Hi, Lisa, First year, just buy plants, and enjoy them. Now, until next spring- each time you cut the grass, dump the clippings in one place. When you prepare vegetables and fruit, dump them in the same place. Cover this pile-very simply and cheaply- with a black plastic "yard" garbage bag. Pile on your autumn leaves, and get your neighbor's leaves, too- the key is to cover with the plastic. This composts your discards so fast that you won't believe it! If you have clay soil, go to your local home improvement store and buy a 10 pound bag of "contractors", or even "play" sand. Mix it in well with your clay soil, and especially your composted veg discards. Possibly, your community gives away composted leaves that they pick up each autumn. It's important to cover this with plastic and let it sit for a year- covering is EXTREMELY important, to kill the weed seeds. The manure thing is great- if you have access to straw to mix with it, (well "rotted") even better. The important thing is to mix organic material- and the sand if you have clay soil. Best thing is that the organic stuff is free- save all of the "vegetable refuse" you would normally throw away-potato peelings, vegetable "trimmings", the unattractive outer leaves of lettuce and cabbage- soft tomatoes, bad radishes, eggshells. Pretty much any vegetable discards will do. Just make sure that it hasn't been cooked, or contain salt or vinegar. And after many years, I learned that covering the "pile" is the key. If you have REALLY heavy clay soil, I have friends who did this- their soil wasn't only heavy clay, but marshy and wet- they collected old matresses- not with springs- tilled up, dug down about 3 feet, laid the matresses down and covered them back up with soil. This gave them incredibly good drainage, and they had one of the best vegetable gardens I've ever seen. I wish you luck, hope I've been of help. I live in Delaware, 3 miles from the beach, and have spent 8 years amending the soil here, making it so good! ( I be proud) Don't hesitate to contact me directly (shellywilley@juno.com)- I'd love to hear how you make out, and I have lots of agriculturally adept friends who will be more than happy to share with you. Hope to hear from you, Lisa- we'll all be happy to be made to feel knowledgeable and important by having the opportunity to share with you! Shelly ps- I meant to spell it all correctly....and did you get that covering it all with plastic is important?

I'm always happy to see a rescued animal get a home. One concern though, with the looks of Dox in her, it's usually a bad idea to get them used to sitting up. Their backs often can't take it for very long and seeing a dog with a bad back and the resulting pain is heart-wrenching. A friend's vet told her to stop her Dox from sitting up. She somehow decided it was better begging sitting up! Winston will probably adapt! At least he's (apparently) not attacking the newcomer!

Great ideas so far! Our smart pergola by Arcadia has really helped facilitate needs much like yours. We find a lot of our clients hesitant to give up one thing over another due to either the pergola itself, the space, or restrictions. One thing to keep in mind with a wooden pergola although beautiful and helpful is that in most cases it is wooden, and it requires some maintenance over time. You potentially risk the problem of an open flame for a bbq, grill, and fire pits. Another that we encountered was the overall maintenance during the course of seasonal change and climate changes. Rain, sun, heat, and cold weather all take its' toll on wood, even treated wood with oil or stain. We would love to help you create the perfect patio just the way you dream it to be! We invite you to take a look at our page, gather some ideas, and see what the Arcadia Louvered Roof could provide for your home. Our system is completely customizable in color and size, allowing you to keep every possibility available! Our built in gutter system keeps you dry and allows you to provide shade at any time of the day! Good luck and let us know how we can help with your Houzz project! -The Shade Team Shade: Outdoor Living Solutions

Hi Cassie, here’s a great idea for displaying your plants that not only looks good but keeps them neat and tidy for your room. These are meant for clothes....but make great plant stands. You can choose bamboo timber ones or metal frames. Whichever suit you....some even come with wheels on the bottom, in case you have the need to move them around from room to room during the change of seasons. I think this would look great in front of your bedroom window. You should be able to find something similar at Amazon. I personally love the idea....I hope this is helpful :)