Have you ever seen the big tall poles with a propellor on them. They produce energy and for most people who put them in they produce more energy then they use and they start getting a check from the electic company instead of a bill. Problem is for most people the amountof money they are saving is not even close to the cost of the generator. (Est. $10-20,000_ With a bill of $500 dollars a month it would pay for itself in four years and then your electric is essentially free. I don't know about electric heat, but I would imagine you may still need more power than a single wind generator can produce. If you plan on staying in your house for a while it may be a worth while investment. In my case (or my fathers case) it would take too many years for the generator to pay for itself than is worth while for us and we don't have that kind of money upfront. It is easier to pay for the electric bill each month which is a smaller cost than the wind generator even though the long term costs are higher.

I think it's the wax on the canes, not the tiny buds you see there that caused the problem. The cheaper growers wax canes so that they stay green on store shelves. I've never had a waxed cane do well even where I am (and in Coastal Cal I'm in a much cooler zone than Arizona). The buds were fine -- leave them on. But ditch the waxed cane bareroots, unless you can imagine the plant without those particular waxed canes and still see a decent plant worth buying. Some bareroots are waxed only at the tops, and those ones are usually ok, because the bottom of the cane is all you need. And by the way, I've tried everything from fingernails to credit cards to hiar driers to get that wax off before hot weather burns the cambium layer of the canes -- nothing seems to help those canes to survive. They all die anyway.

"DD's theory is that due to the global financial crisis, fashion has come to a grinding halt. Nothing new. So the trend lag between here and Europe has collapsed and we're seeing the same stuff everywhere. This is from my 16 y.o. fashion analyst! :-)" Out of the mouths of babes... The Italians are over, this week, and are doing all they can to help the American economy. They came with huge lists from their family and friends. It's all Abercrombie & Fitch. That brand has taken Italy by storm, maybe the rest of Europe, too. They used to buy only Polo. I guess the lines at their stores go on forever and the prices are absurd. With the exchange rate...they're in heaven. We had a dinner last night and I forgot to ask what Italian brand was hot now. Last time it was Roberto Cavalli but his things are way too young for me. I'll stick with Armani if I'm still alive to see the dollar reign, once more.

I am also building a modern style, inner city house with an industrial vibe. I tried to avoid the exposed bulb as much as possible because we're trying to go all LED. And LED bulbs are either not so pretty, or the edison versions aren't very bright. First off, bathroom sconces are hideous, in general. They haven't really come out with new styles in about 30 years. I would suggest considering some exterior wall sconces for something less "bathroom of the 80s" than most bathroom offerings. In the powder room, I tried to use a pendant, but I went out of town when the electrician was in, and DH lost my explicit instructions. So I ended up with a wall sconce, and I used an exterior fixture. The hall bath has an exposed bulb, sigh. This one: The ensuite has pot lights in a bulk head above the mirror, and a ceiling fixture in the middle of the room. And I have used a mix of ORB and satin nickel throughout the house. Instead of going full on industrial, I've been considering vintage style lights, such as school house pendants, and ribbed glass shades. Because I'm not a fan of matchy matchy, and I prefer the theme to be more subtle, less literal. Here are some other fixtures I've either used, or coveted. For ceiling fans, I have these: Master bedroom Living room (in ORB) And office