Well gosh, mongo, I think I'll save that post for my inspiration file :) Thank you so much for your kind comments. I respect your opinion greatly, as you know, so it means a *lot* to hear that what I've posted passes your inspection. I actually thought of you as I was arranging the stones on the edges of each linear foot so that the transition from one to the next would be unnoticeable :) We have just fallen in love with rocks (it's hard not to, out here) and I think that even though it's a *bit* idiosyncratic to put rock slices up on your bathroom wall, it will appeal to the Oregonian in possible purchasers :) and may not have to be taken down, as the Sicis glass tile backsplash I did in the kitchen just may be. (That was the first mosaic I'd ever done--no cutting, really, except for top and bottom rows--just arranging every single 1/2" tile for a 16 sf space...I just shake my head in disbelief when I think about the fact I just bulldozed my way through that back in 2004--ignorance was totally bliss--I figured "it's just arranging tiles, what's the problem? :)). O.K., and to your other points (bringing the swelling in my head back down to a manageable level :)): We ended up not using the teak because I saw what my cats had done to some wood furniture and I would have had a huge crying fit if they'd done that to the teak after everything we would have put into it, since it wouldn't be as easy to change out as, say, a tabletop. So we're making a table out of the teak, instead! A really nice side table for our family room. That's project #372 in the queue. But I'm so thankful for the finishing advice you gave and I still have it. I used it to test finishes last summer before we decided. And re the *cougar* mosaic? ;) It needed to be sent to Australia on mesh to be installed with hundreds of others on that Steve Irwin tribute wall, so what I did was make a work surface of the picture glued onto cardboard (which really didn't help that much--I couldn't really see it through the mesh enough for it to make any difference so I had to work from another pic I had sitting up next to the mesh) topped w/saran wrap as you noticed, then taped the mesh on it and Weldbonded the pieces of glass onto the mesh. I would go under the mesh every so often to separate the glued mesh from the saran wrap. Then I packed it (I made it *exactly* the size to fit into a large fixed-price international priority box) within an inch of its life and luckily, not a piece came off during the trip. I did have to back-paint, with various colors of nail polish, many of the vitreous tiles so as to get enough color variation to be able to come *anywhere near* the gradation of Malina's gorgeous face. I still think it looks a bit cartoonish...what was I thinking?! Why didn't I do a tiger or a skunk or something?! But I've completely fallen in love with cougar markings and just marvel at the incredible shadings each one has. I think I may do the indirect clear mosaic-mount sticky contact-like paper thing you refer to for the big accent lines in DD's bathroom upstairs, though--I prefer it to surface-mounted onto paper because you can have some sense of how things are going before you take the mount off. I'll put tiles in a grid, then stick the mosaic mount on the front of them, then install them onto the wall. Have you used it? How do you like it compared to mesh? (And mommielady, you underestimate notre cher mongo :) You'll discover he's a complete treasure of this forum--accomplished in way too many areas for a normal human being and extremely generous with his knowledge (and patient with people like me who ask too many irritating detail questions!). I have a theory I'm working on that he must have been the subject of one of those secret mind-experiments the military did "back then"...like a mental Bionic Man, you know...do I date myself?) (DH just looked over my shoulder and said "The Mongo Identity" -- much more contemporary :))

Marylmi, I had trouble finding one for my mother earlier this week too. I checked at two Kaiser facilities near her residence and neither had the senior dose. We had taken her for a doctors appointment and DH said, I'll just pay for the shot for her at the Walgreens clinic back at her residence then (Walgreens doesn't process Kaiser ins). Walgreens was holding a clinic at a senior living facility with no senior dose shots - they were giving everyone the shot for the 'normal' population. I chose not to have her vaccinated (92 and frail). Will have to keep working on it, Kaiser said they thought they should have some in a few days. We hadn't been vaccinated either and we get the senior dose. The first place I called Wednesday when we were home again was out and they couldn't guarantee they would have more. They suggested Safeway as still having some. They did. We got our shots at the Safeway pharmacy. Which still doesn't help Mom at 120 miles away but I'm in touch with Kaiser and fingers are crossed. And FYI, the Safeway pharmacist said when his was gone, there would be no more there. He estimated he had enough to cover the next two or so days.

""Dominant arm" is only used more if you are what: writing/pitching/throwing...I would say most of the time my right arm is very much doing what my left arm is. They sort of work in tandem....I presented my nurse with the arm closest to her. Will repeat that for shot #2. NO way to know today how we will be seated." I'm very right handed and do little or nothing with my left. it's usually just resting. I think that's true of most people, they don't typically work in tandem. As to which side is accessible for an injection, a left-handed friend drove himself to a large mega-site vaccine operation taking place in a parking lot. He wanted the shot in his right arm and the person administering the shot said "no problem, slide your seat back, twist your body, and I'll be able to do that". If that can be done with a person confined in a car seat, any other situation (including in a room) can be easily accommodated.

We're Kaiser members, altho they suggest signing up with the county as well and just taking the first appt that comes up. We're both over 65 so just got our 2nd shots with Kaiser. Takes a bit of standing in line, but they're pretty efficient about it overall. No worse than waiting for a flu shot at peak times, LOL. One volunteer gives her own speech in the after-shot waiting area. I was told this but my spouse, who went on a much more crowded weekend, did NOT get told this by other volunteers working that day: SAVE THAT WHITE CARD! Even if you get a shot from Kaiser or Blue Shield (or wherever), this is a federal vaccination program. This card is the ONLY proof you will have that you have been partially/fully vaccinated. Zip, nada, nothing else. If you lose it, it CANNOT be replaced. There is no federal identification database - V-safe, the CDC's cellphone app (which is strictly voluntary sign-up), only tracks side effects per mfg type/batch # for statistical purposes. Thus, even tho we got our shots through Kaiser (showing our membership cards etc.) our assigned GPs were not involved nor aware of our vaccinations. Due to HIPAA regulations and the fact this is a federal program, Kaiser cannot issue any card replacement for its members. I would assume it is the same for any Blue Shield recipients, et. al. The volunteer suggested taking a photo of front and back of the card with your cellphone camera, so it's easily accessible. She keeps her card with her passport, in a safe place. I thought this was useful info, so hope it's of help to others.