Thanks for the tip Al. For those who are interested or have the same questions, I did some more digging on the forum and found a couple of very useful related threads that I had overlooked and wanted to included links: Question re: watering Al's gritty mix - Take a look at the 4th followup post from Laura (loveplants2) which good commentary on how to water and deal with drainage. Gritty Mix + Citrus Plants + Foilage Pro - Questions - Jodi's (jodik) followup, the second I think, gives a good overview on premoisturizing like Al (calistoga) pointed out to me in his post above. And of course for other beginner's like me, Al's post here--Good Growing Practices - An Overview for beginners--is an indisposable resource and very informative, interesting, and helpful as always. I think the combination of those three links answers the three questions I posed originally in this thread about the techniques for watering so hopefully anyone with similar questions will be able to find the information they need! Nathan

I maintain that it is both an art and a science. I read vermicomposting forums for years before I had my first bin. I learned a lot from just having my own worms. Knowing the science is a good place to start. Eventually, you get a feel for the art.

Thanks for your ideas. Yes. It is a great stone. I just hate to set it free! Caminnc: Hum, something outdoors. We do have a wood fired oven. Maybe we could create a pizza making station with this. Don't know how well it would survive NE winters -- though Vermont is the "granite state"! If we can't use it, the fabricator would be able to use it. TreasureTheDay: We've did used another "left over" section to top a buffet in the dining area. It was DH's second furniture project and turned out very well. An outdoor bar/pizza space might be doable. Have to think about that. Dedtired, you're quite right. I hadn't thought about what it would take to mount such a heavy piece on a wall. Duh! Lindac, a very good point about keeping it "just in case." We did that with floor tile and were glad we did. We might not be able to get a 450 lb slab up the stairs, but we might be able to find a home in the garage. Again, thanks for the ideas.

"Fair Use" *** Discussing a copyrighted work, definitely fair use *** Non-commercial use Surprisingly, " A few things are always considered fair use: You can make a single copy for personal use." (link below) And from Ohio Bar Association: "Q: What is the most important factor in the fair use analysis? A: Often the character of the use is the most important factor. If the use is related to a profit-making activity this suggests that the use is not a fair use. For instance, photocopying a Dilbertî cartoon, framing it, and selling it would not be a fair use. However, hanging that framed photocopy in your own home study would probably be a fair use. If, however, it is determined that the framed cartoon reduces the market for framed Dilbertî cartoons sold by Scott Adams, it may not be fair use. The fair use analysis is not always easy." Here is a link that might be useful: Fair Use