At the risk of obfuscating communicative efficacy of this electronic missive Talk about self provocating! :-) Tile, directly on plywood, can peel off and cracks easier Short answer-- I disagree. Longer answer-- If done properly, it's actually a much stronger installation. However, the person doing the installation must be VERY familiar with the procedures for installing over plywood. I wouldn't even trust most pros. All it takes is one shortcut or missed spec, and it can cause the floor to fail. something so small as the species of the plywood is all it would take. So, for all intents and purposes, you're better off with the CBUs and membranes available today. It is best to use concrete backer board - but it is very thick (3/8" ?) There are two thicknesses of cement board (CBU)-- 1/4" and 1/2". So long as you have a 3/4" subfloor (for ceramic, or 1 1/8" in two layers for stone), you can use 1/4" CBU. The 1/2" is for walls. Another alternative that I've found is hardy backer board (gypsom board) -- half as thick as concrete backer board but very rigid and works well with mortar. Completely wrong. First, as I just stated above, cement boards also come in 1/4" version. Even with Hardi, it should be 1/2" version used on walls. Secondly, it is NOT a gypsum core product. It's a cement/ fiber board. The only gypsum core product approved as a tile backer is Denshield, and for that very reason, I don't like using it. is the gypsom board rigid enough for floor use? Perhaps... but I wouldn't test it with natural stone. Assuming you're again talking about Hardi, it's MORE than strong enough. Keep in mind (and this is why I said setting tile directly over double layer plywood is a stronger installation)-- ALL CBU's, whether they be gypsum core, cement/ fiberboard, or cement board, are there as nothing more than a bonding surface. The subfloor gives you all the strength. Try putting a piece of even 1/2" CBU across a pair of 2x4's set 16" apart, and step on it-- you'll see what I mean. It has practically no structural strength at all. Now do the same thing with a piece of 1/2" plywood. You'll see a HUGE difference. The only strength the CBU needs to have is strength of bond. I have used gypsom board for the backsplash behind the sink and stove as well. For any place other than wet areas (those areas where direct constant water spray is imminent), sheetrock is sufficient to tile over, even using the heavier stone tiles. OKAY!! What else have you learned? :-)

We love this range.... & would buy it again! As with every new appliance, there are new things to become familiar with.... the induction cooktop is very straight-forward (and we had used an induction plate prior to buying this range, so induction wasn't a new concept to us), but the oven seems to maintain more humidity than my old one, but I have learned to use convection more since I last posted... so for things that i want a drier or crisper result, I use the convection option, or open the door a bit to let the extra moisture/steam out. I haven't found it takes noticeably longer to preheat than my old self-cleaning oven, but I see others have complained of this. The oven interior is slightly smaller than my old one, but I've gotten used to that, too, now. I recently used the bread-proof setting which worked like a charm. If I had a wish list, I would put a small hob at the front, since I use the small hobs a lot, and if you are stirring or tending the pot, it is nice not to have to reach back quite so far for an extended period of time. There weren't many choices available in my region when I bought this range. It was either this one or a GE cafe induction range. I'm sure there are more to choose from now, but I'm better with fewer choices, otherwise I'd never be able to make up my mind! Wait for the big sales if you can... stores sells these for $1000 - $1500 off the regular price, & I've seen these big appliance sales more than once each year.

The Winged Victory of Samothrace is a beautiful 2nd-century BC sculpture of the Greek goddess Nike (Victory). It has been prominently displayed at the Louvre since 1884 and is one of the most famous sculptures in the world. It is estimated to have been created around the year 200 BC and is 8 feet high and made of marble. After visiting the Louvre earlier this fall, Brad fell in love with Winged Victory, and after returning home used a 3D printer to create a miniature version that he and my daughter, Jaime, can display in their home. I'm adding a few pictures of the process. Brad's winged victory was created in multiple sections of various bright colored plastic material (whatever he happened to have on hand - color doesn't matter since the finsihed product will be painted and finished to look like the original marble statue). In one photo, he has incuded a wine bottle for size comparison, so you can see his model is quite small.

Neem oil is better than most for an organic solution. It is toxic to bees so spraying towards evening after bees have gone to bed is helpful. I do have bumble bees that spend the night on blooms. Watch spraying in hot weather I did in past burn my foliage even thou I started at dawn. It may have been very humid and wasn't dry by the time the sun hit. I just don't remember. Best of luck to you and your new roses.