Thank you all for the replies and the reassurances! Now I realize I have a wheel barrow full of suitable crushed granite :) One thing, though, will the crushed granite still be okay with everything 1/8" and smaller sifted out? Should I amend with a little more Turface to balance out the increased drainage? I suspect the crushed granite is still good from what I know about gritty mix, just want to make sure. @Al - I hope your recovery is swift and complete. Thank you for your help. Not just here, I've learned so much in such little time reading your many posts. @simonk - Lyngso is indeed the place a tried, a lead I got from the Regional Supplies thread. I'll keep that max size of 3/8" in mind! @robertbay - If you are around San Jose, check out U-Save Rockery. They have crushed granite that is the same grit as Lyngso's Desert Gold. The plus, though, is that it doesn't have nearly as much dirt and debris encrusted. I only went to Lyngso because I visited U-Save Rockery and thought Lyngso's crushed granite would be smaller. I don't think I need the $200 investment into an eco-shredder :) I will keep EB Stone in mind though, thanks!

I wish someone would talk about this East version of Knoxville Botanical garden. I recall a failed attempt to have one at Northshore. Amazindirt: I believe there is a nursery that may be inside the Cookeville city limits which I have not been to. Burgess Falls is a different nursery a few miles below I-40 near the waterfalls. I didn't check, but my recollection is that their website is burgessfallsnursery.com-----otherwise google for them---they do have a simple website that lists a lot of what they have. My recollection is that there is yet a third nursery somewhere above Cookeville that specializes in only fruit. I am including the pick tn. website that lists a lot of nurseries in the state. I have found a lot of "neat little off the beaten path" nurseries that way. It has been a while since I've been there but I think there is a way to sort by county....and I think Cookeville is Putnam county. Michaela: I've tried e-mailing you twice---both returned with errors. Annas gardens is open this time of year by appointment only---ph 423-753-9314 Here is a link that might be useful: Tennessee nurseries

Hello Almost Neighbor! Our Boulder house is home to the furniture from our CA house, so we didn't purchase much new furniture ... we did purchase an inexpensive loveseat (~$350, inc. delivery -- they were having a special, but I think they're always having specials!) for the playroom from Sofa Mart and it's great. It is comfy and has withstood toddlers for about eighteen months now. We also purchased a sleeper sofa (AU Furniture) from Concepts Furniture in Boulder, but they tend to have a more modern aesthetic. They are a small store but nice to work with. I have been to the Denver Design Center a number of times for fabrics. Because I'm a looky-loo non pareil it was heaven for me, but it's pretty small. Pretty small, esp. when compared to some of the larger design centers, like the Blue Whale in LA or the Design Center in San Francisco (and I can only imagine what it's like back east!). It's also quite expensive, both the to-the-trade areas and the retail. I didn't have a designer, so I just used their service where a designer popped down to write the order up for me. I should find her name, because she was good for two reasons: 1) she charged me minimal mark-up because I knew exactly what I wanted, so all she had to do was write it up (she didn't have to walk me around or spend much time with me), and 2) she had good follow-through. She'd insisted on a sample and it turns out the shop (Egg & Dart) had written the fabric code incorrectly so the wrong colorway was sent. (It was what Egg & Dart had ordered, but not what we had requested.) Anyway, because of that she caught it and then she made sure when the fabric had arrived that I was pleased. On my way downtown I've driven past Kacey, a beautiful old brick building. I believe they have a wide selection of furnishings. ??? When are you all arriving? I'm so excited for you!

I am still tweaking as we settle in (approx 5 months now)but have some stuff in permanent places. Our silverware is in a drawer that can be reached from the kitchen table without standing up. It is just on the opposite side of the sink as the dw. Our dishes are on the prep side of the islandbecause by the time I need to plate things, I can easily get them. They are also across the aisle to the side a little from the dw so with the dw open and the drawer open, unloading is so easy. Our pots and pans are on the other side of the stove since not everything can go in the same most used space. It works fine because I prep on cutting boards and can transfer to the pot or pan on the stove well. I have the cutting boards in the top drawer by the prep space and the other top drawer there (18" each) houses my food processor attachments for the fp at the back of that counter. I also have a few pairs of kitchen scissors in that drawer since it is closest to the garbage pail. I have a few more pairs in another cab on the other side of the kitchen since I found they would not get put away if it were too far. I sometimes find them all in one drawer or the other, so I know both drawers work well to hold them. My foil is in the top drawer next to the wall oven along with the potholders. It is close enough to the stove as well but I do keep a few potholders on the other side of the stove too. I keep insulated lunch bags, zip lock bags, rubber bands, etc... in the bottom drawer next to the sink and as close to the toaster as I can because the toaster is used in the a.m. for bagels and for toasting the bread for our older son who brings lunch's sandwich. This is my morning prep area. The other things in the 4 drawer 18" wide stack with silverware on top is a drawer for plastic utensils, both the throwaway and keeper kind. Our baking stuff is next to the oven though it gets moved to my fave prep space. Being near the oven is easily remembered by others and is used less often than the other things by the prep space that take priority. I do have a dedicated shelf in our 30" wide pullout pantry cab for baking supplies. There is also a snack/oatmeal shelf, a pasta/rice and canned tomatoes shelf, and a misc side dish shelf. The cereal boxes are up high since boxes don't hurt if you pull them down on your head, lol. I have 2 plastics/Tupperware drawers and am so giddy about that. I can keep more and they stay organized and don't jump out at me like they did in the old kitchen's base cab. In the same peninsula, dh and the 2 boys each have a top drawer of their own to keep debris off the counter (in theory, lol). I have a bottom drawer because I need a place for my work tote bag and other asstd work items as I head out. The all drawers in base cabs feature is one of my faves. I will never go back to regular cabs or even pullouts. I regret not doing it for our sink cab as well. Soups, beans, condiments, less used spices and other misc are stored in the shallow cabs on the back of the island.