I do like the cider brined pork roast, but I never let it sit overnight, and I only use my own pork, the commercial stuff is nearly always already full of "flavor enhancers". I tried brining the turkey/chicken/pork etc. and just didn't care much for it and I seldom marinate beef either. I guess I just like the flavor of the meat itself, without adding anything. Plus brine just seems to add too much salt for my liking, I can taste the salt over everything else. Sorry about your pork loin, though, that type of experience is why I seldom buy prepared foods. I'm picky and I usually just don't like them. I don't think I've ever eaten any product at all from Smithfield, so maybe they just aren't good, as Beverly doesn't like their ham either. Annie

Lots of great advice above. I especially like the emphasis on supporting individual artisans. That's how I justify my ginormous library fines: I am supporting the local library. For me, I often will have an amount in my head, beyond which an object just seems unreasonable to me, regardless of whether or not I can actually afford it. Currently, my own dilemma concerns a 4,000 range hood. For me, this is just not a reasonable amount to spend on a hood, no matter how much I love it. So, is there any conflict in your mind about spending for a faucet what you would spend for an excellent quality dishwasher? If not, then it will probably thrill you every time you turn it on. And who doesn't need a good thrill several times a day! If you go for it, check out Home and Stone. They seem to carry some versions of it for a teeny, weeny bit less. The only thing I wonder about is whether this faucet style goes with the mission style you described above (e.g. the oil rubbed bronze light fixure from Rejuvenation). Now, I'll be the first to admit that my design style is seriously lacking, so I could be totally wrong on this! But when I saw the rough hammered faucet, it made me think of my sister-in-law's upscale western style, "chic cowgirl" bathroom in Colorado. It doesn't read "Greene and Greene" to me. But as I said, I could be totally wrong about that! :-) francy

There are times when someone would like to privately email a GW member - maybe they would like that person to check out their thread or maybe they have a question specific to that person's kitchen. In any case, the ability to privately email a GW member does exist. . . Emailing Members Etiquette There is "etiquette" involved in emailing others. If you email someone privately, it's common courtesy to be willing to reveal your email address to that person - especially if you want a reply. Anonymous emails are discouraged, even if you don't expect a reply. Another point, which shouldn't have to be mentioned but does: Be polite and don't "bully". Don't email someone to tell them you don't like something they said/did/etc. Many people find it easy to criticize/blast others b/c they are, for all intents and purposes, anonymous. Let's all adhere to the mantra: "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything". Lastly, please be aware of what we all agreed to when we signed up for GW: This form is not to be used for advertising or promotion. (This includes links to your own commercial sites in a signature) . . So, how do you email a GW member? First, be sure you have email turned on for your account: In the upper right corner of most GW pages, you will find a "Your Profile" link - select it. Scroll down to the greenish-yellowish shaded area at the bottom with all the checkboxes. Select "Members" from the dropdown box labeled "Show my email address to:" (As of September 2013, this does not appear to affect what is displayed in the "Posted by" line) Check the box next to "Allow other users to send you email from your profile page or if you wish to receive message reply notifications." Now, select the "Save Your Member Profile" button below the shaded area. You're done! You can now receive replies to your private emails. Note: If you don't want your email address showing up in general, then set the "Show my email address to" option to "Members" just before you send your private email and set it back to "None" after you've sent your private email. Next, you need to get to someone's "member page". There are several ways to do this: Option 1: Find a message the person has posted and open their page by selecting the "My Page" link next to their member's name in a message. For example: Posted by buehl (My Page) on Tue, Sep 24, 13 at 22:27 Note the "(My Page)" next to the member's name (in this case, "buehl"). Option 2: Use the URL below. Replace "" with the person's GW username: http://www.gardenweb.com/auth/nph-logincheck.cgi?action=public_profile&user= In the case of member "buehl": http://www.gardenweb.com/auth/nph-logincheck.cgi?action=public_profile&user=buehl Option 3: Use GW's "Member Pages" page. From the navigation bar along the top of most pages: Hover over the "Tools & Resources" option. A dropdown menu will appear. From the dropdown menu, select: Member pages Select the "Search for Members" link Enter the member's user name in the "Names beginning with" box Optionally, use one of the other search criteria as well Select the "Search" button In all cases, it will bring up that person's member page and, if that person is willing to allow others to email them, it will include a link that says "Send me an email". Select the "Send me an email" link. On the next page, enter: The Subject of your email - make it descriptive and informative Your message Optionally, check the box to "Send a copy of this to my email address" (This sends a copy of the email to your email address.) Select the "Submit your message" button The email will be sent.

As for "80% of stock funds underperform the S&P500 so you'd have to make a strong argument for how a custom portfolio will do any better." This is far from true. Just as a for instance, if you bought a S+P 500 index fund, its performance would be EXACTLY the same as that index it was mirroring, adjusted for costs. Elmer, I believe you misunderstood me. Of course stock *index* funds perform the same as the index they are mirroring. I was talking about nonindex stock funds like mutual funds that are managed. They often underperform the stock indexes. From investopedia: Generally, when you look at mutual fund performance over the long run, you can see a trend of actively-managed funds underperforming the S&P 500 index. A common statistic is that the S&P 500 outperforms 80% of mutual funds. While this statistic is true in some years, it's not always the case. A better comparison is provided by Burton Malkiel, the man who popularized efficient market theory in A Random Walk Down Wall Street. The 1999 edition of his book begins by comparing a $10,000 investment in the S&P 500 index fund to the same amount in the average actively-managed mutual fund. From the start of 1969 through June 30, 1998, the index investor was ahead by almost $140,000: her original $10,000 increased 31-times to $311,000, while the active-fund investor ended up with only $171,950.