I had white laminate in my last house for the 16 years I lived there. I really liked - and like - formica laminate. I'm not especially careful about preventing stains - ketchup, wine - yet, not often did I have them. I kind of remember mustard. I am one that grabs bleach and bleaches spots out. I have heard since then (like someone has already said here) that bleach removes the coating/seal. Maybe that is true, but I guess I didn't use bleach enough that I saw a deterioration. My countertops were as nice the day I moved out as the day I moved in. I never ever used a knife to cut on the countertop surface --- I just always knew from growing up that you don't do that sort of thing. I would never think I could or should be able to use a knife on the countertop, so my countertops were never scratched. Also, I grew up always using hot pads for a hot pan on the countertop, so it never seemed like extra work to have to do that. It just seemed "normal". So, all in all, I loved my formica countertops, and I never felt like I was "settling" for less, or that I had to take extra care of them. They last for such a long time, and really hold up well. Miss Mary

I am allergic to cigarette smoke and used to get bronchitis all the time from second hand smoke despite never smoking myself. At my last job (I left to be self-employed and it was not to make more money but for my health), my boss was a chain smoker and I would lose my voice each day and not function as well at work. I was tested and I am allergic to cigarette smoke as well as it being very bad for my lungs. A few jobs before this job, I was asked how many packs of cigarettes I smoked, and I said I never tried a cigarette. That is how bad my lungs had become from being around second hand smoke. Now that I have been self-employed for over 20 years with NO smoking allowed around me or in my home, I have clear lungs and do not get so sick anymore. I order rescue animal calendars each year from a talented person and love them each year. This year, I ordered a few for gifts and myself and they reeked of cigarette smoke! I had thought the new people at the post office were smoking around the mail but then I found out from her that she retired and started to smoke more. I had to air out the calendars for 2 months in my garage before being able to use them despite them being in envelopes since my nose would turn red and I would feel sick if I hung them up. I had to give other holiday gifts and late calendar gifts when they were aired out. I once hired a part-time worker who was so allergic to fragrance that if I spayed my hair with hair spray she would get flue like symptoms and feel like she was dying just like I get from being around cigarette smoke (as well as post nasal drip and coughing). I had to wash my hair again one day when I accidentally forgot she was coming over. That must be so difficult to have an allergy to fragrance but I know lately I am getting also sensitive to strong fragrance smells and I start to cough so I am finally understand what that is like. For those that smoke, I understand it is your home but I can't visit those that have homes that do not have a separate smoking room or I get sick. I can't drive with friends that have cars that smell like smoke or I get sick and must wash my hair the minute I get home. I wish there was some way that cigarettes would not smell. Sorry to offend but just my point of view. It was not fair to me to have to live around 2nd hand smoke when I could not breath and my dad would get mad at me for complaining and think I was trying to get attention when I was coughing from post nasal drip but when he got congestive heart failure and coughed all the time, I never picked on him. If I was a smoker with my bad allergies, I would have been dead like my smoking friend who died at age 50 from Emphysema. Some people can't handle the cigarette's poisons as well as other people can. We are all built differently.

**Edit - it looks like the post I was referring to has been removed. But I'll keep my response here because it's still relevant. -- Aqua Kitchens, that is confusing. You are on the right track with your ideas, but Super White is not quartzite, it's dolomitic marble! That's quite a mixed message. You are spot on about the need to test stones, and the article you linked has some good geologic information, but then that goes downhill quickly when Super White is described as quartzite. It isn't. Perhaps with all the mixups in names there are some Super Whites that are quartzite, but in my experience, most of them are not. In any case, making a blanket statement that Super White is quartzite and, "Etching it with water or anything acidic is impossible" is not correct. Read here for more details on how to tell the difference between quartzite and marble: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2692150/countertop-geology-part-six-lets-talk-about-rocks-some-more I give webinars and write articles for the Marble Institute of America, helping to clear up this persistent problem. I'm also giving a hands-on workshop on rock identification at the TISE trade show in January. I urge you to correct that article so as not to create additional confusion in the industry. Feel free to contact me if you have questions - I'm happy to help!

Thanks guys! Hibiscus and Jenny, I had just rearranged the benches and trees to make the space look more open. It was a relief just to get the gh enclosed in time before the big chill and we were so tired that we just put the benches in for the citrus, hung lights above them and that was enough at the time. Christmas is over and now that I have more of a feel for the space, room, light and heat wise, I can shift things around.. I did not want to put all of the citrus trees down in the gh at once until I knew the temperature was stable and I had enough hookups for lights , so I still have a few trees upstairs in my sunroom. The trees will get bigger and need repotting into larger pots eventually and I still have close to 20 small citrus tree liners of various varieties and also seedlings. As they grow they will take up more space so I need to be careful of all the enabling that goes on around here.. lol.. I really only want 2 or three more trees and hopefully I can remain strong and resist the urge to aquire more and more.. lol.. Brian, only 12 more weeks of winter? Lol.. I am looking forward to ordering and starting my garden seeds. I have been getting lots of garden catalogs in the mail and have not had the time to look at them. I planted a lot of daffodil bulbs in the fall and have 2 new grandbabies arriving in 2018. Have a lot to look forward too. :)