Okay, dry sifting better than wet, that's one obvious improvement. Now I'm wondering about my insect screening, which I use just loose (i.e., it's not pulled taut against a frame or box, it's just a big piece of that very flexible (fiberglass?) insect screen that I lay kinda flat. Am I off the mark here too? I'm eager to improve my turface/floor dry container results. I've been using LECA/hydroculture for a few years now, and most plants have done well enough with it indoors, but I have this sense that turface could potentially work even better. However, I don't seem to "get" turface as a medium, and my results seem rather wildly unpredictable. In particular, though no plants show any initial signs of shock when moved to turface, some will just collapse after a few days, and it seems at least possible that my "turface techniques" are wrong, incomplete, or careless! Cheers, Alan

Looking up the nose only gets so far, and I'd be worried about something lodged WAY back in there. Unfortunately the only way to look WAY back in there is with a scope, which most general practices don't have. Radiographs are not generally helpful because all you can see is something in the nasal passages, but you can't tell if it is inflammation, a foreign body, or a tumor. Also a bacterial culture doesn't tell you if there is a fungal infection. Almost anything in the nose will produce a secondary bacterial infection. Since your vet already got the C&S and there is little to no improvement, I'd be worried about something else being there- tumor, foreign body, fungal infection- or some other underlying cause that just is not apparent with as far as you can see unaided.

Thanks for the suggestions. I went and ordered some of those clamps (much cheaper than at the local store where I saw them). I'll check into the stain putty, too, in case the glue doesn't hold (but it sounds like it will). I'm a little nervous about the router, so I might start practicing this weekend on pieces of pine I have laying around. The oak stuff costs so much more that I worry about messing it up. It would be nice if the verticals could match the other edge. I guess I just need to start using it and see if I can get an edge I like. I also need to price oak 2" pieces. $30 here, and $30 there adds up really fast. If I weren't having fun with this, I'm guessing it would have been cheaper to buy the cabinets already made (which doesn't seem right, but maybe they don't use as good of wood). Speaking of oak, I read somewhere about putting a 'filler' on the top so that the counter surface would be smooth for writing on. Do you guys use that or do I just put a hard finish on top of the stain and that'll do? Well, back to measuring for drawers. Again, not sure that it's cheaper to get a big piece of 1/2" birch and cut it all up, or just buy the silly drawers already made. Jennifer

For those who don't really have a cold: I had a runny nose and sneezing fits when it was cold and I did not open windows, but had the heat on more than usual. Today it was warm, I opened windows, got fresh air and walked, and no runny nose. The TV show The Doctors addressed winter allergies the other day. They say change your furnace filters. There may be dust, pet hair, mold circulating through the old filters. I haven't tried it yet but maybe I'll work on it if it gets cold again. A long time ago I heard vaseline was dangerous, you can inhale it into your lungs, which is not good. If you have an aloe vera plant, that gooey stuff in the leaves really helps soothe the nose and gets rid of the chapping. Hope you all feel better soon!