Larry, They both have cancer? Oh, my. That is a really tough break. I understand what they are going through, having been through it myself and having a family member battling cancer now too. I cannot imagine what your daughter and son-in-law would do without you right now, and am glad you live close enough to them to be able to help them. Mia, The north-south or east-west issue is as old as the hills. I believe the technically correct answer is that in most cases it is preferable to run beds north-south to take full advantage of both morning and afternoon sun as the sun passes from east to west. When you plant this way, as the sun passes overhead, the plants are not shaded by the plants on either side of them. Taller plants like corn, tomato plants, pole beans, tall forms of okra, etc. should be on the north end of the garden so they do not shade shorter plants. However.... We all live in the real world and have to take other factors into consideration. I consider the slope of the land to be the deciding factor in how to run rows if you are not on relatively level ground. So, for those of us gardening on a slope, I think it is better to run our rows sideways across the slope instead of up-and-down the slope. When you run your rows across the slope, you can reduce the impact of erosion. Someone like me whose garden slopes both from west to east and from south to north has to use creative bed placement to stop erosion as much as possible. I have most beds running east-west because that is what works with my slope, but some running north-south, also to reduce erosion. It isn't perfect, and I tinker with the layout from time to time, but I'm happy with it overall. For someone in a very exposed area where wind exposure causes lots of damage to the plants, those gardeners might choose to site the rows based on the direction from which their most damaging winds tend to come. For someone whose garden is in a yard with homes or other buildings, wooden stockade fences, trees, etc. nearby, a person needs to site their garden rows in whichever manner works best with the surrounding items that may case shade on the beds or funnel rain runoff onto them or whatever. In a new home, you partly have to guess at how this will work your first year. The sun and shadow patterns you observe at this time of year will not be the same patterns you'll see in summer. Now, having said all that, I sat here and thought about the gardens belonging to people on roads nearby and most of their rows run east-west. We all have different issues with terrain, but even the gardens I can think of that are on flat land or relatively flat land near us run their beds from east to west. I can think of only two that run north-south. You'd have to pick the brain of each individual to see why they choose to run the beds east-west or north south. In the one area where I have beds on relatively flat land, the rows do run north-south. Dawn

About 1/2 of the bread items around here still come with twist ties on them and I normally toss them when I open it. They're seldom sealed tight. I had a need for a twist tie a couple months ago when I had to attach a new lanyard on my PDA and it had this little tiny spot to feed it through then make a u-turn and come back out. It was so small the twist tie wouldn't fit in there with the coating on it. Had to strip it back and just use the wire. I bought a roll of them for the garage and got some longer ones for some stuff I was setting up at work so they occasionally get used in the garage. For virtually all plastic bags for food storage I buy zipper lock or slider lock type. And I almost always buy the freezer bags since they're heavier. My cousin OTOH... I don't think can live without twist ties! Come to think of it the larger sized cheaper bags probably still come with them on the non sip/slider or fold/lock top bags. I think garbage bags come with them too if they're not handle-tie. I haven't bought any in so long I don't know if they still do or not. (I always tie the tops of the garbage bags too so none get used there either. But for just a few, I'd just ask and I'm sure they'd say help yourself. Or you could legitimately put them on produce or meat bags when you buy produce/meat and have a clear conscience. That's what they're for after all. Or ask a neighbor if they have some.

I like the idea of giving it depth by using a glaze, but I think I'm too chicken to start w/fire engine red! I'll probably still get a muted red but not as dark (since it should darken a little w/the glaze). I'm really excited, I wouldn't have considered glaze but now I'd like to try it. I also wouldn't have considered antique brass handles but if I look at this dresser all on it's own, w/o trying to tie it in, they would be a good choice b/c of their appearance of age and the depth they offer that black just won't have. The red color will help it fit b/c I have muted, dark red accents in an otherwise neutral LR. Thanks for all the ideas, I'll post progress pix when it's done! Melanie

Justin, we built a house in 1985 that reminds me a lot of your house. I really struggled with finding and placing furnishings that fit the scale and drama and rather oddly shaped spaces ( that we specified). We now live in a small farmhouse on a small horse farm. White plastered walls, white painted trim.Much easier. May I suggest you look at Texas Hill Country farmhouses for inspiration? They tend to be strongly defined but simple, sometimes incorporating "Spanish" elements, if you like those. ( This is kind of random, I do think your front door should be changed. It doesn't seem to fit either farmhouse or the house, in my opinion. You can do better.) PS. In this soaring space, pay close attention to your fixture choices. I think the one shown in this Hill Country house would fit well, for example, but the right scale, no matter the style, will really make a difference.