I'm one of the many gardenwebbers trying to decide if marble countertops are right for me and my family. Inspired by sfmomof2, I took a 10" round carrara marble cheese server (purchased years ago from RH) and spread lemon juice all over it. The shiny, highly polished finish, which had withstood years of wiping down with water and melting slices of brie and espoisses, almost instantly etched. The surprise: I loved the etchings! It gave the slab a beautiful, matte finish and old-worldy look. i.e. it looked even more like marble. (I'm starting to think that the "Meg Ryan" technique is the way to go.) Now I just have to decide that I'm OK with that look for an entire island top. (I'm seriously considering the marble-top "French kitchen island" at Crate and Barrel.) I'm curious if there are other etched marble lovers on the kitchen site.

I'm starting some tomato seeds on Feb 3 and some on Feb 11. I start a little early for Tulsa, and use a portable 8' x 6' greenhouse thru most of March to get me to planting time. For those wondering about February's weather, there are several indications that the bitter cold may be coming back in the 10th-15th range and may last a while. It's hard to tell whether the core of the coldest air will slide down the Plains and make a direct hit on us, or if it will slide more toward the SE. This cold air that's building now in Alaska and NW Canada may end up being colder than what we had earlier this month. If the airmass turns out to be that cold, I think it's more likely to come straight down the Plains than to get deflected eastward. We'll see. Trying to accurately predict the weather 3 weeks from now is a fool's folly, really. But the ingredients are coming together for some really cold air to move down into the U.S. eventually. I just wanted to put that out there for everyone to be prepared. Winter is not over. Lee

You don't need to test here...