I'm a casual hosta gardener, so I can't answer your questions. However, I have a similar problem with the one in the lower picture. It could be the same variety and almost always has some kind of edge damage. I just went out to look at it and this year, it has some small spots on the edge. It's probably 10 years old, so I don't even notice the problem anymore. For me, the slug damange is always on the edge. It looks like someone took a pair of scissors to the edge (except not straight, of course). If I forget to get the pot feet under them in the spring when they break ground, the slugs always get them. (I have to grow in pots here.) I don't know about the holes in the middle of the leaves. However, I was just looking at the post entitled "mice". the photos show pictures of a hosta with holes in the leaves. I might ask him/her about it. Barbara

Firstly i would just like to thank all of you for taking the time to respond to my post and there are some very interesting points here. To answer a few of your points: I will definitely look into vermicomposting some more as quite a few of you mentioned it. But i was trying to avoid that kind of idea as a lot of people in my market (people new to composting) find food scraps 'gross', so i cant see them dealing with worms. but ill do some more research on the topic. In terms of shredding material the device will have a shredder to speed up the process, but i am working out whether it should be located in the device (so things are just shredded as you put them in) or on the outside (so you shred/blend materials before tipping them into the bin) I understand your concerns on sanitation issues regarding the chopping board, but part of our project is to include multiple functions so it is just a possible option. To combat this though the outside of the machine and chopping board are covered in an Superomniphobic / Antimicrobial Molecular Coating, which prevents anything from sticking to them and kills an bacteria that comes into with the surfaces, keeping the chopping board and exterior of the machine sanitary. There will be a spout located at the bottom of the machine to collect excess liquid at the base of the compost, as it can be used a nutritious plant feed To get air to the pile whilst keeping it sealed and preventing smells, there will be aerating blocks inside which provide oxygen to the pile and a series of carbon filters located around the machine. These allow air to the pile but kill bad odors. The machine also has carbon, nitrogen, temperature and moisture sensors which constantly measure the pile to ensure it is at optimal composting conditions. I understand the point you make that using electrical power is anti-green, and to be perfectly honest it is. But the angle i am using is that the power needed out ways the detrimental impacts of food waste... which it does. But the machine can still operate without power, obviously just with less functions and a longer period to produce compost. I do still need to do some more testing though around size, as different households produce different amounts of waste. An option is to have the machine available in a few different sizes, large, medium, small? A small indoor compostor that deals with food waste has a potentially huge market as well for flats and apartments, a market which is only getting bigger as well I know all this seems a little far fetched but as toxcrusadr mentioned this is an educational project so we can push the boundaries a bit. Plus i am designing a product for the market in 2-3 years time, when these technologies will be drastically cheaper. Thank you again though for taking time to respond to this post and i hope to hear more from you. Please feel free to just blast queries, questions, ideas etc.

when they come from a reputable breeder... dyhgarden, this is so very true. I would never purchase an animal from a puppy mill (and believe me, there are a lot in personal homes of "reputable" people - I know one and she makes me sick the way she breeds her little dogs constantly - they are cash flow for her, but everyone thinks she is sooooo nice). I did a lot of research and found a very good breeder who bred her dogs only once every two years and was very selective of the bloodlines of the papa dogs to assure there was no interbreeding. She shows her poodles, has won many awards for toy poodles, and sells only a few; mine was trained to be a show dog, but she didn't make it because she was too much of a dancer and whirler. So I got to purchase her when she was one year old to my great luck. She is an absolute delight. Even people who don't care for dogs warm up to Gracie very quickly. She weighs 6 pounds and, because of that, everyone always views her as a wonderful, cuddly puppy, even when they know she is way past being a puppy. I always have a problem posting pictures on Houzz and have been trying to post a picture of Gracie, but have not been successful.

The dressing table is what I would call "vintage Queen Anne style" probably from the 1920's or so. Likely mahogany and the finish looks to be in very good condition. Not a priceless antique, but certainly worth a few hundred dollars. If you strip it, sand it and don't put a proper finish on it it will be worth perhaps one hundred....if you paint it you will reduce the value to perhaps $50.