That sounds like a great project! You have an amazing resource in St. Louis. As you probably know, the St. Louis botanical gardens are world class. They have an outstanding Japanese Garden. This information is 5 years old but, a friend (who lives by Forest Park) talked to the curator of the Japanese Garden who agreed to transform her back yard. Over a weekend it was completed and is amazing. Her pond is much smaller than what you have planned but it is integrated perfectly in her new landscape. So, I'd take a trip to the gardens one day and chat with the staff and inquire about contractors. Something like "would you happen to know anyone who could help me ..." With luck you might find one of the most knowledgeable and highly skilled landscape architects in the country take your job. If not they would certainly know who they use when they have a project to do. I'm partial to Japanese gardens but every garden there is first rate. If you have a style in mind that is the area i would gravitate to. Good Luck Here is a link that might be useful: Come Join Pond Chat!

Yeah I saw the low temperature maps and the cold blast seemed to go right through central illinois and into indiana so the southern areas got a frost. Keep in mind we are living amung an urban sprawl whether it be in the city or suburns in our case, the temps are usually maintained above freezing as oppose to the outlying areas. Not only vehicle related heat factors, but the cement surfaces and buildings release heat at night to keep the temps a few degrees higher, buildings and houses also block winds and the lake moderates our temps some what as well. Cities are big microclimates. Chicago is warmer than Peoria IL, and Urbana, and even Indianapolis even though it is much further north. When those cold fronts blow through they will go very far south, and just about everything behind the cold front will experience the same temps.

Yes, Annie, it WAS a perfect CF get-together! There was great, delicious food, as we grazed our way throughout the day, and never a moment when conversation lagged. Weed was absolutely right right about the Maple Nut Goo. Goo is GOOD! I love the Goo, and will take every opportunity to eat Goo in the future. Yes, Silence Must Be Observed for full enjoyment to ensue. Weed thinks she may be in trouble as it's going to be very near her new house, but I think she just needs to embrace it, and develop a personal relationship with those who serve/sell. Leave a standing order so there will be Goo in reserve! Carl's da bomb burgers? Oh yeah. 'Nuff said! What a fun day we had! Since you're filled in on the details, what I wanted to add is how familiar Weed was to me, even though I'd never met her in person. I started thinking about ''Things Weed Has Taught Me'', which include: The Problem with Framed Cabinets How To Make A Clickable Link (I didn't learn that one very well, but I'm counting it anyway) Cooling Food Quickly For Safety in the Kitchen Maple Nut Goo is Grood Famous Barr Onion Soup (a St. Louis Tradition) is Awesome, Including the Stringy Cheese on Top and so many others! I had the best time at her new house, wandering from room to room. Her house is very familiar to me, as it could almost come out of my own neighborhood. I will let her share the details of her home when she's ready, but I loved the feeling of the neighborhood and good house vibes. I always love a good ''before'' and ''after'' view, so I'm really looking forward to the changes she's going to make. You all know how I love to live vicariously (since I fully expect to be invited back you see!) Here's a picture at Global Foods. Weed is buying baby bok choy, (even though she's holding dates!), and I bought some sharp swiss cheese, brown bread and KerryGold butter. She was telling me how her mom used to make sandwiches out of this, and of course I wanted to try it. I also bought Vanilla Bean Powder and enjoyed the shopping trip while trying not to feel bad we don't have anything remotely like it where I live. She also turned me onto Mexican sour cream and her favorite corn tortillas. The Pork Chili Verde was delicious. I got hold of some peppers which burned the roots of my hair, but once I got over it, enjoyed it very much. Here's our beloved Weed, looking great at the end of a very hot and mugly day. Yes, that is a margarita on the table, which is partially responsible for why there aren't more (or better) pictures. I simply didn't care by then. I'm so happy to finally meet some of you! We talked about you all, only in the nicest way. I wish there were more of us in the midwest, but we did talk about a road trip to Des Moines to see about visiting Lindac. When the stars align, that could happen. But then, if any of you want to fly into St. Louis or Kansas City, it's not that far for either of us!

Enjoyed the book-I actually read it twice, once when it first came out and then again for my book club. The second reading was quite worthwhile; there is more depth in that book than I caught the first time around when the plot twists had me riveted. Lots to ponder in her portrayal of relationships, marriage, appearances v. reality etc. Gillian Flynn wrote a very tight book. My daughter, who also read the book, and I saw the movie yesterday and liked it a lot. Mild spoiler: we both thought the film portrayed much more of a hero/villain dynamic between the lead characters than was the case in the book. We also thought it was quite well cast and well acted in all the major roles. Ann