Hi. Thanks for replying. I have a half barrel waterfall that flows into a mini stream I made with three separate pools in it, that then flows into the pond. That is filled with plants like parrotfeather and iris, so I thought I might be able to let the water out in there in the barrel, so that it goes through the plant roots and the three sections before getting into the pond. It's a bit easier to vacuum out those small areas than the big pond. Also I read some info here about putting a nylon stocking on the hose inlet so all the gunk doesn't get into the shop-vac in the first place so it's cleaner water - think I might try that. I could perhaps put rocks into one of the pools so the water goes through that as well before getting to the pond. I did let the pond go too long without cleaning it up - other than cleaning the filter regularly. I had a problem with one of the the floating plants getting out of control (frogbit I think)so I decided to empty it all out to try to get that plant out of there as well as give it a good cleaning, so I built a second fairly good sized pond to put the fish in in the meantime. That should help - just having a place to put the fish if necessary. Meg

Ah, I see I participated in that thread, have now read, reread and SAVED your technique. Shelves not a problem, have a bunch of ugly plastic ones I was upset my son dumped on me, now I'm happy; enough for some indoors and out. $55 for the timer and mist system, few bucks for some coir. If I lose too many or all of the current batch of cuttings, I will try that next but will have to wait until spring to do it outdoors although if I can get some cuttings and rig up an indoor setup, I could possibly do some indoors this winter and both inside and out in the spring (little more cash outlay to set up lights, etc.). 1. I still need to know if you have to run electricity to the timer, it would tend to determine where I did the cuttings. I have a narrow spot on the west side of the house that gets almost no sun, plenty of room and not seen very well from the street, possibly could find the right tree to use but I would prefer people not get too curious about it as that could invite difficulties. My bottles have already attracted attention from a group of elderly walkers and who knows who else. Would that work? 2. I tried to find a catalog of cuttings from UC Davis and couldn't, not ready for that yet, but would like to find out more about that. 3. Thanks :-) It seems to me that the faster you can get your cuttings to root and get on to the next stage, the less chance of losing them.

Sorry, I'm not good at explaining. When I save them, they do not save the picture but show the Paint Shop Pro 7 symbol. I want them to show the picture so that I can cut it out and attach it to the date on a calendar. I've never done this before. I really hope I can get it for this one particular gift.

