Thank you everyone! You are an amazing group! I gain so much from your friendly encouragement, ideas, technical knowledge and personal experiences. Sometimes the solution to something that's been holding me up lies in a fresh perspective and I can always count on that from you "right brain thinkers." Justin: This area used to grow sheets of spagnum moss on the soil so I'm hopeful... Rick: Good idea--I've seen what you're talking about and it's simple enough for non-plumbers, like me. It also won't interfere with the darmera that I want to plant in the pond. I'm focusing on foliage instead of flowers (for the most part) with a lot of large leaves and texture and a limited color range in this garden to encourage the feeling of contemplative space. A lot of splashing would interfere with that. I don't remember hearing splashing when I visited L&L's garden--I'd like to capture that "holy" feeling that they created. (Don't know how else to describe it). Any ideas on how to keep raccoons out? Sereneseen: I didn't soak them. I just covered them with plastic sheeting and misted for a couple of days then stacked them on my shady front porch for three weeks to a month for curing. When I do a batch of 20, they take up almost all of my worktable space that's easy to reach without stretching too far. BTW--insider tip: Once each summer the big box hardware stores put Windsor block on sale for $1 each. The price of concrete has gone up because of Katrina and higher shipping (fuel!) but they may still put them on sale this year--it gets a lot of people in their stores. We have a 100' x 2' retaining wall to do in the backyard and are actually contemplating Windsor block (gasp! shudder!) I'm not not fond of the look (putting it mildly) but it would be expedient and not too much more expensive than making block. If we do it, I will make capstones to try to mitigate the utilitarian sameness of it. I just don't think I'm up to making 200 sqft of block! Again, thanks for all of your kind words everyone--people seem amazed when I tell them that I learned everything I know about hypertufa on the internet. You guys rock! Deb

I think the now imprisoned nutso father actually made a STAND to hold up (the shelf) with 2 different attachments to be used to stretch out the newspaper - so it could be more easily, more comfortably, at seated knee-level, be read while enthroned. I picture a knee high tv stand-like contraption with wooden slats on either top side to hold/clamp down the open ends of the newspaper. Heaven knows it's so crass to, uhm, well...it's nigh impossible to do your business in any sort of refined manner while also stretching out your arms and shaking the darn paper to make it stay open! Especially if the room is narrow (elbow bumping & thumping while throne reading would simply not be tasteful). My interpretation of the ad: "MY father, who is NUTS, built these items for our bathroom, which we don't NEED anymore, because thankfully he got arrested. He built a shelf that is lopsided ( but good for scrap) and two newspaper stretchers. The (1st) newspaper stretcher is 4 feet by 1foot wide and is made of cardboard and some maple wood. Could be used for scrap. I don't even know where to begin with the other stretcher, its so uncomfortable to use. But it could be used for scrap plastic. It's mostly plastic, with bits of wood and a carpet bagging. Thanks! " What carpet bagging is, I don't want to know (but omg, did dear ol' crazy dad DECORATE the stretcher with a TEXTILE BAG?!) . What's really scary to me is that this ad brought forth buried memories of my father grabbing the newspaper off the kitchen table and loudly announcing to anyone in the vicinity, "I'll be in the bathroom."

Sailorgirl, I do not think I'd put another window box under the triple big window set. Nope. If you want another one, go to the far left set of double windows. What I'd do instead with that triple set of windows which has the picture window, is create a totally different framed garden vignette. Something like a very large and layered water fountain, maybe two layers, something white or maybe gray. It would be apparent that the picture window has the center stage framing this beautiful feature. And then I'd put the potted seasonal plants around the fountain...or bird bath, if you can find one big enough.. It would give enough substance to the spot to really give a POW to your front approach. You have a lovely yard. I do not think you need window boxes under that long row of windows. It would tend to make people wonder how it was being held up. And it would create a never ending chore trying to keep the boxes looking good. You'd be better off, and so would your plants, if they were in the ground, or sitting in pots around that fountain. Even a brick circular walk around the fountain would be neat and fit in well with your long straight brick path to the front door. Love your house.

"Thanks so much for your patience and help." Not at all. You're welcome. All good news, I'd say. Sounds like that's a 20 amp circuit and, at 900W, the coffee maker maker isn't one of the really big energy pigs. Assuming your refrigerator is average size and not too old (e.g., not much more 20 years), the frige and coffee maker should be able to coexist on the same circuit. A 20-amp circuit, BTW, can deliver up to 2400W, so you don't have a great deal of extra power to spare. If you're brewing coffee and running, say, the food processor on the other countertop receptacle when the frige starts up, it's still possible you'd trip a breaker but other than that, you should be OK. As for that "convenience receptacle" on the coffee maker, I wouldn't use it for much of anything. Oh, I suppose you could plug in a cell phone charger or cordless phone base or something like that with a very minimal draw, but they're nearly worthless for feeding a typical countertop appliance. [As an aside, the worst thing about sharing a circuit with a refrigerator is that if the breaker does happen to trip, you may not notice it right away in which case your food might thaw and/or spoil. That's the main reason a dedicated circuit is prefered although, as Ron said, it isn't mandatory.]