I agree with each of you on some points, but -- Because I am an organic gardener and a vegetarian, I know quite a few people who share those interests, and they come from every part of the political spectrum. So I try to remember (except with people I know very well) that if I assume that someone who shares one of my interests will also agree with me politically, I have about a 50-50 chance of offending them. So, as organicguy says, there are other forums for other topics. On the Organic Gardening forum, maybe we should stick to talking about how to garden organically.

I can't say anything nice about this, so I'll leave it at that.

Framing out the area in the garage was my proposal, and to me it makes tons of sense. That's our main entrance so we could make it into a mud room / laundry room thing. The problem with that is that we would then never be able to park our minivan* in the garage (not that we do so now). We might not even be able to get the car into the garage. It's a very short garage. No substantive progress on the bathroom remodel as we're still finishing up the kitchen. I'm still against the laundry room as I just don't thing it's a practical use of the space. It would be forcing it into the area so it would be so small as to be nearly unusable (basically space to squeeze in a washer and dryer and ana rean big enough to stand in to operate them) and it would mean taking room away from an area that we use a lot (bathroom and closet / dressing area). I just can't see sacrificing all that space to an area in which I spend a maximum of two hours a week. This is also a central area of the house and it would have a serious impact on my allergies (especially since Hubby insists on Downy for his clothes). *Getting rid of the minivan is not an option as we are frequently called upon to transport Mom, Dad and disabled brother to gatherings, events, etc. We just don't fit in a regular car.

Although it seems a tangent, bear with me: I recently purchased a stick blender for my mother's birthday, the one I gave her years ago having bitten the proverbial dust. I started research on Amazon, only to find similar sorts of problems with this small appliance as those outlined in the original post here, i.e. so many brands either got glowing reviews or horror stories for the very same product. Quality seemed to be a roll of the dice, no matter how much you paid. I finally chose a popular brand, knowing that the blender could suddenly tank, but also knowing that reviewers said the customer service was outstanding. So, if we're left with mediocrity from the more accessible electric wall oven brands (like Bosh or Electrolux vs the costy Wolf), which have been most responsive when people have had a problem? Kitchenaid seems to have failed roundly in this respect over the past few years, so even if they've solved their problems, they aren't the brand for me. Comments from the trenches?