1. Lifetime Sealer: With modern sealer technology advancing as fast as (or even faster than!) computer technology, it is difficult to keep up with all the developments. The most recent development is called "nano technology", which, for all intents and purposes, mean that the solid particles in the sealer (the stuff that makes the sealer work) are very, very small and combined with advanced solvent technology, these particles can penetrate deeper into the stone and do a better job of sealing it. There are a number of sealers on the market that make use of this technology and some even give lifetime warranties for properly applied sealers. A couple of these are "Dry Treat" and "Surface Treatment Technologies". STT has a proprietary combination sealer consisting of SB (the first application) and FE (the final application) that offers superior protection even on extremely porous surfaces. The guys over at the SFA did side-by-side testing of Dry Treat and the STT combination and found STT to be the superior product. That said, there are a few others out there that I am not familiar with and could offer the same benefit. Just be wary of companies that claim to be "certified applicators" or some such. A lot of people saw a niche in a market and are trying to fill it by employing shady techniques. Lifetime sealers often are more expensive than regular good quality sealers, and as some have noted before me, sealer application is no big deal and can be done at home and by yourself fairly easily. Just be sure to purchase a high quality product with a recognized brand name, such as Miracle or StoneTech, to name a couple. BUT: Not all stones need sealer either. Stones like Blue Pearl, Ubatuba, Black Galaxy, Verde Peacock, Verde Butterfly, Platinum Pearl and many others are too dense to absorb any liquids - sealers included. Sealers only protect stone from staining through absorption, so in stones with low absorption co-efficients, sealing would be superfluous. Sealing dense stones could lead to nasty results, such as streaking and ghost etching, so DO NOT go by the motto of "seal it anyway, it could not hurt". Rather test your stone for absorption by dripping water on it to see if it darkens any. If the water has no effect on the stone, sealing it is unnecessary. Seams: DO NOT pick a stone to satisfy the abilities (or lack of!) the fabricator. A good fabricator will be able to make a good seam in whatever stone you select. MIA standards for seams list 1/8" as being acceptable. As with all bureaucratic institutions they are decidedly behind the curve in technology and applications, and there are fabricators who strive to make seams virtually disappear. Do know that it is more challenging to make seams "disappear" in veined or boldly patterned stones and fabricators will charge accordingly. Ask your intended fabricator(s) to have you see actual installed kitchens and look at the quality of the work they have done - not just on the seams, but on the rest of the kitchen too. Check for good edge polishing, consistent overhangs and overall appearance of the job. Speak to the homeowners (if they are available) and ask about their experiences with the fabricator. Showrooms could be misleading. Remember, they are designed to make you buy stuff :) 2.1 Seam Locations: There are very many variables that go into the location of a seam. Appearances, although important too, are secondary to a number of them, including slab length, material pattern, installation hazards, cabinet and cut-out locations and access to the installation, to name a few. You could ask your stone guy to consider a seam in a location that would be preferable to you, and he will proceed with due consideration, but ultimately, it is his decision where they go in order to provide a quality installation. A good fabricator will discuss them with you and provide motivation for his choices. 2.2 Seams over dishwashers: If done well and supported properly, there is no issue with having a seam over a dishwasher. The glue will not melt, the stone will not weaken and no disaster will occur IF it was done well. Most fabricators will avoid doing seams over the DW because the extra precautions are time and material intensive, but sometimes they can not be helped. Extra precautions for seams over a DW could include a "biscuit" joint at the seam, a ledger board screwed in the back wall or support plates glued under the seam, to name a few. Pricing: Pricing is a carbuncle. Every shop has a different way of doing it, and practices vary from region to region. Some shops will give all inclusive prices, some use itemized bills, others will charge for labor and material and some others might charge them separate. In some parts of the country fabricators require you buy your own materials. My advice would be to compare the bottom line of all quotes and determine of you are comparing oranges to oranges. Determine what you would like: material, edge profile, cut-outs and backsplashes. Get estimates from the fabricators that will deliver the same end result and compare those. See if the price includes all the options you prefer, along with material and installation. Once you have all the details determined, looking at the final prices should then give a you a monetary comparison between the different operators. Although the price should be important when deciding on a fabricator, do not forget to look at other things like quality, customer service and your own *gut feeling* when you shop for a stone guy. 3.1 MIA or not?: Does it matter? The MIA has no means of policing the fabricators that belong to them and joining the association only costs about $500 or so. Anybody can write a check and then put MIA on their business cards. We used to belong to them, but for fundamental reasons gave up our membership. This did not make our quality go downhill all of a sudden. In fact, the standards that we set for our shop were consistently higher than the MIA "required" for any of their members. In short - being an MIA member will NOT be a guarantee of any kind of good service or quality installation. Much rather look at the ethics and business practices of the fabricators on your short list. See point 3 Color of the stone: You mentioned that you had white cabinets, and very little light coming into your kitchen, also that you had an oak floor. The stones like Verde Butterfly, Ubatuba and Verde Peacock could be real "light sponges" and, for all intents and purposes, turn almost black indoors with limited light. A medium toned stone that would offer a contrast with your cabinets and pick up on the color of your floor would IMHO be a better choice for you than a really dark one. Have you considered stones like Tropic Brown, Autumn Brown, Giallo Fiorito, Giallo Napoleon or Giallo Vicenza (a stone that would be awesome with your floor and cabinets) Giallo Vicenza Giallo Napoleon All the materials I have named here will probably fall in the lower to medium price ranges. The Gold and Silver stone is most likely high to exotic. Hope this helped :)