Hi, Gerard... I've been thinking a lot about those bulb photos... and regardless of cause, I think that your climate and environment just don't work with the average potting soils... even if you add perlite by the tons. It's the actual black, decomposing parts of the soil that will give you the most problems. The particles are too small, and they don't allow for oxygen to reach the root ball. The roots can actually suffocate under those conditions. Add moisture and cold, or even cool temperatures, and you have the perfect environment for rot. I live quite a bit south of you, but I experience the same cold and the same damp, and I've been fighting the same problems. I thought that my bulbs were growing fine in the potting soil I was using, which was just regular old MiracleGro or Schultz brand bagged soil. I even added extra perlite, but if all the other soil particles aren't the same as the perlite, it defeats the purpose. After unearthing a few of my bulbs, I saw that their root systems weren't as healthy as I thought they'd be... a lot of the roots were dead and rotted. That's when I began researching in earnest, determined to find the solution! I keep thinking about the remnants of soil in your photos, and it appears too fine and too dark... it's mostly peat based, if I'm not mistaken. This type of mix holds moisture longer, and tends to break down and compact quickly. I've found that the ideal mix has particles smaller than an orchid bark mix, but larger than your average bagged soils. Bonsai mediums are almost perfect. I'm including a couple of links... you may have already read some of the information... but there are many substitutes for the turface or granite chips used in the mix I talk about. Oil dry, clay cat litters, diatomite, akadama... many of these products will work. Even small aquarium gravel can be used. Pumice is another alternative. The idea is to have a medium composed of larger particles that allows for the exchange of oxygen and gases to and from the roots, one that does not decompose as fast as potting soil. Plants mainly use soil to hold them upright, for support. Plants in inorganic mediums are fed on a more regular basis, but there's no soil break down, and no rot. http://www.bonsai4me.com/Basics/Basics_Soils.html http://www.dallasbonsai.com/store/potting_medium_index.html This next link below is just a photo of a typical bonsai-type medium, so you can see what I mean about larger particle size... the drainage is almost instantaneous. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hoffman_Bonsai_Soil_Mix.jpg There's actually a lot of helpful information discussed over at the Container Gardening Forum. Reading some of the posts over there can be quite informational. If you get a chance, sneak over and do a little reading. As a footnote, I hope to be mixing a giant batch of this medium type later this year, mainly for use in outdoor containers. If anyone cannot find the ingredients to mix their own, and would like to try some, I could arrange to send a sample for the cost of postage. I'll be sure to post when I mix it and have it ready. I know I keep pushing this inorganic mix with larger particles, but for those of us in colder climates, it really is a great solution! Once we understand how roots behave under soil level, and what keeps them healthy in container environments, we begin to see that it's important to provide FAST drainage and AERATION. Ok... I'm done preaching.

theplayer... it is confusing. Here is what I have learned: The old style looking RCS with the slotted vents on the front were configured with the simmer, 2x15k and an 18k burner. The new style RCS without the slotted vents in the front (like I bought) have a simmer and 3x15k burners as a way to cut costs. When we were in the process of purchasing this new style RCS the on-site BlueStar rep was hawking the new style range as having the simmer, 2x15k and an 18k burner... the rep was apparently not educated on the new style burner layout and telling us the burner layout was the same and did not change from the old style RCS. Since the 18k burner was the selling point for us to buy this new style range, along with the new look, we held the appliance store to the rep's word. In short, the new style RCS does not come with an 18k burner unless it is ordered as an upgrade.

In this area of the country manufacturing costs are higher than most other regions, so manufacturers that compete in this price point as RC Furniture does, and thus these manufactures are unable put in the same quality materials and standards as manufacturers from the east. That said, you don't have the extra shipping costs thats added to the price from furniture produced in the lower costs regions. But you still need to do your homework to know what your buying. In purchasing furniture and more so the upholstered products, you shouldn't shop for brand name first. First is to find the style, cover and comfort you like and the fabric/leather durability and content that matches to your lifestyle. Then focus only the sofas that meet these requirements, then search brand name or retailers that offer the best build frames that you can get in your price range. My recommendation is to search in this forum just the term "upholstery" or "sofa", and not search by any brand name, the results should give you a much perspective on how to shop for sofas. Also google "upholstery buying guides" or similar words in the search term. CR did a article back in January 2005 on buying sofas. Theirs lots of good resources out their.

Thanks for posting your pics marybeth. Your colors are lovely! I wish I had flat ceilings so I could paint those. Wouldn't my dh be so happy with me having to pick out those colors too? LOL Why is decorating so hard for some of us? I'm so thankful for everyone's input. No decision made yet. I think I'll go back to saving the cash for the purchase first. I'll put off the decision a while longer, but you guys have really steered me in a great direction. At first I was thinking of a gray glossy tile, with a black liner and then black tile on the diagonal. I think now that would be way too dark. I'm going to look toward the creamy tones everyone has suggested. THANKS