I LOVE that "bad plant care" is so subjective! Except for killing them of course... but, now on to the confessions: - I heat with wood & my tropical foliage plants probably get too cold every fall/winter/spring and manage to survive (except for last winter, when they were all in the kitchen/dining room with the stove because the living room door was closed to stop cat pee/carpet interactions. They were in the lap of LUXURY!). - I have killed some rather old plants of great sentimental value & continue to have guilt & remorse :( - There have been random times over the years when I have neglected the plants for long stretches, but casualties have generally been limited to Rex Begonias, ferns, citrus, jasmine & African violets. - I still purchased/accepted more of the above plants anyhow. Who knows how many jasmine have suffered death by drought at my hands?! - I too have left plants in the same soil for years (5+) & not been a fertilizor. Phils, Monstera & Chlorophytum survive this. - I rarely remember to check plants I bring home for bugs until I am already at home. - I've potted regularly with outside compost or dirt & just swept up the dried up worms & bugs that crawl out of the pots. - I've regularly used nasty, dirty, chemical-ridden driveway gravel at the bottom of houseplant pots. Purple, I'm with you: this could be much more embarrassing if we were talking about outdoor gardening... at this point, I am apparently an Amaranth & Stinky Bob (herb robert) farmer with unripe tomatoes rotting on their vines. Thanks for sharing everyone - we all have our little secrets & sometimes it's good therapy to take a look at someone else's evils & think "Well, at least I don't do THAT; I guess I'm not so bad after all!" GB

I'm back again, giving serious test to Mary's comment about absent idyllers being welcomed back. I'm so happy that this group is always here waiting for me. Marian, I second your comment about liking all of the people here despite many differences. If you and I lived in the same town, chances are great we would never get to know each other. But I enjoy your different perspective and your stories from your life, even if you do think it's not very exciting. Perspective is a funny thing. I had dinner with a group of women last week, and one of them is one of the best-known dairy farmers in the state. She has done tons of work in support of ag in our state, not to mention those 260 dairy cows that need to be milked every once in a while. But she looked at me and another woman who works in the perennial business and told us we had such wonderful jobs that helped make people happy. Hmm, feed the world or make people happy? Isn't it funny how "the grass is always greener"? Honey, I liked the therapist's comment about eggs in the hardware store. Martie, I was talking plants with a customer the other day and she mentioned an herb that she can only get at Logee's - had I ever heard of Logee's? Well, of course, because Martie has raved about it! So have you grown Greek columnar basil? And are you still pushing dibbles in your neighborhood? LOL! Shh! I have four coleus cuttings that are out and out thriving! Funny thing is that I filled three pots with potting soil, stuck the cuttings and then put them all together on my kitchen counter. Two pots (same coleus) did great and the other pot (different variety) shriveled and died. But the two pots are still doing well. This evening, I switched hats and would have done Clik and Clak proud as I diagnosed a car problem over the phone. DD's car has sprung a leak in the cooling system. The complication is that she is supposed to drive home Friday night. DH thinks she should put in some StopLeak and come on home, but I think that there are too many miles of nothing between here and there. There are several exits on the interstate that don't even have gas stations within a couple of miles, and I don't want to worry about her getting stranded. So she will take the car in tomorrow and see how fast it can be fixed. She can get other transportation home, but then she wouldn't have a car to drive over break. Well, that wouldn't be the end of the world! Honey, smart move to call the police. In our old neighborhood, a couple of guys were going door to door ringing bells, and when someone answered they had a goofy reason why they were at the door. Finally someone called the police, and these two were caught trying to break in to a home where no one answered. We were on vacation at the time, and came home to find our sliding patio door slightly off kilter. It was the kind that you could lift off the track from the outside, but we had put screws in the track to prevent that. Those screws did their job! Mary, the teacup and longhouse are simply awesome! Glad to hear we will be discussing Michael Pollan's book. I'm looking forward to revisiting it and discussing it with this crew. I'm in the middle of his latest book, "The Omnivore's Dilemna", right now. Chelone, you talked about becoming a more adventuresome eater. I have always hated olives. Just 11 days ago in Napa, I had this little epiphany and discovered I love little balck olives. Like, I ate every single one I could get my hands on! Anyone hiding any olives around here? Okay, time to let the West Coast crew take over as I head to bed with a warm dog and a good book. V.

Agree that the seam should not have a gap in it. This can happen when not enough glue is on edges or mismatching. Make sure when you are laying on the paper that you push outward on the seams for the glue to gather there. Wallpaper is usually a bit stretchable and the seams can be set together without being seen. Wallpapering such a small vertical area would be easy to try with a roll, take note of the process, results, etc.. And easy to remove if it looked too fake...oops...faux. Also, as said, wallpaper in past was sold in double rolls and the sq. ft. is listed for coverage, not linear ft. I can't remember if the coverage is noted depending upon a pattern repeat or not. With beadboard there would not be a pattern repeat. The only issue with this paper is what Lov mentioned. The paper is a raised foam material, laying down and rubbing horizontal could show after the fact. Am wondering though if it bounces back to original pattern. There are many textures offered in this foam product and haven't heard of anyone having problems with it. Or if the wallpapering process is the same as for smooth. I think the paper also needs wood trim wherever it stops for a nice finish. Even where the wallpaper and counter meet. You wouldn't have to worry about a perfect cut, let the trim cover it. Plus a thin line of caulk to seal bottom and top. Specifically if used near water. On the blog I noticed they had not painted the undersides of the cupboards. Would be interested in hearing from those using this if it is the same wallpaper process...I always used a damp towel to go over for good attachment and smooth finish. With a flat plastic edger on the seams to push glue for better adhesion. The resilience for long term use....Will it retain shape if cleaned off in the future too. As much as I like beadboard, there is an ongoing need to keep clean in the crevices. And how workable the glue is. And how to finish the underside of cabinets. For a backsplash I feel staying with wood is a better option. Ceilings wouldn't have the water exposure, furniture and walls less abuse. Although I did get a fleeting idea of doing the side of my fridge to match the wood wall finish. Easy to remove if it looked stupid.

I think there are religious freedom implications to all of this, such as religious based schools who provide housing for married students not recognizing the same-sex marriage, and I don't think they should have to, probably. It's very complex. Of course the official stance of the American College of Bishops is against the recognition of marriage, but I think there is a lot of more local acceptance within the church. I have a gay friend who is a deeply religious Roman Catholic --he is not from America and even had a shrine to the Virgin Mary in his old apartment. He has been in a long-term relationship (17 years) and would regularly go to confession and confess that he was in a same-sex relationship and was not married and would also confess when he engaged in some sort of sexual contact with his partner. The priest in his parish finally said "This is not a sin, you are in a long-term relationship, and you would probably marry if you could, this is not a matter for confession." I am not sure that my friend fully believes this, and at this point may be practicing celibacy within the context of this relationship. I think that's how some people deal with their inner conflict. The church I attend tends to either completely avoid official discussion of these topics or make general statements (vague but you can read between the lines) regarding their welcome to "all" Catholics.