My brother's all-time favorite like this was a father&son team who were going to steal the catenary wire from the Long Island Railroad. These wires are energized to 11,000 volts with 1,500 ampere circuit breakers. (Home wiring is 110 volts with 15 ampere circuit breakers.) These two knuckleheads used aluminum ladders to cut down the wire. They figured the power was off because the employees of the railroad were on strike. But it was not off. They climbed a very tall chain-link fence with barbed wire at the top of it to accomplish their task. They got very badly fried, but miraculously did not get killed. When they got out of the hospital, they sued the railroad. The RR's defense was that the railroad was fenced in and that signs were posted every 50 feet (or something like that) warning of the danger. The judge asked if the signs were in Spanish. No. Judge awarded for the plaintiffs.

Ruthanna, I thought I might have been the only one who ever made dandelion wine. It was very sweet and altogether disgusting. LOL I've also made beer and Elery made a batch of wine that was much better. At least I guess it was, atleast people drank HIS! I've made everything listed here at leas5t once, including the sauerkraut, yogurt, butter, pickles, ketchup. I also make my own sausage and my own pancetta. Elery is in charge of smoking fish, though. I work fulltime and don't have a lot of people to feed, but it's more like my hobby than anything. I like to can and make things that cause others to raise their eyebrows. Sometimes it's worth the trouble, sometimes not. I don't think peanut butter or English Muffins are worth the trouble, neither are bagels. Sauerkraut is, though! Annie

Do you mean bellpulls?? Kathi

It should make no difference from which side the door opens. If someone can climb a stair they can get to the other side of the door. But I would be very careful about mats and throw rugs in the entry path. Not lifting feet enough is the cause of most falls by the elderly and it is not something they are aware of. I have an aluminum ramp to my front door landing and a small aluminum ramp that can be placed at the door threshold. Be aware that the elderly are always slowly losing mobility although it is usually not noticeable to anyone who sees them often. While you are worrying about steps and handrails you should also be thinking about where the future ramp will go. A ramp could be placed at the left side of the steps if the column were not there. I predict you will remove the post some day for that reason. Now is the time to ask the builder how he framed the overhang. I will bet he framed it to not need a column in order to speed construction as evidenced by the construction photo. Don't ask the architect; its highly unlikely he knows what the builder did. Also be aware that the ramp slope does not need to meet an accessabilty code standard; for a private residence it is reasonable to assume that someone in a wheelchair would have assistance or use a motorized chair. That has been my experience in the 13 yeas I have had a ramp.