Yes, but the apparatus is quite heavy because it is made out of galvanized aluminum. Definitely a two-person job. I have tried it on a Cedrus deodara in the backyard, and it worked quite well. However, the branching structure on a Himalayan Cedar is much looser than that of this broom; it will definitely be a challenge. -Sam

I can't thank you enough for the comments and attemepts at solving my problem. I admit, there have been laughs and a few tears. The frustration level with this project has become high, mostly because we can't get started. I chuckled when it was mentioned that we entertain a lot, therefore keeping dishes close to the dining room is a good idea. Yes, we do entertain a lot however no one who comes here ever wants to be in the dining room! The kitchen and family room windows extend nearly to the floor, looking out on woodlands and a large koi pond and waterfall. So here it's casual, mostly moving between indoors and out. The "formal" dining room has more than 12 linear feet of cabinetry, with all manner of china and serving regalia that is never used. Company has been successfully herded there for meals 2 or 3 times in 20 years. It would better serve as my new sewing room! It seems what has most people here bothered is the doorway to the mud room. Some seem to have the notion that the "rest of the house" is through that doorway. Actually the only thing in the mud room is the door to the garage, and a small powder room that hubby uses when he's working in the yard. I guess we could build a pantry cabinet in the mud room, but that's about it. The rest of the house is actually on the other side family and dining rooms. There are 2 other powder/rest rooms for guests over there. The opening to the mud room is not exactly a runway but it needs to stay. The comment about the dishwasher was an excellent catch, and the refrigerator, the one thing not yet purchased, could easily narrow to 36" wide and no more than counter depth. It could then move down to open directly facing into the aisleway and full height cabinets could be placed on both sides. That makes the sinful barrier more of an L shape. What I called a "prep" sink is probably is more aptly called an entertainment sink. Making lattes, teas and such at that counter. The main sink can and will serve many purposes, including prep work, actually both sinks will multitask. The design generously created by bmorepanic, which so many of you favor, has it's own challenges. We have looked it over, and plotted it into the program to look at it in 3D. We also pushed the wall into the living room back a little further. Even with the pantry being a smaller version, it feels like the main sink is in a hallway and it is so far from everything. I'm not convinced that the12-inch available space behind the sink turns into cabinetry large enough to house dishes or flatware. The big thing for me though; have you noticed how few cabinets remain? The refrigerator drawers aren't placed and still have to go in, leaving only one useable base cabinet in the prep wall and two in the island that face the work area, one small one facing the family room. Buehl, I've seen your awesome cabinet layout with base cabinets numbering into the teens, so could you honestly organize yourself into: ...

With anything like this you still need to take the normal precautions. Get a good firewall, not the lame excuse that comes in Windows. Microsoft doesn't do many things right. Antivirus needs to be kept current. Spywareblaster should be installed as should a couple malware detectors. If you have trouble, run them in safe mode. Clean out cookies and temp files frequently. Check Windows Updates weekly. And if you run Internet Explorer, plan on trouble - it's the swiss cheese of browsers for security. And we've been seeing a resurgence of problems with it and with naive users over the past few weeks. Computers need maintenance, just like a car. And you have to be careful about opening attachments and the like. One of the latest threats is through .PDF files so Adobe Reader is vulnerable. I haven't used Adobe Reader for years. You can also go to an online virus scanner and check your machine if you're suspicious of your current one. Surf safe folks.

Just wanted to say one more thing........I had a wonderful colostomy nurse that visited me before I left the hospital. They come and show you how to take care of the colostomy....and explain how it all works. She said something to me that made all the difference in the world and it really did effect my attitude...she said.... Ruth, you can go home, feel sorry for yourself, suck your thumb and lock yourself in the house and be miserable because you have a colostomy, or you can get your butt out of bed and get on with your life. No one will ever know that you have an colostomy unless you tell them so go and do whatever it is that you feel like doing......I certainly took her words to heart and lived just that way.....and after the tissue in the colon had time to heal, I had the reversal ie... the rehook and it all went well............Tell your Mother not to worry......