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I was walking around the lot today and noticed a lot of plants with tall, spikey flowers starting to form. It took a bit of searching but I was able to identify the plant as black cohosh (Actaea racemosa).
Black cohosh is a medicinal herb that has been used to treat a variety of gynecological problems and age-related disorders like osteoporosis. I don't put a lot of stock in herbal remedies but it's fun to discover native plants that are attractive and beneficial. 
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Intro Although neoTerra is not a Tiny House, we have downsized from the home in Chicago so we are always looking for ways to use space efficiently. We eliminated the study early in the design phase so we widened the main hallway by 18" to provide space for a 22' library wall. This allows the hallway to do double duty and reduced the house footprint by approximately 100 square feet. We saw some ideas on the web that were built with IKEA Besta cabinets and Billy bookcases. Unfortunately, they discontinued the Billy suspended bookcases. I considered using Akurum cabinets in place of the Billys but IKEA discontinued those too so we had to build the entire project with Besta. It was not our Besta experience.  Installation Since we've already installed a ton of Akurum cabinets in the kitchen, laundry room and bathrooms I feel qualified to heap criticism on the Besta product. What do I NOT like about Besta... let me count the ways:
As I mentioned, the bracket system for suspending the bookshelves is terrible. Akurum and Sektion both use an inexpensive galvanized steel rail for suspending cabinets. The rails come in eight-foot sections that can be cut to length. Cabinets can be hung anywhere on the length of the rail and then slid left or right into position. Not so with Besta. The brackets are 22" aluminum sections joined together with flimsy steel spacers. If your studs are on 16" centers then each bracket will likely hit at least one stud. If your studs are on 24" centers then you may be out of luck. We used a combination of deck screws and drywall anchors to make sure that each bracket was attached in at least two locations. The brackets are pre-drilled for attaching the cabinets and there is virtually no left-right adjustment. This is definately a system where the old adage of 'measure twice and cut once' comes into play. Oh... almost forgot to mention that the brackets are expensive.  Goofy Besta brackets Once we got past the issues with the brackets the rest of the installation was fairly smooth. Now we have lots of space for books and mementos.
Conclusion
We really like IKEA products but I would strongly recommend spending a few extra $$ to get Sektion cabinets rather than Besta. Sektion offers a lot more choices in cabinet sizes, the suspension system is far simpler and the hardware is better. By the end of May the foliage completely filled in and the character of the site has completely changed. The dramatic vistas we see from the deck in winter and spring are shrouded by the forest creating a sense of seclusion.
AND... the bears are back. They don't really hibernate here in Georgia but they're inactive during really cold weather (like we had in February). We're happy to see that the baby cubs from last year have all survived and look healthy. They're almost full grown now.  We were thinking about getting professional movers for the second half of the move to Georgia but we had such a good experience with PackRat for the first move that we decided we would use them again. PackRat number Two is on its way to Georgia and the house here in Chicago is looking pretty empty. 
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