Pn: you assume I am willing to take a very large financial risk ffrom wich I could never recover if it went south :) Your idea has crossed my mind though; maybe, if my banker and I could agree on a piece of land he wouldn't mind owning if I couldn't sell it we'd be able to deal. I already live in the middle of commercial ag but in a very small town, there is an elevator 2 blocks away and a spray service 2 blocks away also. Right now there are combines, grain carts and semi trailers hauling grain parked in town and going to and through it. My neighbor is a custom harvester. The mad dash is on to get all the corn, soybeans and milo harvested as well as the winter wheat planted. Yep, anhydrous is used here on corn, it is knifed in under ground. Being a gas at atmospheric pressure, it wouldn't do any good to try and pour it anywhere, knives work very well if the soil has the right amount of moisture in it. Nacyjane: there isn't really any empty land around here unless you count the creek bottoms, everything is in crop production in this county and every county around it and more. Happyday: good point, I suspect there are no zoning restrictions on subdividing within the county. On a less serious note, I don't think there are any laws in the county at all, 1 sheriff and 3 deputies to cover 24/7/365. what do you think? You can not pay your property taxes for in excess of 5 years and not have to worry about the county auctioning off your property.

Hello, I've been away from this group for an extended period but noticed it's still vibrant and I even recognize some old-timers :-). So hello! There seem to be certain topics that foreign gardeners fond of Japanese culture tend to repeat over and over, sometimes in spite of themselves. The relationship of gardening to "zen" (I use the word rather loosely) is one. Personally, FWIW (and please notice the FWIW), I differ with quite a few of the sentiments expressed above. While I agree with some that the background religions of Japan have played a huge role in the culture and development of Japanese gardens over the centuries (hence somewhat disagreeing with the stance advocated, say, by the JOJG), I have observed that for the most part, Japanese folks are not particularly religious in a conventional sense. Many folks familiar with Japanese culture have already noted this in various contexts, and it is (somewhat) supported by polls that have been conducted in various countries. Fact is, there is a huge difference between a background culture that has evolved over the centuries vs. someone's own involvement in that background as a spiritual tool. In other words, it could be the case that the vast majority of folks take their spiritual culture for granted and do not necessarily persue it as an individual discipline :-) Hence, a personal involvement in gardening as a "spiritual" persuit may say more about the individual than any particular norm they think they are being faithful to... I personally have noticed Japanese seem to get a big kick out of foreigners interpreting their culture as somehow saturated with zen, enlightenment struggles, yada yada...It's a source of amusement. Since this is a topic that reoccurs often in this forum and is very contentious, I don't plan on a lot of follow-ups myself. Just a personal observation, take it for what it cost you. Regards, Jim

Yes, I did it by myself, design, implementation and testing !!. I got couple of books on Japanese garden from Library. Then googled it to get more info. Bought the arch bridge from Big Lots for $65.00. Build the zig-zag bridge from the remnants from home depot. I keep my yard in good condition so Town awarded me the best yard plus $100.00 with that I bought the Japanese lantern (Toro). Bamboos I got it from Maryland. One familty wanted to get rid of the bamboo invasion of their backyard. It took me 4 years !!. Not becuase of actual constuction. I have a 4 year old. When ever I take the spade of pick ax, he wanted it. When ever I move the soil for the pond , he put it back. He enjoyed as much as I did. Now he is 8.

Inky, I think I'm going to have to take issue with your description of the sand cone at Ginkakuji as "tacky" and closely related to seaside sand castles, although you seem to be right in describing them as having little to do with Zen. [Disclaimer: the following is based on what I, a Westerner, have read in various sources in English, and probably reflects the inaccuracies and misunderstandings endemic to studying any subject at such a remove.] If I understand this correctly, the truncated sand cone at Ginkakuji (known officially as the Moon-Reflecting Mound) has a specific purpose - it is only in the cone configuration when the Emperor in not in the garden. When an Imperial visit is scheduled, the sand is raked out flat for the Emperor to walk upon. Some Shinto ceremonies are associated with this (the job of being Emperor of Japan seems to include a great deal of performing Shinto ceremonies). A few other gardens, including Daisen-en, use pairs of pointed cones of white sand, and I have read that those in Shinto shrines are periodically raked out flat in order for certain ceremonies to take place on them. In between ceremonies or Imperial visits, the sand is raked together to keep it from being walked on by those less venerated and on less lofty pursuits. The Japanese tendency towards tidiness and order is based in Shinto ideals of purity - it seems almost blasphemous to say that cleanliness could be so far dissociated as to be merely "next to" Shinto Godliness. (This evocation of purity is also why *white* sand is used.) I dont know why a cone particularly, except, as Liviu has noted, what other shape are you going to rake a sand pile into? [Since the natural angle of repose of sand and molten lava are not that different, a sand cone will resemble a volcanic cone.] Note that, while the ceremonies are religious, they are Shinto rather than Zen Buddhist. These two different religions co-exist, and are practiced side-by-side by the majority of the Japanese population, but are essentially quite different in nature. For example, the Emperor of Japan perhaps can be viewed as being to Shinto what the Pope is to Roman Catholicism, or possibly even what the Prophet Mohammed is to Islam (Until 1946,the Emperor was officially considered divine, the Japanese title "Tenno" translating better perhaps as "Godking" than "Emperor". In the aftermath of WWII, official divinity was dropped, leaving the matter for each individual to decide for himself). But, as I understand it, to Buddhism His Imperial Majesty Akihito is no more or less than another soul rolling the great wheel of reincarnation along the path to enlightenment, not entirely unlike you or me. Thus, as a non-Shintoist, I would consider it not my place to determine whether GinkakujiÂs Moon-Reflecting Mound is "tacky". Neither would I, as a non-Catholic, venture an opinion on whether the Popemobile should have tailfins or not; nor would I, as a non-Buddhist, comment on how often the Dalai Lama should shave his head :) However, I feel perfectly free to judge whether I would want a similar (but non-sacred) sand cone in my garden (I wouldnÂt; it just doesnÂt do that much for me aesthetically). And IÂd probably feel just fine about deciding whether such a sand cone was "tacky" in your garden :) But (at the dreadful risk of criticizing the etiquette of another poster on the forum) I donÂt really feel itÂs within my, or any other non Shintoist's, purview to make that judgment about GinkakujiÂs Moon-Reflecting Mound. (I'm assuming that you're not Shinto, Inky. If you are, please ignore all of the above:) - Evelyn PS: Bambooo, I'd love to see how you'd make the square corners on a pyramid with those round cobblestones :)