I tip these people- I think it's a hard job delivering heavy stuff and I'm guessing most of the delivery charge goes to the company, not the guys. It's not the type of job you can do 'til retirement! It's the kind of job that can throw your back out. I believe the potential for a tip makes people more courteous because of a bonus for good performance. Consider, they are handling your several hundred dollar appliance! Also, they aren't making as many tips as a waiter, since waiters can serve several tables at one time, where delivery men only "wait" on one person at a time with travel time in between, so it's not a big part of their income, just a nice bonus. You don't have to be Rockefeller, just a $5 tip would be fine if that's what you can do. Where I live, we tip the garbage men around Christmas. Talk about a thankless job! Going through alleys with rats, having to pick up everyone's trash, whether it's in the cans or not, overloaded, smelly, or leaky, or in a ripped bag. The garbage men are really nice with my cans!

When you ask about hardwood vs tile, you are bound to get as many strong opinions as there are posters here. :) I personally hated the tile in my last kitchen, and I'm a healthy 40-something runner who has had no foot/leg problems except for the arch & lower-back pain I'd get when working on the tile floor for more than a hour or two (when canning tomatoes, for example). Now that I have a hardwood kitchen floor, that pain is completely gone when spending long amounts of time in there. So for me, the connection is very clear and was easily solved by changing from tile to something else. I also differ from folks whose experience is one of not being able to keep a wooden kitchen floor clean -- in my experience, you sweep and mop, just as with any floor. Extremely easy for me. I found the tile floor much more difficult to keep clean since the lighter color picked up all the dirt, plus I was forever having to scrub the grout with Oxyclean bleach to remove stains from dropped liquids (espresso grinds, ack!) or scrape up bits of grunge that would stick in the grout cracks during mopping etc. Yuck. So, lol, OP -- do make your own decision based on what you know of your own lifestyle patterns and cleaning routines -- and not any of ours. :) In terms of using different woods in kitchen, family room, etc, I think it can be done very successfully and tastefully, and even accent your rooms in a desirable way. Good luck!

What would you say is a humid climate? Here it's a pretty average 40-60%. I would further detail how you water is really dependent on the soil you are using. Here are a few examples: Peaty soils as you say can get hydrophobic (resist water) quite easily when they get too dry. So watering once, waiting a few minutes, and watering again helps get over that. Bark also can take a while to absorb water, so multiple watering or a dunk helps get water deeper into the bark. Perlite and turface absorb/grab onto water very quickly so there is no delay required. I believe pumice is the same (others can confirm). Sandy/very fine mixes pull/wick water greatly. Of course, watering once and waiting allows for salts to dissolve is good practice. Then watering after that helps flush them away, reducing the chance for harmful accumulations. Little sips does the opposite, allows for higher accumulation of salts. However, this is necessary for some specific succulents. Pots have a big impact on rate of evaporation. Clay pots allow better breathability. Ones with slots on the sides give more oxygen to the roots. Plastic/glazed clay not so much. Holes on the bottom can change how the mix dries out from the bottom up as well. That varies if you have a saucer (minimal drying) or empty circulating air below the pot (such as directly on a wire shelf). Same as number of holes, although I would say this is probably the least concern of any grower. My belief is actually that watering in the evening is better for succulents. The vast majority open their stomata/pores when it's cooler at night to breathe, as well as taking in water. In the morning, the guard cells close up for the day to prevent water loss. If there's water left in the pot then the roots just sit around in warm water all day long. Not saying that watering in the morning is bad, just that you may get a better feeling of your plants needs by watering in the evening. If it's not perked up by the morning either you didn't give it enough water or there is something wrong with the roots (or it may be dormant). Probably I should say that if you're growing indoors, try not to get the leaves wet at night without good airflow or else you're inviting trouble. If that's the growing condition (poor airflow, wet leaves from being rushed/not watering carefully), morning watering may be better. Watering Mesembs is a bit dependent on the species. Many different types have different characteristics. I agree that when you say watering a Lithops lots when the new leaves are growing in is not a good idea. It will leave you with a Lithops with many extra pairs of leaves. I think this applies to many species: Lithops, Cheiridopsis, Lapidaria, Conophytum, maybe Agryoderma? But other types of Mesembs are not so restrictive to have just one or two pairs of leaves. At least, as far as I know! I've even read about some very water-loving Mesembs that you're supposed to water like strawberries?! Forget which type, but watering like that sounds bizarre (but is true). Anyway, it's a nifty idea! Hope others contribute their experience/ideas too!

Wow!! Carol, I'm happy for you. Heel to toe for 8 steps takes a lot of coordination, and YOU DID IT. When my kid was 4 years old, she would be so happy when I lost weight on the scale ... health for my friends cheer me up more than roses. I'm elated when I heard Garran home & healthy, and I'm happy about rain for Jess & no more thorns in her toe. I am happy when my daughter is happy. I'm sure that's how God, our Father in heaven, feels .. He's happy when His children (us) are happy. My kid has a friend came over today (same age). The friend was on Ensure (canned nutrition with soy milk) .. her skin was clean this past summer. I did research on soy milk and thyroid disorder, yes, there's a slight link, esp. with carrageenan added. So I e-mailed this teenager info., and her nutritionist switched this gal from Ensure (soy-based) to Kefir (fermented cow-milk). Fast forward today, this friend gets pimples on her face. I feel bad since the bad news about dairy didn't come out until this year. I google thoroughly when I switched my child from soy-milk to cow milk .. could not find a link between cow milk and acne until recently. But I learn something: always look at how many people are involved in any study. The thyroid & soy link are just a few personal testimonies, versus the below: " The famous Nurse's Health Study examining health habits of 47,000 nurses found that those who drank more milk as teenagers had much higher rates of severe acne than those who had little or no milk as teenagers. In other studies of over 10,000 boys and girls from 9 to 15 years old, there was a direct link between the amount of milk consumed and the severity of acne." Today I'm back to the diet that I was on when I was skinny: soy milk (new formula without carrageenan) & high fiber cereal ... I feel so much better & more energy. My kid loves her cereal & soy milk. She could NOT handle cow-milk either .. she's lactose-intolerant. I checked on soy milk again before I switch back: if the soy-protein is concentrated, like soy Isolate in faked meat, then it will screw up the thyroid. If the soy is concentrated and made on aluminum equipment, like tofu, then that will UP the risk of Alzheimer's. But soy milk in low dose with cereal, isn't bad ... at least it's freed of hormones, antibiotics, feces, and pus like in cow's milk. Soy milk is easier to digest, plus zero cholesterol. What I like the most is: it smells clean, NOT strong like cow-milk.