Tomato David, Congrats on your new property! Sounds like you will have some very nice soil by next year. My wife is looking forward to having a big chunk of wildflowers all around the house. Being Japanese, she is not as into having a patch of green grass as I am (although I just want a little one). 'Pup, I was thinking about the weeds, and decided totake a number of different approaches. One is to thin by cutting most of them off at the base and leaving them to rot in place. A second is to pull and mulch the desirable plants near them. The third is to cut, carry, and compost them. I am not too worried about bare ground, the vetch and other plants are spreading like wildfire. Now I have found some serious bamboo coming out of a few roots that got left behind. They are all pencil thin whips this year, but I don't want them to get established where they are now. I have a space set aside for them at the bottom of the hill, surrounded by a 50cm ditch. On the other hand, I have harvested a lot of cucumbers already! It was fun, walking around, then seeing a beautiful straight eight cucumber hanging from a vine climbing a lambsquarter! I found a lot more after that. But you really have to look for them in all that jungle. Eric in Japan Here is a link that might be useful:

personally i feel discriminated. Did it ever occured to u that the majority of people who have criminal backgrounds are accused unjustly? did it ever occurr to u that the majority of these people were young at the time of the crime....and made bad mistakes without using their intelligence. we all make mistakes....the important thing is change.Everyone has the right of another chance...especially when u really want to change ur life around...i've never comitted no crime....but i'm married to a man who has a horrible past....criminal back ground...bad childhood...but if u meet him you'll notice that its impossible to believe that this man has done anything.My husband is a good father...a good friend....a good husband....and a good adopted son....he's not perfect...but he ain't the devil either...hes just made bad choices....i don't blame him because of his childhood...but i don't see what hes done....cute. i understand him...this man has changed his life around....he has lost so much....but he has gained as well...i believe god gave him an opportunity because hes sees what inside of this mans heart...who are we to judge so blindly...the most sad thing about this is that because of what hes done in his past....we are having trouble finding a house to rent....i've been through so much with this man to know what this man is really about...and i don't understand how naive people can be to just sit there and judge...instead of sitting down and try to find out what exactly is going on.we are good tenants alwayz have been, just trying to give a better life for our two children.....so before u decline someone, take the time to think how would you feel if someone rejected you without hearing your side first...because when i look at the eyes of this man it hurts me to know that its killing him and hes feeling unworthy...and he is worth much more than what people think..

Oh, Kathleen, I know that feeling--isn't it awful when you've typed a whole response then lose it? Aaargh! Let me see if I can answer all the questions: I was pleased to discover that I had those placemats since they had black, blue, orange, white and more colors in them. That opened up some possibilities for my meager dish choices. The candleholder was a TS find, it was black and wood tone. I originally had thought about spraying it white and painting roses on it, but decided it would be good for Halloween if painted black. It's what allowed me to use the black plates and still pull the color throughout. Those pumpkin bowls came from Nell Hill's in Atchison, Kansas last year. Nell Hill's is owned by one of our favorite author's, Mary Carol Garrity. The gold leaf dish was a TS find, and the leaf votive holder was a gift from a friend last year. The little acorns are faux, and I thought they were so cute. Found them at Home Goods a few weeks back. I used some of them in my little glass jars too. I am still wishing that I had collected the real acorns at one of the rest stops in Missouri on our motor home trip--and those wonderful cattail plants too! They both would have been wonderful for Fall decor. Nothing special to eat, we just had huge muffins--apple spice and chocolate chip--and fruit salad. I had thought about an egg casserole, but I've had lunches with these gals and they are not big eaters so decided to keep it simple. I still struggle with the napkins--would orange ones have been better? Where would YOU have placed the napkins? I'm just unsure about them each time I put a table together. And the candles--I thought I wanted orange ones, but couldn't find any in the limited time I had so just went with the white ones from DT. Then I thought that was good because it pulled the white from the plates in. These are the types of things I struggle with each time I try to do a table. That's why I love this forum so I can ask questions and you will all share your thoughts and ideas with me so I can make easier decisions on the next attempt. ;o) Luvs

Katie, your house is waaay cool. I live in a house about 10 years older than yours, and I'd like to share what I've learned: The dark wood molding, with its many imperfections, has grown on me in the year we've been here. The dings that drove me nuts a year ago are now character and patina, and I NEVER thought I'd see it that way. I have had great luck with Farrow and Ball colors. Dorset cream in living room, mouse's back (unbelievable color, you really have to see it with the old wood to appreciate it) in the family room, and light stone in the dining room. I also have farrow's cream in the hall and stairway, but i think it was a mistake; dark wood can take much darker colors than you think, and they all look several shades lighter up on the walls. There seem to be a lot of strong opinions about custodianship, which may or may not be off-putting to you (disclaimer: I've got a foot in the custodian camp too). But look at it this way: from a resale standpoint, as the years go by, a well-maintained older home with original details will pull ever and ever higher premiums from buyers, so you will reap the rewards of your "custodianship" in very tangible terms when the time comes. So, to me, self-interest and good custodianship actually align. Also, you will sometimes save money while you're living there if you have chosen period appropriate finishes, materials, colors, and decor: because they are timeless. I was over on the kitchens forum, and people were moaning about their "so-80's kitchen" and how to make it less dated. If you do things to the original decade of your house, they will never look dated: only timeless. You will never need to redecorate when styles change unless YOU want too. Now that's freedom! Finally, I found, and you may find too, that the styles appropriate to your house grow on you. When we bought our house, the first thing we did was remove the bronze statue from our newel post so we wouldn't clock ourselves when we moved in. We NEVER intended to put it back up, and almost gave it away to a neighbor. Well, it has grown on me, and I look forward to the day that I put the other "lady of the house" back on the newel post. (Dh would probably tell you are days that he wants to screw my b... on there--naw we usually get along lol!) So, enjoy!!!!