You should be fine, but I am not sure why you felt the need to dig them up. Typically garlic in our zone/area is fall planted and summer harvested for large bulbs/cloves. While this is typical it doesn't have to be the only way. Leaving garlic in the ground for a second year and then harvesting what you need as you need it also works even though it isn't often discussed. You may not get nicely divided cloves, but you still get usable garlic. Let the stuff sit and grow and you can just harvest the greenery which has the garlic flavor/scent for kitchen use and never uproot the bulbs/cloves. When the patch is established, go ahead and dig up whatever you want. You can do this in summer or winter by chipping through the ice ;)

Jsvand5, I don't know of any commercial source for Goose Creek seeds, but two people listed Goose Creek in the 2008 Seed Savers Exchange Yearbook. If you aren't a member of SSE yet, this would be a very good time to join because the 2009 Yearbook is just now going to the printer and will be out in a month or two. The Yearbook is a very good place to look for varieties that you can't find anywhere else, as many members list those for which they have enough seeds to offer. Laurel, there was never any patent granted for Goose Creek, nor will there be. Jimmy Williams applied for a patent on November 11, 2004 but it was never granted. Goose Creek was not "invented" by Jimmy Williams, and as noted above, the stages of ripeness described for Goose Creek are not unique to Goose Creek. Jimmy Williams can apply for a patent if he wishes but he won't get one. The United States Patent and Trademark Office has a public web page at http://patft.uspto.gov/ where anyone can look up patent applications as well as the patents that have been granted, and you will see that there is an application but it has NOT been granted. Anyone who wants to can go to the web page and verify this for themselves. Here is a link that might be useful: 2008 SSE Yearbook

Wow Shelley you have really been busy! What beautiful flower pots and hanging baskets. Congratulations for putting together such a beautiful display. I love the bicycle pot holder and I can imagine how good it must feel to have your own pool right in your back garden. I know what you mean about deadheading. With my roses it's also an ongoing task but isn't it wonderful to sit back and enjoy looking at your work! Wish I had put our garden on a self watering system too, but heck it's also a good feeling to wander around with a hose and keep in touch with every plant. Other than than we use sprinklers with a timed shutoff. SharonCb

This all sounds very familiar! We bought our first business when DH was 57 years old! We put everything on the line and then some! We had both run businesses before and actually were working in the business we bought, so there were no surprises. We too were appalled at how badly run were so many small businesses. DH has a talent and track record for turning around failing businesses that he immediately applied to our own. We have never looked back though there have been times of extreme stress and anxiety. Owning a business is very different from being employed, and it's like having a family, you can't leave it behind at 5pm every evening! On balance though it has been great for us, and still is. It sounds as though you have considered this move very carefully but here are a few of my own thoughts for what they are worth. I always caution prospective business purchasers to make sure the accountant they use for due diligence is independent in every way from the seller. In your case you and the seller both have a relationship with your accountant. If you have complete trust in him/her then you may not need to get an independent due diligence. Having the seller hold a note is absolutely the way to go and you should make this note a significant value. Your contract should detail under what circumstances payment of the note could be withheld. Right now it will all seem amicable but things can, and frequently do, change very quickly! Because of your ages, take great care not to over extend to develop the business. Your DH will reach the stage, sooner or later, when he wants to quit working. If you have over invested in your business it may be difficult to sell. I can't stress enough how important it is to have a clear exit strategy from day one!! All that said, this is both a scary and exciting time for you. Owning your own business can be fulfilling in ways that employment never can be. It can enrich both your lives. As long as you have always pulled together in difficult times rather than fought, you should be fine. You have to decide what life is about for you, playing it safe but possibly risking DH being frustrated and unfulfilled, or taking the leap with all its attendant upsides and downsides. We took the leap and don't regret it! I wish you both the greatest success.