Hi Michellemarie: Thanks for the tip on the soot issue. We had some trouble getting a specialist to install in that area, so the guy who installed maybe got the logs a little bit off when positioning? When we first installed, the flames did not show up as well as the showroom model did. I asked about the log placement then, and he told me there was only one way to install the logs. After some use, I began noticing the soot--but the flame, for some reason, looks much better. (Maybe DH got in there and moved the logs....I'll have to ask him about that.) I will be going into the showroom where we bought the unit, as the switch which controls the blower has not been working, and I have to pick up a new one of those, so I will see what I can learn then about the log placement. Guess I can show them that picture. The "local" vendor (which is on the mainland) told me they use a generalist from another island to service those units, so I was not sure he would be any more knowledgeable than my install guy was. I'm so glad you mentioned the soot though, because I did not know anything about the log placement, only that the flame seemed not right to begin with, and then the soot appeared. Now I know there is an issue for sure...so at least I can have some confidence when I talk to the folks who sold me the unit. Despite these installation/adjustment issues, we really love that fireplace though! (Makes me want one in every room each time I walk past it). Thanks so much for the help!

Rosefolly, I really agree with you on the assessments of the two men. Rochester is clearly the romantic and the passionate one. Rivers doesn't even have the passion on the pulpit. Jane comments on his sermans. Rochester is not blameless; he has his flaws. On one level he is a Byronic hero; on the other level he is desperately trying to salvage a small portion of happiness in this life. While it is understandable, it is certainly not morally right. He tells Jane, after the thwarted wedding attempt, that he should have come to her and told her the whole story. I would argue that he knew better. When he plays the gypsy, he tells her that he sees in her brow that she could and would live without happiness if self-respect required it. He knew her very well, indeed! Rivers, on the other hand, was cold. He demanded the "right" thing from her insisting that God wanted her to marry him. And he knew he had will to bend hers. He was working on it when Jane hears the voice in the night. Rivers is probably more reprehensible because his Christian beliefs were aligned with the Puritans, which left no room for happiness, love, passion, fun, etc. Just cold dedication. Jane knew she would die under such strong willed restrictions.

NoTitle Insurance mentioned? Sorry I cannot be of any help but this is a good lesson for anyone considering a land/property purchase. Even after due diligence, don't agree to purchase property or land without adequate title insurance. One needs to cover one's investment; it's true title insurance costs money but money worth spent especially when spending a significant amount on the purchase. A copy of a title insurance is almost as important as the land deed. For my coast to coast land purchase last year, I paid a couple of thousand for title insurance; it ensured a risk free transaction and covers me for a host of other unforeseen issues way into the future till I own the land. Zero lawyers were involved in the deal though it is advisable to engage a land attorney if one is not confident about understanding the fine print of any document.

Update: Mary, I reread the part about the Greenland Norse in Diamond's book Collapse, and this time picked up on something that I must have forgotten previously. Apparently there had been at least four waves of Native American hunter-gatherers who preceded the Inuit who came and went from Greenland because of similar climate vacillation that the Norse eventually experienced. The Norse did encounter native peoples at some point but it is not completely clear if the Skraelings were proto-Inuit or Inuit. Unfortunately these meetings did not go well and the Norse inclination to bellicosity certainly didn't help. Diamond speculates -- plausibly, I think -- that the surviving Norse of Western Settlement fled to the Eastern Settlement, but the Eastern Settlement had its own problems and would have been overwhelmed by the migrants. (The names Western/West Settlement and Eastern/East Settlement are used by different historians.) Yes, "ancient ones" is the most common euphemistic meaning of Anasazi. Another is "old-time strangers." However, I looked it up and found that Anasazi is a Navajo word meaning "ancient enemies," sometimes enhanced with other uncomplimentary adjectives from the Navajo language. The guides at Mesa Verde give a little speech to visitors who don't know any better than to refer to the cliff-dwellers as Anasazi, but they, the guides, will not be saying it and they encourage others to refrain from it as well. However, I don't think the word will go away in common usage any time soon. Have you read Charles C. Mann's 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus? Among many things that I was not aware of: The Amazon rainforest is largely the result of intentional plantings by pre-Columbian natives, perhaps beginning thousands of years ago. It's a giant orchard! The "Indians" of North and South America (perhaps Mesoamerica as well) deliberately set fire to the plains grasses and forest undergrowth as part of their "land management." What texts are you using in your American West study? I'm always curious!