I use concrete blocks that are 2X2X16. I found them at my previous house, and brought them all with me when I moved. They are substantially heavier than bricks, and they grip the plastic much better. Because they are long and narrow, they fit snugly in a narrow trench, and being 4 ft for 3, they close perfectly the ends of my 4ft wide beds. They will keep the beds sealed in 60mph winds. Cinder blocks, red bricks, and concrete chunks are no match to these things. If you can not find them, you can cast them yourself with concrete. Having a lot of experience with hoophouse blowouts, the secret is in avoiding small leaks to begin with. The blowout often starts at one end. My hoops are about 4 ft spaced and 3 ft high, and one of these "bricks" per gap is enough, if the ends are carefully sealed. Not only 3 bricks per end, but also careful folding of the plastic under the bricks so it does not inflate. Oh, and of course, 3 clamps per hoop, either side and top, and five clamps at the first and last hoop. Clamps can be found on the Territorial Seed website. I have 200 of them.

We used Classic Taupe in DS's new condo and love it. He has some black accents and it's very dramatic, but if you're going to use it, I wouldn't use the expresso towels. If you decide to use the black mirror I'd use some other black accents around the room. If you decide to use the espresso towels, (which are very cool) you could use a bronze or espresso color for the mirror. You could also use a chrome mirror and have the option of changing the accessory colors whenever the mood hits you.

Another option is to post an ad on your local FreeCycle. You won't get a tax credit, but you should be able to find a good home for it easily. FreeCycle is much safer than CL because FreeCycle members must register and get approved before they can post or even see messages. Unlike CL, FreeCycle doesn't allow come-and-get-it ads because they waste gas. If you do post it on FreeCycle, be sure to ask people to give you a definite day and time when they will pick it up -- this helps to keep the no-shows to a minimum. Also, don't necessarily offer the item to the first person who replies, because some people respond to every posting that seems to have some value, and then don't follow through. When I give away things on FreeCycle, I try to choose someone who lives nearby because there's a greater chance they'll pick it up promptly. Here is a link that might be useful: FreeCycle

I'm keeping the drywall return. Adding inside molding is an option if I feel the frames look too wide for my taste on the interior. The window company I'm using that is within my price range only offers one color for both inside and outside. Justterrilynn, thank you for the photos. Your home and landscaping are really lovely. The roof looks dark so the bronze window frames complement it nicely. Those frames look fairly thin. Are they the aluminum with a thermal break? Who is the manufacturer? My plans are to go with fixed picture widows with no grids in the family room. This reduces the width of the frame, and I don't particularly care to look through grids from the interior to exterior. However, yours do look very nice, architecturally. As an aside, I wish our area required lamp posts. That's a great touch. Ak, thanks for another bronze vote. I hadn't thought of versatility but that's an important point. Almost all of my neighbors seem to be going with the white inside and out. These comments are really giving me the courage to move forward. I'm also trying to get myself psyched up for the dark green window glass that code requires here in Houston. The Low e3 366 lets in 60% visible light compared with my clear single pane glass. I'm also wondering how I will adjust to that.