Wouldn't that be a great workout video for winter time (down time for gardeners)? Somehow simulating all the moves we do a hundred times a day throughout the growing season. Fall comes and BAM! down I sit, and that's it til spring (usually 10 or so pounds heavier). I always find that this time of year is the worst - but by the end of the summer, I feel much better, almost no pains at all. I am 50. This year - my 6th winter sowing was almost a non-starter. I just didn't feel motivated - kind of depressed actually - aches and pains. But, somehow I forced myself to do around 30 containers (previous years it was in the 100's) - maybe I'll do a few more while the nights are still frosty up here. But let me tell you, when I saw my first sprout 2 weeks ago, I got that same old thrill - it's still there :)

I put all kinds of salty things in my bins (old preztels, chips etc). I usually do soak them and drain off the salty water. Never seen any problems and it is gone quickly. I probably don't need to soak, but I do it. I would not pour salt into my bin but the amount on food, I think is not a problem. Something goes for it and the worms follow.

Juniper - You have to really want to build a house... really want to. It's more expensive. It's stressful. It's very drawn out. It's incredibly difficult to manage. Did I mention it's expensive. When our build was about half through I lost a sister to cancer. I honestly couldn't care less about building a house at that time. I wish I was more in tune, but it simply wasn't a priority. In a way, that saved me a ton of aggravation. I simply trusted my builder to do his job. At times I'd get involved, but for the most part I had made a fairly comprehensive guide for what we wanted. In the long run that list was a really great thing. Jump forward a few months and it's more challenging stuff. Our other house didn't sell so I reluctantly leased it out for a year. I'm praying my tenant doesn't trash it and the market improves. If not, I guess I'll just keep working till I'm 70. My Mom worked till she was 75... If you got plenty of bids, checked your contractor's references, and had a few conversations with folks who've recently built, I can't imagine you didn't expect some of this stuff. Just keep telling yourself it's only money and you can't take it with you. Your contractor and his subs have one way to make money... work for you or someone else. If you aren't paying a decent wage you'll have some pretty shady characters in your new build and I'm sure you've read plenty of horror stories about no insurance, lawsuits, and sub-standard work. Just dig deep and keep smiling when you write those checks... Good luck! Saftgeek-

No pics yet because nothing's been able to be "redone". Still plywood subfloors, no appliances, and a ripped out bathroom. I realized yesterday that the refinished floor has areas that are duller than others, so now I need to get the guy back to recoat. It didn't show up until the floor was fully dry and starting to "cure" but it's very noticeable. :-( The entire finished basement has to be ripped out (walls, ceiling and all insulation) and the floor and all the framing disinfected. Environmental companies don't do this and not many pest control ones do either. I've gotten estimates ranging from $4400 to $9600 for the same job. It involves guys wearing chemical suits, respirators, extractor fans, disinfectant spray, the whole 9 yards. The neighbors will no doubt be appalled at the goings on. Then I have to get an electrician in to examine the visible wiring for damage. I'm sure there will be some. Haven't been able to address the garage floor issue because the old refrigerator is sitting there waiting for my son to arrange to remove it, which apparantly is a more complicated scenario than hosting the Olympic Games. Nobody rents a truck with a power liftgate, nobody we know has a trailer hitch for one of those tow-behind things, and none of his friends have time to assist. When the rest of the house gets painted, the walls will be sealed with BIN first. I realized that the garage floor is actuallly painted (the grey stuff) so I may be lucky and perhaps a good scrubbing with Mex will help. (TSP isn't allowed to be sold in our state) I have to say, the rodent stink is just as bad as the dog smell. Different but equally disgusting. This has been a huge financial sinkhole. What should have been no more than $35K in renovations has already surpassed $65K that in outlay to date, and there is still another $40K committed to (and necessary) but not yet done and paid for. In the end this house will have cost me $100K more than its selling price and neither the house itself nor the area justifies that number. I could have bought any of a number of houses listed at that level over the past 3 years which would have gotten me more square footage as well. And fewer problems!