pnbrown - Did not know about MBB until you mentioned it, thanks for the heads-up. I did some quick research, will research more in depth to learn if this problem is something I should be looking for in the future. Have never seen signs of them here, do not know if they can survive up here or not at this point. Really prefer not to have to deal with another insect problem... So no, I am not having any problems with MBB that I can see. I see occasional beans with bore holes and a handful or so are getting chewed on by what I think are field mice. Some are half eaten hanging on the plants with a nice clean cut - have chased a few bunnies out that are getting past my electric fence so I assume they are the culprits of the last problem. All in all losses are minor so far, hopefully things will stay that way.

Join your local club and beesource...lots of information there and instant reply. Read allot. Konrad Here is a link that might be useful: Beesource

Not about historic gardens, but two books I came across recently: Residential Landscape Architecture by James E. Hiss and Norman K. Booth. A Landscape Design course I'm taking uses excerpts from this book to illustrate basic design principles. It describes the problems most commonly found in residential properties, and how to deal with site conditions such as wind, sun, drainage, and how to measure, analyze, and design or re-design a residential landscape, including how to interview clients before doing a design. No pretty pictures, only line-drawings, but a good basic book on design, and a lot of info I hadn't seen in other design books I have. The other is Garden Design: How to Be Your Own Landscape Architect by Robin Williams. It covers a lot of the basics, materials, and design elements, including some nice examples of actual site layouts without getting bogged down with plant selection. It had nice examples of pergola, fence, wall, and paving styles. The examples of symmetrical and asymmetrical formal gardens were especially interesting to me, as I love formal-style gardens and was frequently at a loss when trying to design around existing structures or plants, or a less than symmetrical lot. I particularly enjoyed this one. Jo

les, how cold IS your kitchen? I have never heard of anyone having countertops that were uncomfortably cold, no matter where they lived. I can speak to your concerns with experience. I have Silestone in my kitchen, Corian in my bathroom, and I live in MN. Although I do like the Corian (for looks and ease of cleaning- esp. the shower surround) I would NEVER put it in my kitchen, because it does indeed scratch very easily. I have a few scratches in my bathroom countertop and I have no idea how they got there, but I can assure you, my kitchen surfaces take much more rough treatment than my bathroom. I can only imagine what they would look like by now. Oh sure, you can buff them out- do you want to add that to your home maintenance routine? Not me. Yes, quartz and stone products feel cooler than the cabinet surfaces they sit on, but I don't see it as a positive or negative feature, it just is. I would like to share a neat "trick" I learned from my SIL who has Cambria and also lives in MN. Ever forget to pull something out of your freezer to allow for thaw time, so you now have to change your dinner plans? Put a frozen item on a quartz countertop and you will be amazed how quickly it thaws. This has saved me on several occasions, and I kinda consider it to be a bonus to my decision.