First, I'd like to say Thank You for the compliments! Second, in answer to the original question, I used to enjoy coming in here because like others, I like to share my knowledge, and often learn, too. I've always found herbs fascinating, and there's always something new to learn. Third, one of the reasons I stopped posting here was because of the bias in attitude of some contributors. While it IS a herbalism forum, there are very few here who are qualified to give treatment advice. I found this to be of great concern. Anyone who has read any of my posts will know that I am an advocate of herbal medicine. They will also have realised that I do not hesitate to recommend seeking more conventional medical help in serious, or chronic, cases. I believe that there should be a balanced approach, and to be fiercely blinded to one or the other form of treatment is downright dangerous. I found the bias towards alternative medicine here to be a little TOO strong. To me, it is as if some people have completely shut their minds to the fact that herbal medicine is not always the magic wand they want it to be. There are several reasons for this - herbal medicine is not an exact science when it comes to dosages; it usually takes longer for results to show; some conditions are so serious or life-threatening that herbal medicine just won't do the job required; and worst of all (to my way of thinking) there is an immense risk in using herbs for conditions which are self-diagnosed. Sadly, many herbalists are able to prescribe a particular herb for a particular condition, but they are lacking in the ability to diagnose in the first place. That is why I advise people to take advantage of practitioners on both sides of the fence. Get your diagnosis, then get informed about the alternatives you have, then make an informed choice. In answering specific questions, I can (often) say that X herb is good for X condition. I cannot tell you for sure if you have X condition, or something else. I cannot tell you the correct dosage for YOU (though I can (often) tell you the usual dosage for Mr or Mrs Average). I will, whenever relevant, mention that herbs have a down-side as well as an up-side. Some people object to that, demanding that we only tell them what they want to hear - the good side. Some people also object to the very idea of conventional treatments - where, in my view, conventional and herbal treatments can go very well hand-in-hand. I still browse through here from time to time. I haven't replied to questions recently because I'm rather too wrapped up in my own health problems (I've been ill for about 18 months with only one end in sight) to be concerned about the health problems of others. Call that selfish if you will, but that's how it is. It doesn't stop me talking about herbs in general over on the Herbs Forum. Meantime, I urge all participants in this Herbalism Forum to keep an open, balanced mind, and to be courteous to each other and respecting of views other than their own. Remember, too, that some people come in here in desperation, looking for a miracle. Be gentle with them.

I knew of one guy who had done work before for me. He was not interested in the job. I did not know anyone who had used a GC before, so I started looking at cabinets at cab shops (have their own crews), big box stores, and hardware/lumberyard stores. I was at a lumberyard that sold Merillat Cabinets and they really were cheaply made cabs with those drawers with short little sides on them. I have a problem with blatant honesty. Can't help but say what comes to mind. So I said something about why do real estate ads put "Merillat Cabinets" as a bragging point? The salesman explained about the different grades of their cabinetry and we got into a conversation. I asked him if he had anybody he could recommend for installing cabinets and remodeling and he showed me pictures of a beautiful deck he had made by one carpenter. He said the guy did general carpentry and remodeling. When I met with him, Jim showed me his book of photos and gave me some phone numbers of customers to call. He also had his GC license displayed in the book, along with insurance certificates. Best of all, he was INTERESTED in my job. He asked questions, got out his measuring tape and checked to see if what I was thinking was possible to do. He made suggestions to do it better or easier than I had been thinking of. We meshed and it was clear we would make a good working team. Guy #2 I got in a similar way, he was someone who one of the cabinet sellers sometimes used to install. He came out to look, showed little interest, and never gave a bid on the work. Guy #3 was from another recommendation from a lumber yard. He came out and listened to my ideas without getting very engaged, gave me a bid on doing the work and talked about how to cut back to save money. He did not understand from my conversation with him that I was after a good-looking area first, within a reasonable cost, but that I was willing to pay what was needed to get what I wanted. It was a complicated job. The kitchen was like a 16 ft long galley kitchen. A room off of the back half of the kitchen used to be a porch and was now sort of a sun room. There were only three steps for the 31" drop down from the kitchen, and that was what got us needing the remodel. But adding more steps took away floorspace in the 10 x 10 room, making it unusable as a dining room. (Because of stupid remodeling done to the other end of the kitchen before I bought the house, this stairway was the only entrance to the kitchen and basement for any large items like new fridges and furnaces, so the staircase could not be less than about three and a half feet to four feet wide.) The back door being smack dab in the center of the wall opposite the kitchen did not help. Because of the shed-style roof and the placement of the other back door, we could not move that back door left or right along that wall, either! We had dogs going in and out of that room, so a dining set was an impediment to herd movement! On top of that, our small back yard had a black walnut tree. Tree + 3 dogs + squirrels taunting dogs = mud. We needed a paw-washing station at the back door. We had tried damp towels, buckets of water, a coiled hose that attached to the kitchen sink and stretched to the back door and we could use to spray muddy feet in a basin. Nothing worked. You should have seen what happened when you lost your grip on that coiled hose when the spray was on and it slammed its way back against the kitchen cabinets! Jim was the only one who was enthusiastic about my assertion that the plumbing in the basement was not that far away and could possibly be used. He was willing to figure out if we had enough slope for a return plumbing run for waste water. He was willing to go into the auxiliary basement under the back half of the kitchen and insulate it properly, then do the plumbing to get the water and waste pipes to the old back porch. He was a real joy to work with. Jim took the drawings the cabinet guy and I had made and planned out the kitchen remodel. He faced each new challenge with a few choice words, a swipe at his brow, and a, "Nancy, can you come here, I need to show you something," followed by options for remediation and cost estimates (no support post on the right side of the "header" a previous owner had made going between kitchen and old back porch, three live electrical wires found with wirenuts on them left hanging in the walls, moldy drywall and rotted out rafters in that shed roof...) Pretty soon, Jim was checking EVERYTHING before closing up a wall, given that doodlehead's idiocy. I am sure Jim saved us a lot of trouble and heartache, if not our lives. He has done every job on both of my houses ever since, too.

It's been here for years. The last couple of months gals have been posting pictures of their beautiful table settings. very inspiring. And of course other holiday things come on over and join us!!

barb- I agree with sleevedog, there aren't any dumb questions. It's something you haven't experienced that you need/want to know, and this is a handy outlet for information from people you trust. BTW - I do use powdered stevia, and even grow stevia in my herb garden and use it in whole dried leaf, powder, and extract. Which one I use depends on what I'm adding it to. I get the liquid flavored stevia from Amazon or iHerb (there are probably many other sources for the same brands so look for best price and special offers). The brands I have on hand are NOW and SweetLeaf. I saw a display of Harvest Snaps at Wal-Mart and I thought how clever marketing was to place it in the produce section of the store to make you think you were eating healthy produce. If memory serves me, the one I looked at was green pea and was made from 70% whole peas. The good news, there weren't very many ingredients in the list - peas, rice, oil, citric acid, and maybe something else - a chemical preservative. At least it came in under 5-ingredients, which is one of my personal "food rules" when it comes to processed foods. Michael Pollen said it best in one of his books - eat all the junk food you want --- as long as you make it yourself. I make sweet potato chips at home in the microwave when we want the occasional chip to go along with a lettuce wrap, or cut some corn tortillas into wedges and bake them when I make guacamole or salsa. I make high-protein "crackers" with the pulp remaining from making nut milk and dehydrate them. Dehydrated apple slices and a few nuts or peanuts has always been a snack food available in our home. Believe me, if you have to do more then rip a bag open, you'll have and consume a lot less snacks (LOL). -Grainlady