (Although maybe not -- for all I know, this column will get cut after the first issue!) Right now I seem to be focusing on: House Proud Feathering Your Nest Department of the Interior If it helps, here's my rough draft of the beginning of the first column. And can I just say it is very difficult to write only 300-500 words on a topic! Okay, so here's the beginning. If you have editorial comments, please be kind, but basically I'm just including this in case it helps you to "vote" on a column title (just to clarify -- the title I'm looking for is for every column, not specific to the topic of this first one). January is a time of renewal and resolutions. By now, the tree, the menorah, the boxes and gift wrap have been cleared out, and you may be looking around your home and feeling like something is missing. No, not the shedding Christmas tree or the balls of crumpled wrapping paper. But maybe a few things around the house are not...quite... right. Everything looks okay, but you're not excited about your living room. Your kitchen's a mess. Your bathroom is blah. Perhaps as you peer around your spaces, you'll find that you've committed some basic decorating sins. Care to redeem yourself? It's not very difficult. Sometimes it's even fun. Following are just a few of the sins you may be unintentionally guilty of.

Liz's post on the May thread reminded me that I had the hardest time with remembering Levy's Small Island for a book club. I normally have an excellent memory - though not that of my younger days - and I simply could not remember either the title of the book or the author when I went to the book store. I must have checked the email 6 times before I finally wrote myself a note to take with me to the booksellers. Not a good title perhaps, but I loved the book. My introduction to James Lee Burke was In the Electric Mist with a Confederate General at the library. How could I pass up such a title? I'm embarrassed to admit, but my first Elizabeth Peter's novel, picked up purely for the title, was Naked at Lunch. I agree that Zelazny had some excellent titles - the Short story A Rose for Ecclesiastes is a favorite. How about Stone's titles? The Agony and the Ecstasy is good. For Whom the Bell Tolls Freeman Dyson's Disturbing the Universe M.F.K. Fisher's book about cooking during WWII food rationing, How to Cook a Wolf Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by Berendt A good title is much more likely to pull me in than good cover art.

Your plan sounds right to me as well. I had my tile end in line with the cabinets as well and it seems right to me. I don't like it when the backsplash sticks out past the cabinet line. In the case of your sink corner since there is no cabinet above it's not really an issue and it would look best for the tile to extend to the end of the countertop. I definitely think you want tile on wall next to the sink. Lots of splashes with it that close.