while it does seem to have lost some branches, I would still advise that you wait until July before pruning those branches off. You see, I own a royal purple smoke bush and have noticed they start leafing out from below and slowly work themselves up towards the top. My tops haven't fully flushed out and for sometime I thought they were dead too. Except this week when new buds have started to appear. It is very slowly leafing out and I expect it would be another couple of weeks before it's fully foliated. Also -- yes, remove new shoots from the bottom--- unless you wish to make it shrub like instead of being tree like.

The old finish is damaged. It has to be removed to repair. The finish may be shellac or lacquer. Both of those finishes can be repaired without a lot of mess, but you will need to learn how. Or have someone refinish them.

I have been a lurker here forever...never posted. I know how hard it is to quit smoking. I smoke for over 20 years about 2 1/2packs a day. I quit 5 years ago. I had tried to quit several times but always went back. I quit by picking a date.I told myself that it was going to be hard but every day would be easier. I also read that when you quit smoking your body is over the withdraw from nicotine 48-72 hours after you last smoke. I told myself the first 3 days would be the hardest and after the 3 days it is all a mind game. I really believe that is what help me stop smoking is knowing that my body did not need the nicotine, that it was my mind. i did take a mini vaction from work, some people say they get very tired from not smoking.... The first 6 months are hard....you will give yourself every excuse to smoke again...it has been 5 years and once in great while i will still get the urge to smoke...I know I cannot smoke or even try to smoke...because I will be right back where I was. I wish you the best of luck

The fire in the garage smoldered for over 30 minutes, filling the apartment with dense smoke. The heat right on the other side of that long wall to this apartment was intense and may have melted things in wall like plumbing and Romex wiring. They need to be opened to see. The upper floor of the apartment was smoking out of the electrical sockets, out the recessed lighting and the heat even permanently yellowed the fiberglass tub up there. The smoke is in the walls. If they want to gut, I'm letting them gut.