This was the thread that helped me put a name to the style of garden that I love best. I have been working towards the cottage style for many years and never get tired of the evolution of it. Loved reading them all again today. Cheryl

"I don't think you can get a nice finish coat directly on top of the bonding agent. At least I had a difficult time, although perhaps a pro would know how. For me, everything slid around too much while you were trying to work it smooth." Sounds like you are not leaving enough material on the wall, possibly using too much water in the mix, and did not allow the bonding agent to dry enough. The layer is about 1/16 to 1.8 inch thick. The mix for skim coating should be about like peanut butter in consistency. This allows it to be pushed out easily but has enough body to be workable. Bonding agents need to set up to tacky before applying the plaster. The water in the plaster will help it soften again and grab. Use of drywall knives also makes covering large areas even more of a chore than it needs to be. A plasterer's trowel makes short work of covering large areas and produces a smooth finish. It takes some practice to barealy raise the leading edge to obtain a good finish. The trowels with the tiny (3/4 inch diameter) handle are not as good as ones with a decent (~1.5 inch) grip diameter.

From someone that lives in a "fake Victorian", though out in the country not the burbs, I think it's a beautiful home, though I'd prefer it all have all been done in stained wood. Just my preference. The kind of materials, as in quality of & sizes of solid woods, along with the quality of craftsmanship that was readily available over a hundred years ago for the "real thing" are very lacking today. If you do have a source of good quality solid woods in true to measured sizes and someone with excellent wood working skills you'll find it's cost prohibitive to most of us. Even some with buck loads of money. Boy would that be nice, though I would hope if I did I'd be philanthropic first before I built such a lavish home. My hubby and I know that our home will never stack up to the real thing. He loved me enough to build the home of my dreams. He didn't care for VICs at the beginning, though he did liked the floorplans with my changes. He also took time to learn and teach me new skills along the way to make it as beautiful as we can. Remember, most of us look at our homes differently then others do. Some see their own homes through rose colored glasses where others see many flaws. Then there are those that look at their home as lacking when others see only the beauty. If it makes the owners happy to feel they have a historical "worthy" home, then so be it. Happy is good as long as their happiness doesn't harm others.

That looks like a katydid. It's a kind of grasshopper and yes it will eat the leaves. Neem oil won't do much to kill it unless you spray it right on it, but then you're just drowning it, lol! Chewing insects like this are best dealt with by Spinosad. That's the pesticide's name, look for it in the ingredients in several brands. Bonide's is Captain Jack's Dead Bug Brew, there are other brands too. Spray it in the early evening when bees have gone home. Once it's dry, when the bees come back in the morning, they can walk on it and it won't hurt them. An insect has to ingest it for it to work, so the kadydid will have to eat a little more leaf with Spinosad on it, but then they stop eating and die. Spinosad is good to have on hand too if you get Citrus Leaf Miner, which usually shows up in the fall and spring.