Hi skibby! Welcome to the forum! Can't really help you with the birdbath (I only have a cheap resin one. Very realistic resin, I might add. I made a fool of myself at the garden center when I bought it because they had all the prices on the bottom of the bowl (who the heck thought of that??) and after looking at the many concrete ones, I came to this one, bent my knees, put my hands and forearms underneath and readied myself to heave - and I almost fell over backward because it was plastic! I think my mother almost choked to death she laughed so hard at me. I'm glad I could be so entertaining...) Anyway, my friend, however, does have a concrete one, and as far as I know, she does exactly what Deb said to do - lifting off the bowl and placing it upside down next to the pedestal. Good luck with your new house and garden - so exciting, isn't it, to have all those new opportunities? :) Dee

Incandescents are completely useless, so throw that bulb away (or put it in a different lamp) and get a compact fluorescent. You sound like you have everything you need. You don't need a very deep layer of soil. 2-3" should be good. The plants will have more horizontal room for their roots than they would in pots, and I've found that, given a choice, most plants will send their roots sideways, not downwards so much. In pots they have no choice. What is your orchid planted in? If you got it from Lowe's, it's probably in the correct medium, but I didn't know they sold smaller orchids. Try to find out what kind you have. It could be that it is blooming size. Some orchids are minis, and will never outgrow a 1" pot. Personally I greatly prefer clay pots to plastic (for all plants except bog plants), as they allow the medium to 'breathe' more. You can also drill your own holes in clay pots with a masonry bit. Just make sure the pot is soaking wet first. All that said, many orchid growers do use plastic pots, with great success. And if your orchid really is a seedling size, it will need to stay a little more moist, and a plastic pot will help with that. Any more orchid questions, post them on the orchids forum. The people there are geniuses, and it's because of them that I have finally been able to rebloom all my orchids after 6 or so years of growing them. =) BTW, what is the 'drywell method'? Oh, and if you haven't already, find out about your local orchid society. Lots of orchid shows happen in the spring (mine is next weekend), and you wouldn't want to miss one! Good place to get inspired, and buy more orchids. =) You can also talk to members of the society and they can answer any questions you have. Oh yeah! One more thing you need to buy is a misting bottle. The ones with adjustable spray patterns are best (usually accomplished by just twisting the nozzle). They are usually sold in the plant department. It doesn't need to be really fancy. You could also get one from a dollar store.

Don't even give it a second though. Although it is labor intensive, it is MUCH easier than tile. There isn't much cutting....only the end pieces get cut. And you leave a 1/2" gap between the board and the wall (which is hidden by baseboard and quarter round) so even a poor cut isn't a problem. I have some good sites saved on my computer at work...I'll post them tomorrow. You may need a table saw to rip some pieces to make them narrower, and you'll need a miter saw to do the cutting. My VERY first experience installing hardwood was not nice new hardwood, it was warped and twisted old hardwood. And I did not have a pneumatic nailer, I had the kind you have to hit with a rubber mallet to drive the nail. It was a very difficult time consuming job because the wood was so warped, but the floor came out beautiful. If you are handy, this will be an easy project for you.

BM has a caulk for that purpose. Use the best caulk. Wait 24 hours before painting over the caulk. DAP Dynaflex 230 is also a good choice. Examine the chair rail with your finger tips. Smooth out any rough areas or dust nibs. Nail holes should be filled with wood filler or heavy spackling. Sand smooth when dry and spot prime before painting. Never use caulk in nail holes. Note: Fill nail holes, sand chair rail smooth, then caulk after clean up. Michael