Thanks everyone!! I bought those dark blue petunias at HD. They were a different color and they almost hurt y our eyes to look at them. The blooms also look like velvet. I've really enjoyed them. Yep, DH did good when he brought the wheelbarrow home.:)

I have two wheelbarrows. One is a regular Jackson metal one that I paid about $90 for, and the other is a plastic, or fibreglass two wheeled one from Sam's Club @ about $50. The metal one is good for mixing concrete and hauling on level surfaces but I find myself always heading for the one from Sam's Club when I want to haul any difficult load or for that matter almost anything that needs a wheelbarrow. I also have a wooden cart that I bought 30 years ago from a company in Vermont. It has 26" bicycle type tires on it and is stored outdoors (in So. CA). I have replaced the wood once and it is due for another rebuild soon. This is one of those things that I chalk up to one of my best buys ever. It will haul anything (400 lb. max recommended) easily and I use it all the time for hauling bags of fertiizer, top soil, etc. plus logs, branches etc. In short, I is used all the time. The only disadvantage is that it is about 4 ft. wide so not good in tight spaces. In those areas, I use a wheelbarrow. I have designed my paths etc. to be over four feet wide though so I have access to most of my yard with this cart. It is easy to run up and down slopes too. I think it is easier that either of my wheelbarrows so I tend to use it to haul large, heavy loads from the back yard to the front yard (uphill). Any of your choices would be good depending on what you want to haul.

It looks beautiful and congratulations on your first successful batch! I know you're excited and proud and you should be. Composting sounds harder than it is. While there are lots of techniques a gardener can employ to make compost more quickly, I tend to do it the old-fashioned way. I just pile stuff up and wait for it to break down. I only turn it over in winter when I am sure there won't be any snakes in it, and I pull out and use all the finished or almost-finished compost in February and/or March and then start the whole process of piling stuff up all over again. Your plants are going to love growing in your home-made compost. There is something very satisfying about composting and returning the compost to the soil. I like that there is very little waste involved. I hate seeing people pile up compostable materials on the curb for the sanitation workers to pick up and haul away when instead they could be composting that material and returning it to the soil from whence it came in the first place. Composting is addictive. It is just so satisfying to be able to improve your soil with compost from materials gathered right there. I have a lot of big compost piles because one is not enough.

LOVE that little wheelbarrow, Kirk! Its such a great item to do for all the seasons and holidays! Your Christmas look is as pretty as the Fall one. And what a neat bonus that you and the kids can just walk out in the woods and gather all kinds of cool stuff to use. WOW. I loved the wreath you did too. I am always green with envy at where you live and the fun things there to do. "Mayberry" is what I fondly call your town. Tho I know the winters would do this desert girl in FAST, I'd still love to come hang with y'all. If only I could travel... you'd have to keep the guest room ready for sure. LOL. hugs, Karen