Good morning all,
The weather has been hot and humid here too. I just checked my cuttings and they looked wonderful, but the soil was almost bone dry. Yikes. They are under a misting system and have been absorbing water through their leaves. Gave them all a good drink. If anyone else is making cuttings this way, remember to water them at least once a week.
I watch too much TV on the home improvement channels. I've been seeing lots of people judging certain things, If they buy the house, they often add the kind they like. This usual doesn't change the function much, if at all.
:) Laura

It has been hot and humid here for a while - they say it will break this weekend - I sure hope so. We have been getting violent t-storms here with the heat. A nearby community had funnel clouds yesterday - yikes.

I'm thinking this amenity has something to do with hot, stinky weather!!

Nancy.

Ah, Laura, that is one of the items (or several actually) that people will pay more for, but not #1.

Nancy, I was thinking that this would be something you wouldn't think of right away. Apparently, I was wrong! :)

Cynthia

The first thing I thought of was to me an unimportant detail, but seems to be all the rage in kitchens in recent years. I may be in the wrong room though.

A few years ago some friends built a new house, and one of the over-the-top things they put in was a steam shower. The husband turned out to be a jerk and neither one of them is living in the house now, nor with each other.

We are now on the comfy side of the cold front - ahh! We did get some much-needed rain out of it, so we're pretty happy right now.

Would the answer to this question play a central role in the home-buyers' decision?

TM

{{!gwi}}

This post was edited by thinman on Sat, Jul 20, 13 at 15:38

If it is what I'm thinking we rejected a house because didn't want the expense or hassle to add it. Found a house with it included. Had a great time in the mts last week. Didn't need this item in the evenings but used it some days.

The heat has broken here as well and I will do some much needed weeding in the back beds today. Had a sprinkle last night with more expected tomorrow. Haven't had to water anything but recently transplanted plants this year, except pots of course.

I think I got it now.
I was thinking granite.
My daughter recently suggested I add it to my house, seeings how it's being remodeled anyway. Ha! My DH and I are old school, dyed in the wool, minimalists. Well to an extent of course. Many years ago I did all the laundry and dishes by hand. Pfffh! forget that. I might like a robotic vacuum though.
Around here, winter is 7 months long. Seems a luxury I can manage without.
:) Laura

A luxury till you swoon because of the weather, as I did the other day! Steam shower might be the opposite!!

Nancy.

Completely not about trivia, but did any of you know that there is a new 'Endeavour' on PBS tonight?? Just saw it on the listings, and I had not realized that the series had finally started!! Yea, in the wasteland of TV, there is a bright spark of civilisation. Woo-hoo.

Nancy.

It sure sounds like some of us are leaning toward AC.

TM

Ha. Too easy. No, that is not right...you are all too smart!

Yes, I have been watching "Endeavour" because we were huge fans of "Inspector Morse." You will like his boss. We also have WETA UK now. WETA is one of our PBS stations. I have been watching "Rosemary and Thyme" and "Waking the Dead" on that one. It requires me to check in regularly because they don't list it in our paper. I can check the schedule online, though, when it occurs to me.

I cannot wait to finsh painting the downstairs bedroom. We have a ranch where we can eventually live on just the main level, but it is nice having the walk-out basement that stays so much cooler even when I turn off the ac to save power (and $!). The walls are done and I can't decide whether to pull up the nasty stained carpeting before doing the trim or after. I am thinking before, but we'll see. I am in a hurry because it is much nicer sleeping down there when it is so hot outside.

Laura, i am another without granite, but I would love to have soapstone countertops. Since we will probably never redo the kitchen even if everything falls apart, it is unlikely that I will ever get them. No worries.

Sorry for getting off-topic a bit. Just yakking mostly. Now, off to prime the trim which was added when we replaced windows, hmmm, five or so years ago. Yes, I am a slacker.

Cynthia

Well, if not air conditioning I think we must go to the item we are having repaired next month so we can use it again. Ours is in the basement as are many of my friends'.

Though temps are down it is still hot out there and I am taking a break, eating fresh frozen blueberries, a delicious bite of cold.

Yes, it is AC. The "that is not right" referred to the too easy comment. Sorry!

So, for Nancy, TM, Laura, and Bobbie, four chilly stars. The link will connect to the top 11home features people will pay more to get.

Thanks for playing. Hope everyone can keep cool. Nancy, I thought maybe you would have cooler weather up there, so it would be harder for you to think of AC. Obviously, you had no trouble!

See you all tomorrow.

Cynthia

Here is a link that might be useful: Countdown to #1

Thanks for the cool thoughts, Cyn. Good fun.

Our local PBS stations don't carry Masterpiece Theatre for some reason, so I'll watch it all online, as usual!!

Nancy.

Thanks for the question, Cynthia. We were able to give our AC a rest today. Interesting list. I was surprised that fireplace was #11. AC was the one thing that was a must on my list.

The evening was very pleasant even wo a breeze.I did some deadheading and trimming along the fence with clematis. About half are still in full bloom with a few others budding and most will rebloom sporadically until a heavy frost.

Like Laura, I was thinking granite to start with, though I'm not a big fan myself. When I was teaching, my lab at school had soapstone counter tops and they were impervious to a lot of things, but not everything. They all developed stains that wouldn't come off, but that could be because I didn't oil them like I should have. The oil made them look, well, oily, and then mottled until it eventually all soaked in.

I can tell you that if you take a large Bunsen burner (technically a Fisher burner) and heat the soapstone enough, you will eventually get a loud bang and a crack all the way across the stone. Don't ask me who the fool was who discovered that.

Thanks for the stars and fun, Cynthia.

TM

Cyn,
thanks for the stars and the fun!
TM,
cracking soapstone with a Bunsen burner? I never would have known that. Some discoveries are so good to know. lol but not always happy to find out.
:) Laura