Wanton: The agaves were A. americana. They were pups from parent plants grown on the campus of my school. They were just gonna get thrown away, so I collected them up to give to anyone who wanted them. I did not realize they were water hogs, though. I'd be willing to bet, then, that's what I did wrong - not enough water. Thanks so much for that list and link. I'll definitely have to check that out. As to my losses, I had been working really hard to try and keep them out of direct sunlight. When I noticed that the sun's orientation in the sky was shifting as we progressed closer to the end of summer, it was getting harder and harder to keep the plants out of direct sun, so I put up a sun screen curtain thingy. It's certainly helped to keep the front stoop cooler; but by the time I put it up, most of the damage had already been done. I think they just weren't meant to be in that kind of heat, especially with me freaking out over the heat and overwatering them. When I eventually replace those plants, I'll be sure to keep them indoors during the summer heat and winter cold. Stush: Yay, the agaves are looking great! I'm so happy they're doing well for you. Alas, I lost the one you sent me a while back. The only agave I have left is this one, bought at a nursery. I do still have that monstrose you sent, and it seems to be doing just fine. Here's a pic, taken just this past week. Rosie: Hi, Rosemarie! I know how it is, being super busy. No worries, I'll chat with you when you have some time. :) *CG*

Thanks all for commenting. Of course we know it's not about "fixing the crack", but more about garden whimsy and perhaps a little encouragement to look differently on whatever seeming defects come up like that wonderful admonition of making lemonade when life gives you lemons. Making the sign on the back of a large iron skillet that my friend passed along is taking more time than making the 'river'. IF it turns out okay I'll post a picture. Happy whimsical gardening!

For a DIY repair? Manual tools include a simple grout saw, something along the lines of this: To something powered, like a diamond bit chucked in a dremel or rotary cutoff tool: In a shower you simply want water shedding down the face of the tile and grout. Behind your tile is a tile backer board of some sort. Not knowing the age or construction of your shower, this could be anything: greenboard, cement board, gypsum core board with an acrylic facing, or a floated wall of mud. With these types of construction, your tile and grout are your first line of defense in preventing water intrusion. Behind those tile backers should be a water shedding membrane of some sort; 6-mil poly or tar paper on the walls, and CPVC/CPE membrane on the floor pan and lapped up the lower 10" of the walls. That is your final layer of protection, your only true "waterproofing". When cutting out grout you only want to cut the grout, you don't want to cut so deep that you go through the backer and into your waterproofing membrane. In a shower with a topical waterproofing membrane, where you have either a sheet membrane (like Kerdi) or a trowel on membrane (like Redgard) right behind the tile, you don't want to cut full-depth into the grout joint as you don't want to damage that topical membrane. In showers with a topical membrane like Kerdi, cracks in grout are more cosmetic than anything else, for water that gets through cracks in the grout still will not penetrate the Kerdi. In showers with a membrane buried behind the cement board, or with a CPVC or CPE liner buried in the middle of the shower pan, I'm more concerned as I want no unnecessary water getting into and wetting the tile backer board or cementicious substrates in the walls/floors. In that case I'm more protective of the grout on the walls or the caulked inside corners, I want to keep that first line of defense in top-notch condition. The difficult thing is not knowing how the shower was constructed, and even more importantly, how well the detailing was done. That's why, even though tile and grout are not "waterproof" per se, you still want to protect the integrity of that first line of defense as best you can. Mongo

Agree with the above and would like to add that in my experience, the dust from toilet paper tearing and the skin cells that we slough off in the bathroom just build up on surfaces around the toilet and sink for those of us who do not wipe these surfaces down every week. I have some things near my toilet that just get covered with dust. Then anything on the toilet itself is sitting on colder porcelain. It is colder because of the cold water it is holding. In the humid air of the bathroom that means that water then condenses on the outer surface of the cold porcelain, mixes with the microscopic skin cells and paper fluff and powder and it just STICKS to the surface. It builds up around the tabs of the toilet seat screws because that is where the dust stops when it is blowing around the room. Any sharp angles on a toilet will do the same thing. The solution is to wipe surfaces more frequently. I had to start buying the disinfectant wipes when I had an incontinent dog. So, now that I have them in the house, I will use them in the bathroom. I wipe the toilet flush handle, the top of the seat lid, the underside of the seat lid, the seat and the underside, then I go behind the seat and get the area you photographed. Next, I get the rim. I might use another wipe and do the door handles, the switches, the faucet and handles on the tap, then the tank lid, then the outside of the toilet bowl and use the last wipe to redo the rim if it was still not perfect. I always move from the cleanest places to the grimiest places. A third wipe would do the windowsill and the counter. Now, I may not do all three wipes at one time, or in one day. I may see an area that is yucky and do one wipe's worth that day, then another a few days later. I also have disposable rubber gloves around and if I am in the mood to clean I will put on one or a pair and scrub the toilet and do all the wiping and vacuum and mop the floor. My goal is to not be embarrassed to let someone use my bathroom if they should drop by. I am a messy housekeeper, but I can still be a CLEAN messy housekeeper, I figure!