A lab out of Richmond VA did them. They are supposed to be sending me more information through the mail in a couple of days. The last time "more information" was only application rates to increase different compounds. Then again, I have only ever had pastures tested before so maybe the lab will give better recommendations since they know this is for a market garden. I guess I want some down and dirty information on what this is all about. Maybe a book or something?? We are trying to grow everything by organic standards- thinking of getting cerified "naturally grown"- and understanding the soil is key, me thinks. If I was 20 I could go to college and take sustainable ag courses or become an intern or apprentice but that kind of learning can't take place when you are in your 30s and raising young children. I am now at the point where all of my learning comes from books and message boards!!! Sorry for babbling on, just have a lot going through my head!

Yes Mary, you are reading right. There are several softwares that allow you to download free or purchased designs from the internet to your computer. Then you transfer from computer to the 'cardwriting box/card' for using in your machine. The most popular is the Brother PED Basic that I mentioned above. It only writes .pes format, which is what the 270 uses, and can be bought...sometimes used, from ebay. Normally, you can find new there, as well as Walmart on line, Allbrands.com, and other sites. You may pay from $50to $100+. Then you can download a free software to change other design formats to .pes for your machine to use. There are many many free designs available and a good place to start is to join Sewforum.com. It is a forum for embroiderers, where you can ask questions, request someone create a design for you free or for fee. It is not very active now as the site is also on Facebook, but still, there are thousands of free designs still there. I hope I have explained-helped you. Good luck!

Spot plaster?? It's not like it's drywall getting patched. Making a repair will definitely be noticeable especially on any colored plaster. I've posted countless times on this thread about plaster issues and to reiterate, it all starts at the beginning with a proper prep, to weather conditions, application, filling and chemical care. If any of these,and some in between not mentioned, are not strictly followed, there will be a failure in the finish. The contractor should have been prepared with a tent before the rain. Carefully checking and monitoring weather prior to working pays off. The white spots may be calcium nodules. In pool plaster, it generally indicates an improper bond of the plaster to the substrate (original plaster). Mostly seen on re-plaster jobs and not new pools. Re-plastering requires a bond coat to allow the old and the new plaster properly bond. The problem will persist and probably won't go away. Acid washing might help a bit but can etch the surface making it rough. And who wants a rough surface on their feet? Here's a good explanation on this subject. https://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/calcium-nodules-in-pools.66499/#:~:text=What%20are%20calcium%20nodules%3F%20In%20swimming%20pools%20and,rough%20to%20the%20touch%2C%20hard%2C%20and%20generally%20gritty.

No.....I didn't say they are close. I said they WERE close and that she loves her father and has a good time when she's here. Then I went into this long paragraph about when the break down started and what was happening. That was about age 10 so there were 10 years when they were very close. You're right, she doesn't return calls, e-mails or texts....now. When she lived here, we started seeing her less, but she still answered the phone and we were involved in her all-consuming extra-curricular activity. Now that she lives far away, she is "increasingly more involved in extra-curriculars". They, however, have not been the reasons she hasn't come. None of them are on weekends, as of yet. And I did not say she IS involved in too many extra activities. I said she was involved in 1 extra activity that was all-consuming. That's when the break down started between her & FDH; when BM put her in this one activity and then made her quit the one that FDH was helping with. We think we know the reason for the not returning phone calls, texts and e-mails. When she sees us or talks to us, she misses us. She wants to stay longer, but 1) doesn't have the nerve to ask her mom and 2) is always bribed by her mom and family with activities upon her return. It's hard for her to leave her dad. So, sometimes, it's easier to ignore the calls and emotional conversations than to wrestle with them every time he calls or every time she comes (which has only been 3 times, but that's a lot to a teenager). I understand that completely. I have told FDH that he needs to keep the mushy stuff out of the conversations because it's hard enough for her not to be with him. Does that make sense? She wanted to move, basically because BM was talking about how great it would be, but also because she's never really lived around extended family before. So that was all new and exciting. But she didn't want to leave her dad. It's hard for her to adjust when everyone is telling her who she should be loyal to. If FDH is all sappy on the phone, she feels guilty for loving her new life. If she misses her dad, she feels like she's betraying her mom and family. So it's easier to leave the old life behind and live in the new one.