'morn' y'all. You make my morning sweeter. Thanks for your kind comments. CRACK: No desire to become the next Riana - she's one of a kind - a wonderful woman and teacher. I had sent her pictures of Gypsie grouted and "almost ready" - w/the plants in her hair. I got a message from her last night. She's been doing this for 18 years, and in the beginning was reluctant to share her knowledge of the craft because she said if people learned how to do it, they might rise to the top and take away her bread/butter. But then she said she decided that even if they did, good for them, because so many people get such joy from this, that it was right for her to teach it. It was such a nice, complimentary note. I w/be grateful for this woman's class for the rest of my days. BAMA - please try it - ANYONE can DO this!!! CHRIS2 - hope you start yours soon. Window boxes are cedar, and I plant directly into them. My HM made them three yrs. ago, and I see no sign of deterioration. I'm afraid to mosaic them and put more weight onto their connections. They are VERY heavy already. I wouldn't hesitate to mosaic wood outside. After all, they are covered in the cement-based mortar, so are pretty well protected. I figure if it lasts a few years, it was worth the effort. The blue pedestal in my back yard is cedar, was outside ??? already, then it's been mosaiced for 1 1/2 yrs., and shows no signs of deterioration. I hope y'all w/try this process. I guarantee you'll enjoy the process as well as the results. The feeling of accomplishment in creating something from your heart/head, w/your own hands is tremendous. Give it a try.

sorry, didn't read all, but I would just move the bed over a foot!!! it would drive me crazy to have it a foot (18"??) off the wall for a foot of view! the left sided person would still enjoy it and the r side would just have to scooch over to see it-- wake up, love it and hop out of bed to the window seat to better enjoy it!! if I was staying in the room, I would probably take the liberty and move the bed over so that it sat fully on the wall myself! I would leave the brass alone, tho would be pretty shined up too! either looks good! love everything else!! what an awesome guest room!!!!!

Ha, Jim! Looks like you captured a photo of the elusive Grouchodeer! Beneficial to the garden because they drop cigar ash around the beds but dangerous because they don't look where they're stepping while they wiggle their eyebrows milking the audience for laughs. Just wait till his brothers start showing up - hoo boy, that's A Day at the Races. Diane, I was thinking your badgers did sound might useful at chasing away the mice (I'm fine if the coyotes finish the mice off), but the "super at digging" part sounds suspiciously fraught with danger. I can imagine a badger uprooting an established rose because some fool gopher snuck in there for protection. I imagine you don't let small dogs or cats out into the garden at night either, for fear the same fate awaits them. You have quite the Wild Life out there. Cynthia

I had my sister sit in some of those wicker chairs and she nearly rebelled and denounced me as her sister. Apparently they're not the most comfortable thing in the world! It's too bad because Ikea is one of our only affordable furniture sources but I've looked through their chair selection and I don't think I see anything that would work for my purposes. I am bilingual, wish I could come along and translate for you! I work with Acadians every day for my job.