Texan here - sometimes posted under chickadee_42us. This may appear as highjacking this post to another topic - As interesting as the topics can be and as mundane as the topics can be there will always be someone who believes their viewpoint is the best and will strongly address someone elses viewpoint. While typing a reply, the sound that is relayed upon another persons reading it may not have been the intention it was meant to give; while the reader of the response can become defensive to they reply. Now having said that, some people are plain rude, argumentative and as my dad always said, You can't argue with ignorant people. As for the forum, yes, it was a nice place to read the journals and the people who kept the forum going were fastidious in KEEPING THE JOURNAL GOING. It seems like more people are currently lurking than posting, maybe because they fear starting a topic that might not be everyones cup of tea for conversation or they have been burnt by someones sarcastic reply. If I remember correctly the topics were more various but the same topics were covered, spring time did bring more Chicken topics - so what? That appears to be when the hatcheries are selling there chicks! My advice, IF YOU HAVEN'T ANYTHING POSITIVE TO SAY, keep your fingers from typing a reply because know one wants to read derogatory comments or the repetitive defense. If you have contructive information then please reply. my two cents, Roxann

Here's a suggestion since you seem persistently bound and determined to bring about your moniker's demise: go to Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail or wherever and create a TEMPORARY new email address. Use that email address to create a new user profile. Once created, you can then change the email address via your profile page back to your old one if you prefer. If GW complains that that email address is in use, you may have to create yet another temporary email address to act as a placeholder for your old user name. Good Luck. GW seems glitch-y these days. (Keep the alternate email address to use when you want some measure of anonymity on the Web or to avoid possible Spam sign-up.) New Year = New Name??? : D

Link works for me on my desktop. Looks great Pete! Thanks for the photos. I agree, there is something great about watching a tiny tree grow into something substantial. The majority of my plants started as puny mail orders. Only now have I started buying larger size plants and stretching my plant budget.

Your bathroom has a lovely base. It’s also natural to hyperventilate and have doubts/regret when you’re at this stage; it’s not decorated/done. You will nit-pick over things now that you won’t care about or remember in 6mo; it happens. I honestly don’t see a reason to fire a designer. For me, two things stand out: Unlike the inspiration pic, someone chose standard shower glass rather than low iron glass. That choice is perfectly fine, but it alters the aesthetic when you have light colored shower tile. I’m surprised there’s no tile or beadboard tub surround. I guarantee there will be some wall splashes…even when careful. Here’s my new bathroom (no designer - just me). I love it, but I freaked out over the initial plainness, over my floors being “too white”, etc, etc, until I brought in texture and color. (Photos taken with dusky / overcast natural light. Porcelain marble-look tile and low-iron glass.) Go back to the ”feel” you wanted to achieve. Reflect on the color(s) that speak to you. You can do this.