LOL. Getting back to fuel, I do wonder about diesel. Wonderful engines etc and probably the go-to for commercial power backup but I wonder about the fuel life in terms of standing....it does go off after time, and I suspect the standby maintenance is bigger - and maintenance is something many probably don't factor into costs. I wonder if you can get the special diesel that doesn't include the road tax and is cheaper? The gas equivalent here in Canada is called "purple gas" but don't know if there's a diesel equivalent. If it was legal to do so and you were committed to having the tank topped off regularly, or had two tanks, I suppose you could, theoretically, have a diesel vehicle and use the fuel from tank A) when it was getting old, keeping tank B) full, then swap and use up tank B) - I believe you can have such fuel tested too. Reading the Costco fliers I thought the Natural gas gensets sounded appealing - no dangerous fuel storage, no old fuel to get rid of, but then you are reliant on the outside gas supply. I suppose propane beats this, but how long does IT keep?

Wow Pirula, that does help! A lot! Your kitchen is beautiful. I think maybe the farm sink was throwing things off for everyone because of how many other elements I was trying to get in. It works perfect in your kitchen. And, your fireplace is much like mine, only difference is, mine has brick on the whole wall, and a sitting hearth that is a monstrosity. Your home is beautiful. You have basically all the things I love most. Do you know what color white your cabinets are painted? Cawaps, thanks so much for the olioboard info. I didn't have a button, but am getting one now. Hope I can figure it out as well as you have. I was using their library, no wonder none of those images showed up. I'm still on the fence about the terracotta. I've always wanted it, it's not Spanish looking to me, but it may not fit the house. Like Pirula's, maybe the wood would work better. This is the tile I am talking about. Source: [houzz.com[(https://www.houzz.com/products/antique-terra-cotta-floor-tiles-prvw-vr~125452) via Susie on Pinterest Kaysd, I think you may be right about the wood on wood. Maybe need to either do island a color, or different top. Lavender_lass, I love marble, but would be scared to death to do it all over. And, Allison's hood is my favorite of all time. Her entire kitchen is my favorite! Do you think soapstone would not fit? I love the look of marble, but thought it would be too formal? Thanks everyone, it's really helping to get my head out of the clutter and scale things down. Now, just to what. How do you decide? Do you go with your top five things, or do you look at the overall picture and throw things out one by one? Like in Cawaps board, just start eliminating what looks out? If not a WHITE farm sink, would a soapstone sink work? Thanks!

Love that fabric and can't wait to see the shades in your breakfast room... They will finish it with a lovely softness! The reason I think you need curtains in your Maine house is that the room is crazily proportioned and has so many disparate elements it is a big jumble. Different windows, on the same wall, no regularity to the size or placement of them throughout the room, several woods and all those blue fabrics you're planning to use in pillows and cushions and chair seats may make it even more higgeldy piggledy. You need a unifying principle in that room...maybe yards of unlined white muslin banded in blue grosgrain at the hems and leading edges...if white, hang them on mahogany or walnut finish faux bamboo rods tho. Or swath the room in a toile--- there are plenty of American toiles and you might even find some of whaling ships or clippers, how cool would that be, and use it everywhere, curtains, upholstery, etc. Anyway, I have given my opinion twice so I guess that's my four cents :-)

what I was seeking is the feedback of visionaries who can imagine the room with clean planking and a nice clean mantle ledge with 8" baseboards. VS horizontal etc. Oh, I really CAN imagine that room with planking and a ledge ... but I can't imagine it being an improvement on what's already there with some rustic fabrics and furniture and strong LARGE artwork. That ledge will chop the room at an awkward place and make what is a tall ethereal space into two conflicting halves. The non-negotiable design elephant in the room is the flooring's strong diagonal stripe ... your proposed planking - painted or not - will add more stripes and it's going to be very busy. Whereas respecting the essentially formal nature of the room and saying "it's formal, we're not" with your furnishings would be far easier on the eyes.