I went to Oak Hill Tuesday. They said they had plenty of bark. The owner was always nice to me. Didn't say anything about my filling a Corolla with bags of bark. The plants were picked over. There were some specimen plants left--sold and waiting for the purchaser to come back with a big enough vehicle to get the plant home. I noticed that the bark comes from Yreka, Calif. We can see if we can get a Chicago store to buy a skid, or one of us can become a wholesaler, maybe. [Mark Twain said that Yreka got its name because the residents used the letters from a bakery sign backwards, and they lost the b.] Al said a while back that when gardeners become strong with the way of the grit, they find they can grow plants without bark. The bark is the least important part of the mix. This may be a chance for us to spread our wings. cliss, the aged pine bark fines are about $5.50 for 1.5 cubic feet at Lake St. Landscape. By the way, if you need some Gran-i-Grit, I have a stash. That's a long way on the bus. To keep track of supplies in Chicago--the NAPA store on Harlem just a few blocks south of the feed store with Gran-i-Grit closed. [In the golden age, not only were they close to each other, but there was a Krispy Kreme in between.] The store on Grand around Damen didn't have the calcined diatomaceous earth (#8822) oil dri when I went there. I have started buying it at the NAPA at 47th and Cicero. red_chucks

Hi island. Our banquette was built (several years ago) by the same guy who did our cabinets. There is no back on it ... just loose pillows, which we sort of toss around depending on how many people are actually sitting on it. It does have storage. There are sliding doors on the long front of it (this is not easy storage to access but it's for the cookbooks I pull out once a year, etc.) and a "morgue" drawer that comes out from the end (where we keep all the dog leashes, collars, etc. Super handy storage!). I will take some measurements tonight or tomorrow for you, but I recall that the seat is about 19" tall after the cushion is on. I made the cushion extra thick, 4 inches, and raised it up a little because I prefer to sit a little higher at a table. The chairs came with the house and I sort of painted them on a whim. I used Annie Sloan's chalk paint, which was OK, although I'm not sure it was any better than any other kind of paint, other than not having to prime them first. They do seem to be wearing well though. Hope that helps for now. More to follow.

akjr, our range is a Maytag Gemini from 10 years ago. At the time, our DDs were 2 and 3 so I liked the knobs for the stove top away from little hands, even though it decreased the pan area some. We have liked the separate ovens, especially at Thanksgiving and for baking. It has served us well. Knowing it is 10 years old, I just am assuming it will need to be replaced soon. Thanks to everyone for their comments. The desk is further along than this, but I'm working on the top trim for the hutch next to the desk now.

Dear Johnny Dollar, My kitchen planner/cabinet rep was the one who suggested alder with this stain to soften the redness in the wood. I had initially wanted natural maple, as in our old kitchen. The light color of maple just was not right with the madre perla, the new oak floors, and all the other colors. The softness of the wood was never discussed and this is the first time that I have heard about it. We are almost empty nesters, so this kitchen will not get as much wear and tear as in a family with young kids. So far no gauges or dents or chips. The cabinets were made halfway across the country from where I live, so staining was not done on my premise. The finish on the cabinets looks very even.