We got our rain! Looks like a pretty good amount. Everything is thoroughly soaked. Amazing how much good the rain can do for plants. Glenda, You have had much cooler night temps then we have had. It has been in the high 90s during the day and high 80s at night. At 1 o'clock in the morning the temps would still be in the mid to upper 80s. Awful. Cameron, I am so sorry about your weather. I know the last time I flew to SC to see my daughter, I couldn't believe how brown everything was from Atlanta to SC. It was an olive green. I have never seen the South like that. The lakes were down really far and some almost dried up! I could see columns of smoke rising from the fires burning here and there all over. This must be the fourth or fifth year for you guys to be in drought conditions, huh? Man! We had a ten year drought and it was devastating. Nearly broke the banks because the farmers had no crops and the ranchers were having to sell off their livestock because there there was no hay to feed them. All the cattle ponds had dried up. This year, all the rain and precip. we got in winter and this spring really made the difference. The trees were able to get moisture further down in the ground, so the plants closer to the surface are not having to compete with them for whatever there is near the surface. I have had to water every day through this Heat Wave, but everything is doing pretty good, considering this early hot weather. The only exception being the veggie garden - insects ruined my cool weather crops. But even the areas further out where I never water look good. The garden phlox are the first to indicate drought. When they shrivel up, I know we are in drought. It's still very overcast and gray out, so we might get more rain. Hope this heat wave and drought ends for everyone... and moves on up to Washington where they could use a little heat and drying out. BTW, has anyone heard from MeMo lately. She blew out her knee(s?) trying to move plants and do things she shouldn't be doing by herself. She doesn't have one person to help her when or how she needs it the most. Wondering if she is in the hospital. Oh dear! I am just heartsick for her over her beautiful cottage garden plans. She worked so hard at designing it and digging those beds and her veggie garden. Then digging up her plants out on the ranch and transplanting them, mulching them, babying them along, only to be told it would all have to be dug out. And to make matters worse, this all happened right when the heat wave hit. Good grief! I would have been devastated. I worry about her. ~Annie

I am you. I LOVE marble but my DH really had issues with it (etching, scratching, staining) and neither of us was willing to baby it. We are going with something called Supreme White - some call it granite others call it quartzite. I checked out all available in my area (Boston) and found a more dramatic slab, which we picked. But there is much that is softer and very evocative of marble. I never really thought that that it had the linear nature of marble, except the Luce de Luna was close. I was surprised to find that not all of the distributors or fabricators categorized it as a quartzite, but as granite. Some the names I found for the stone, whatever it is, were: Super White, Supreme White, White Fantasy, Princess White and Luce de Luna (the more linear, the others are more webby.) So I am desperately trying to put in marble everywhere else (back splash, bathroom.) I was hoping at some point my husband would just acquiesce on the counter but no luck when we found the super white (that looks like head cheese according to another poster :) which I was overwhelmed with at first but really love now. Note as gray as the photos, and even has some warm subtle peach color undertones. I will try to create a photo album of the quartzites I found & post. They really vary from amounts of gray and white and in contrast/how busy they are so I would ask stone yards to email photos AND ask questions about color (because photos can be off.) Here is a link to a thread on my backsplash, the photo album has pictures of my Super White slab. Appreciate any input on backsplash :) All that said about Quartzites - if you don't find something you love I would encourage you not to compromise. Get the beautiful marble - if you read up on old posts most of those who did they don't seem to regret it. Good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: Supreme White Slab & Backsplash options

Marti8a, by charter, there is supposed to be a Habitat for Humanity in every county. Look a bit harder. Of course, you could be on one end of a county, and the H4Hs on the opposite ends of any counties!!! Yes, I've been up to Second Chance. With Melissastar and alone. 2nd Chance is just bigger and bigger. They do far more architectural salvage and really put HD to shame. If you want big, old, thick beams, or flooring or anything period, they'd be the place to go. They do a lot of entire kitchens. I just wish some of those people who buy the beaded inset cabinets would just redonate those they don't use. Someone (ok, I) would have use for a few of them.. I haven't been to the Loading Dock in Baltimore, simply because I haven't stopped to figure out where it is. The marmoleum selection at CF is dwindling. Carpet tiles, tile in general, bathroom fixtures, doors, and hardware is what they have right now. I went back today. Got 10, 10' 2x4s and 2, 10' 6x6s. Can't pass the latter up. Fun.

He got to come home with Mommy and Daddy on Tuesday morning...they don't keep them very long nowdays...He's doing great! This was at dinner last night...celebrating my son's 21st birthday!!