Labmomma- Did I say anything about court? :-) Let me tell you the nutshell version of a story of how the dog whisper helped probably save our furry little behinds. I told this story on another forum and all the cesar-haters came out and told me how stupid i was so you're getting the short version. After watching the show, I decided I would make more of an effort to keep the dogs to my side instead of in front of me while on walks. I wouldn't say they had a pulling problem but the one would pee on everything in sight and the pup was starting to learn how that looked like fun so I felt like it was time to see if I can walk the dogs how cesar does on tv. And no I didn't contact a professional before using the technique like it says in the disclaimer! I thought I'd take a chance. Well after some time walks became a lot more enjoyable and didn't need someone to reinsert my arm into it's socket if a squirrel ran by and there's no more pee-mail. So there's something to be said for more structured walks and not letting the dogs go first. That's only half of it. Ok so we're on a sidewalk where some rednecks keep their pitbull looking dogs out in their yard and never walk them or probably do anything remotely responsible so the dogs had tunnneled under the fence. I didn't know this until a mean looking growling and barking dog ambushes us. My first instinct: soil trousers. My second instinct: must get out of here.* â note there is a "*" Normally these dogs of mine are very friendly, they think every person and dog is their friend and wants to give them cookies. They are personalities that people would kill for in a dog. The mean dog is circling us and I was trying to act like i didn't notice and wanted the boys to play along like we were all wearing iron clad armour. They stayed with the program, focusing on me and where we were going, not jerking me away to go mess with the mean dog. We managed to evade persuit, not getting bitten. I credit the dog whisper show for making me aware that perfecting the walk was possible and it paid off big. Now for that * I was talking about. On a recent episode Cesar talked about what do do in a situation where if you are face to face with a mad dog, you don't turn around and run away. He didn't give instructions on what to do, it was the post office seminar episode, but whatever we're still alive and the dogs did not engage thank god. He also says to be calm and assertive and not show fear. I would be very surprsied if I was not showing or smelling like fear but I'm sure I probably was pretty calm and assertive.

I like solid wood doors. Anything else is just junk in my opinion, even though the fake ones are much more expensive. A wood door looks like wood, feels better, sounds better, and looks better. Yes, they are more difficult to maintain, do not seal as well, etc. But when you look at an old home and see a fake door on it, does not cut it to me. I removed a Therma Tru door several years ago and replaced with a solid wood door and have been very happy. It now has character. The Therma Tru door was too cheesy for me.

Thanks for posting your photo (again), lacombe. That's a good close-up view of the Phantom Screen Door. That must be the cartridge on the left. It looks neat and it seems that it doesn't interfere with the threshold. And by the way, that's a lovely color blue on your door trim. So if I understand correctly, Phantom Screens are installed professionally and RetractAway Screens, on the other hand, come in a kit. And chay, it sounds like they're not so easy to install. Bug Off screens sound good for a temporary solution during those perfect days - would probably save on air conditioning also. Also, I'm curious. When I looked at full-view storm and screen combination doors I wondered how long it takes and how much strength is required to swap the window for the screen. Do they come with some kind of sleeve for storage?

Check out Sun Mountain doors. They have six locations throughout the country. Their headquarters is located here in Colorado. I have toured their factory and inspected their product. They make top quality doors. If you are looking for paint-grade poplar, you can probably get a door for a little more than 1/2 your budget. I got a bid from Sun Mountain for a similar configuration to yours including two sidelights and a transom, but with a 3/0 x 6/8 door. The bid was about $3,300 for paint-grade poplar and $6,300 for solid cherry. I also got a bid from a mill located in Ohio for about $4,300 for the same cherry door configuration. I don't understand millworkman and sophie. Anytime someone posts with a specified budget, they have to point out that it can never be had. In this case, they really don't know what they are talking about. Doors are a very competitive business. You won't always get the best pricing from the big name outfits. Look for smaller manufacturers. As anglophilia pointed out, local shops can be quite competitive, especially when what you want is truly custom.