Thank you for responding...is this PB??? Frog?? I don't recognize the screen name, but looked at "my page" and thought you might be the very wise PB that I have grown to know and admire. I read and re-read your response... are you saying you think my choices are limited to surgery? Do these cysts ever dissolve on their own? I did read that they are rare on the spinal column, usually appear in different areas of the body. Oh boy, my head is spinning right now. Although the appt is just two day's away, I'm anxious for answers right now...never been a very patient person. PB, (if you are PB) are you in the medical field? I know you are a wealth of information, just wondering if it's from all the reading you do, or if you have a medical background... I did talk to the doctor that I work for today. He is a surgeon, but he's a GYN - he does advanced endoscopic, minimally invasive and robotic procedures...obviously, nothing to do with the spine. He was able to tell me he knows the doctor I'm seeing on Monday and he is "the BEST" in his field in this area (Chicago)... he is an orthopedic spinal surgeon who did a fellowship in spinal surgery, and his specialty is abnormal spinal surgery. In any case, I asked the doc I work for which way to go? Neurosurgeon or Ortho, if in fact I do go for the surgery. He said good question...then told me that he' set up an appt with a neurosurgeon he knows so I can get both docs opinions. In fact,he told me, these two doctors do surgery together at least once a week (they are on staff at the same hospital as the doc I work for). I didn't quite understand why, but it may be because of where something is located, as in this cyst, which is growing on the bone of the spine, but pressing or pinching nerves in the spinal column...???? As you can see, I'm making myself nuts...only good thing is it takes my mind off the pain.... thanks, Mimi

BTW, I'm trying to start the TTK club (Two-tone kitchen) to compete with the OTKers (One True Kitchen - all white cabs w/black counters and white subway), so welcome to the 'right' club! ;-) Majra's kitchen is a great example of using a backsplash with some color/variation in it, while still keeping it light. I don't know about matching exactly or not. I think it depends on your cab color and your space. Mine match almost exactly off the wall, but up, there is a ton of blue in them and some areas match and some totally don't - and it all depends on the light in the room at any given time. Your best bet is to get a few different samples and have them ready for when the counters go in. Then you can pick the right one. And don't let the contractor/tile people/whomever rush you. Find the one you love!

Thanks for following up, I've been meaning to do that! And Bonnie, that is such a kind thought, it makes me feel good just to know people like you are out there. :o) (I live in IL, but the disaster site where my folks live is in MI.) Anyway, I arrived here a couple of weeks ago to help with the final house clearing/move duties, and as I'd feared, by then all signs of life had left the daylilies' poor little bodies: I knew I wouldn't have much time to spend on the matter but I did call around to local nurseries, and struck out on finding mature stellas. Then that landscaping service I mentioned finally got back to me (after much following up), and someone came out for a look. He said he would seek three stellas mature enough to bloom soon. Originally it had looked to me that there were five or six -- three main spots, but with clusters in at least two of them. However, by that point I'd decided that I'd be satisfied with even mere improvement. Happily, he found some, which when planted last week were pretty small and weren't showing signs of blooms yet. But here they are now -- quite measly in comparison to their forebears, but better than nothing... He told me to water them for 10-15 minutes per day for two weeks, so I've been doing that with a manual sprinkler. These pics were taken late in the day; when it's earlier the blooms seem to be more open. My mom has been over at their new apartment for several days and hasn't seen the daylilies since they sprouted a few flowers, but I'm sure she realized by their size when planted that there was no way they would become anywhere near as full as the originals. I hope she won't be disappointed, but she probably won't tell me if she is. And, she has sooo many other things on her mind these days. Now, if I told you how much I paid for these plantings you'd say I was certifiable. It just didn't feel right to leave the beloved old family house that way, like it would be some kind of omen lol. :-O Wouldn't it be something if after all this, the new homeowners dig the stellas up and do something else with the landscaping!? Maybe I should ask them for a heads-up if I meet them (haven't listed house yet but will very soon); if these things can live in pots I'll insist that my brother put them on his balcony! ;-) Thanks so much again for all your help and for talking me through this!

Beverly – I hear you and respect your opinion. That is the long term goal but reupholstering the chairs was an easier fix and believe me the previous fabric needed to be replaced….it was a good first step. Hoping to stain paint both pieces eventually but I have just too many projects going on at the moment.