Sorry to pull up an old post but if you're still here, I wanted Hi to Micke and the other Missourians. I don't have the best shade trees to garden under but I am TRYING to grow a few hostas here in SW Missouri. It would help if August wasn't so hot and dry. My shade will be less shady this summer. I had four trees that were completely uprooted in that last ice storm. I'm waiting for the ground to thaw so I can save my Guacamole out from under one of the tree trunks. I'm sure I'll still have enough shade with the trees I have left and less tree roots for competition so maybe this will be a blessing in the end if we ever get it all cleaned up. I'm posting a link to the Ozarks forum here at Gardenweb. This is what comes up with a search on the word "hostas". Hilltop is a great place to visit and there are some others too. Close Park Gardens in Springfield has a hosta garden. Here is a link that might be useful: Ozarks forum - hostas

Wayne, here's the headline...Crystal power Palmtop Nuclear Fusion Device Invented By Michael Schirber LiveScience Staff Writer posted: 27 April 2005 01:00 pm ET The nuclear reaction that powers the Sun has been reproduced in a pocket-sized device, scientists announced today. Researchers have for years tried to harness nuclear fusion to power the world. But its cousin, nuclear fission -- the breaking apart of atoms -- is the only method so far commercially viable. The latest invention is not in the same league as efforts to build complex commercial reactors. The new device creates a relatively small number of reactions, and requires more energy to operate than it produces. The Real Deal (AP) - Previous claims of tabletop fusion have been met with skepticism and even derision by physicists. In one of the most notable cases, Dr. B. Stanley Pons of the University of Utah and Martin Fleischmann of Southampton University in England shocked the world in 1989 when they announced that they had achieved so-called cold fusion at room temperature. Their work was discredited after repeated attempts to reproduce it failed. Fusion experts noted that the new UCLA experiment is credible because, unlike the 1989 work, it did not violate basic principles of physics. "This doesn't have any controversy in it because they're using a tried and true method,'' said David Ruzic, professor of nuclear and plasma engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "There's no mystery in terms of the physics.'' -- Associated Press But the configuration is so small and simple that its creators think it may inspire unforeseen applications. "I certainly find it interesting that you can heat a cubic centimeter crystal in your hand, then plunge it in cold water and it will cause nuclear fusion," Seth Putterman from the University of California Los Angeles told LiveScience. Putterman's lay description greatly oversimplifies how the compact apparatus works. Specifically, Putterman and collaborators heat a pyroelectric crystal, lithium tantalite, from minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit to plus 45 in a matter of minutes. This generates an electrical charge -- 100,000 volts -- across the tiny crystal, which is housed in a chamber filled with deuterium gas, a heavy form of hydrogen. The high voltage is focused onto a needle-thin tip, which strips electrons from nearby deuterium nuclei and then accelerates them at a solid target containing deuterium. When two deuterium nuclei collide together at high speed, they fuse to form helium. The Sun also fuses atoms in thermonuclear reactions that create light and heat. The byproduct of the newly discovered lab reaction is a particle called the neutron. The scientists detect about 1,000 neutrons per second. Because neutrons are so penetrating, Putterman said that a hand-held neutron source might one-day be used to do geologic surveys or to look into cargo containers for nuclear devices. "Current neutron generators are extremely cumbersome," Putterman said. "They are about as big as a dentists X-ray machine, so you canÂt carry them into the field." Pyroelectric crystals could also provide a beam of ions for use as a microthruster in a miniature spacecraft. The research is described in the April 28 issue of the journal Nature.

archie123, my drainboard is 16 inches long. The standard for Stonemasters is 18 inches but I wanted to preserve some flat countertop next under the corbel shelves and they were quite flexible. It is about 16 inches front to back but I did not specify that, I think they decide that depending on the sink measurement. Many people get the runnels which are prettier but I wanted the smooth drainboard of ease of cleaning. I thought I would mostly use the Stages sink shelf for drying things but that shelf does not slope down at all and there is always a ittle water on it unless I wipe it off , so this integral drainboard in the soapstone is my most used drying area. Also, that sink including the raised shelf has become my most often used prep area so the integral drainboard adds even more functional real estate. I use this very low profile drying rack from Ikea which easily stores in the sink out of view if needed. BTW the templater mentioned that Kohler dxf files were very accurate and they trusted them. Mags438, the sink is I think my favorite thing! You are too funny. tea4all, the corbel shelves are already holding our most used bowls and mugs. The bottom edge of my cabinets are 19 inches from the countertop with an integral 1 inch hollow area underneath for undercounter lights etc. I designed the shelves to have the bottom 7 inches below that bottom edge of the cabinets (12 inches above the countertop) and 7 inches front to back. I drew the corbels poorly but asked Dutchwood to make the top part 13 inches front to back. tapering down to the 7 inches front to back for the shelves. The shelf thickness is 3/4 inch thick, the thinnest that the cabinetmaker was comfortable with. My upper cabinets are 15 inches deep so the 7 inch corbel shelf depth still allows the undercounter lights (mounted towards the front under the cabinets) to not be blocked by the shelves. I designed the shelves i because I wanted to have easy access to my most used items yet get things off the countertop. The height was determined by the location of my preexisting outlets and switches which also happened to be the right height that my coffeemaker could fit under (just) when not in use. I do pull the coffeemaker and rice cooker out from under the cabinets when in use because of the steam that they generate. I will eventually post a picture of the corbel shelves in use. Here is a link that might be useful: Ikea Boholmen dish drainer

Not only can the HOA fine an owner if short term rentals are prohibited, but the city may as well. In our resort area, a short term rental permit is required and the city tightly controls short term rentals. Code enforcement is good. In addition, if the covenants of subdivision disallow short term rentals, the city will not issue a permit. Our current small subdivision does not allow short term rentals and, in 11 years, I only know of one homeowner (a builder) that violated the covenants when he couldn't sell the newly built house during the bust. We turned a blind eye and didn't complain given the circumstances. It turned out not to be a problem. The nightly rental was very high, which kept the usage down, and the house sold at the end of the season. However, although our little subdivision does not allow short terms, they are allowed in neighboring areas, so we do get some short term rentals nearby and have had a few noise issues. The subdivision where we have bought a lot to build does not allow short term rentals and is, for the most part, geographically protected from surrounding neighborhoods that do by green space. The few lots that do back up to another neighborhood were priced lower and still slower to sell. At the annual meeting of the HOA last year, a realtor proxy moved to amend the covenants to remove the short term rental restrictions. The motion was withdrawn when it became abundantly clear that all owners present bought, at least in part, because of the restriction. In resort areas, most folks (or their realtors) already know that you really need to read your subdivision documents closely for this issue. In fact whether short term rentals are allowed is often disclosed in the listing. Some second homeowners may want to rent out their home to defray the cost of ownership, while others want to be away from the bother. With this new phenomenon in other good-time cities, I would expect that a wise buyer there would also check the subdivision documents carefully and also check in with the city.