hi, i hope i've responded in time... you can still plant your grass seed, i recommend running your hose around the peremiter to avoid hose marks.. i have had good luck with the melnor timers, just not the one with the dial, there is one with a hinged lid covering a keypad. anyway, make sure to water 2x daily, keep seeds moist, moist, moist, until they germinate, then cut watering back about 40% i seeded my new lawn about 6 weeks ago (in zone 9) and it looks as good as sod now. what type of seed are you using? i think fescue is probably best, i had stray seeds growing where they spilled over on to concrete!! anyway, it's very simple, make sure to use NO weed killer until several mowings. you still have time before hotter months for grass to become established. P.S. when raking seed into soil, i sort of quickly "bounce" the rake across the yard to avoid "sweeping" the seed away. this way, the seeds get covered, but remain where they were spread. use about 50% more seed than recommended, this way you will be sure to get good coverage, and avoid re-seeding in a few weeks

I just happened to come by this forum for maybe the second time in several months. This gets into several issues that are about technology. There are several very sharp people who address these sorts of issues daily, but on other forums in this group. See "irrigation" which is under "professional topics", and especially "plumbing" and "electrical wiring" under "That Home Site" (linked). I suggest you repost this on the electrical wiring forum. I promise you will get useful responses quickly. It will be better to get others involved from the beginning. Now, a bit on your questions. Number twelve would not handle a second pump at 500 ft, you are limited to one 1/2 HP as it stands. Voltage drop is already an issue at the 3% voltage drop standard, probably okay at the 5% overall drop standard. This is based on a nominal 4.9 amp draw for the 1/2 HP. Alternating pumps would be technically possible but probably not the best solution. Could the storage tank be located near the house? It would be simpler and probably better to have independent power to the second pump. Output from a good 1/2 HP sub in a tank at the lower elevation would be about 9 gpm at 50 ft. + 50 psi. That might be a little small. I also wonder if the storage tank could be smaller. What sort of flow and volume demands would you like to serve? What is the time frame? Answers to those questions will influence the choices for the second system. Here is a link that might be useful: see plumbing & electrical forums

Thank you ALL for the suggestions. I will try to finish this post before my service stops. It does every time it rains hard. Melvalena, I think I would have given up if I had to go to a storage building. I'm too lazy and too far out in the country for that. I don't have a coat closet. I did switch to a regular bed from a waterbed when DH came home from the hospital after getting hurt last year. Under it is packed full of plastic bins already. Son, took the waterbed and already has the drawers full of his stuff. His closet is packed, DH's aunt's closet is full of her stuff. The 2 china cabinets, buffet, and washstand are all full. Can't even get to the washstand doors because it is in a nook behind the sofa and the whole 3-4' space between the sofa and the wall is packed almost to the top of the sofa back with bins and bags of the latest "finds". Magpie, I LOVE the decorative boxes. I will add them to my shopping list. At least that will get all of my napkin rings,s/p shakers,placecard holders,etc,together. I bought bins after Christmas and tried to make an (on paper) list of what I put in each bin and numbered the bins accordingly. But, I'm out of space for bins. I have things on top of my kitchen cabinets now and I'm getting too old and unsteady to keep climbimg up and down to dust them. I have to stand in a chair and then step up on the counter to reach them (SCARY). So I don't think I will do the over the window shelves, even though it's a great idea for someone younger. Yacht, I like the lift-top bench idea. There is a tiny space under the windows in the den/sunroom that DH could install a short one. No room for cedar chests. I will be measuring all closets to see if we could sneak an extra shelf in. Our MB closet top shelf is used for luggage,quilts,sheets,etc since we have no linen closet. I already use behind the door for the Halloween bins. Jane, I saw the pics of your new hutch. LOVE it! I will be checking the unfinished furniture store. You can't buy the lumber to build one for the great price you got the hutch for! If I can EVER find other space for all the stuff behind my sofa, I could fit a short/shallow chest there and still have access to the buffet and washstand. Lee, I love your name. Lee is a family name and just about all of the Gkids have it for their middle name. I love your trashcan idea with the extra security of the tarp and bungee cords. As soon as DH puts up the carport he just got moved from the old place and closes it in I may be sharing the little shed he is using now with DS. It has a leak somewhere, but if the trashcan is totally enclosed (and covered with the tarp), it may still work. When DH gets all of the junk out we may find the leak. LOL And I'm sure I can whine until he lets me share some of the space in his new "Garage"! I have one of those decorator tables on DH's side of the bed. I'll start putting stuff under there NOW! Kathleen, There is one section in our kitchen that a cabinet will fit. Even though DH is a beginner carpenter, he has promised to build me a floor to ceiling cabinet for that space. I asked for it as a Christmas present so I can get it soon. I have the "I WANT IT NOW" problem too! If we can stop hitting deer we may have the extra $$s for lumber. I hit another one coming home from church last night. At least the radiator leaked slowly enough that I got home before it overheated. :o( Karen, I may try the computer list, but y'all don't realize how computer challenged I still am! I'm doing a dance now because I finally managed to post a link this morning. YEA!! Sorry this is so long. If you think of anything else, Please share. Love to all, Betty

Not really that hard to find, both can be found on Amazon. Prodiamine Tenacity Also at http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/ if you prefer. It's a bit of an expense upfront but they will both actually save you money. Without Tenacity you will have an explosion of weeds as soon as you seed and start watering, it will cost you a lot to control selectively after the fact and ruin your lawn. There is a starter fertilizer available at Home Depot which contains the same active ingredient, however it will cost you ~$150+ for your size area. If you get the Tenacity bottle for $60 and starter fertilizer separately it will come out to about the same but you will still have half the bottle left for subsequent weed control and seeding projects. The Prodiamine jug will last you 10 years and cost $6 per spring app at 6 month rate. The equivalent protection with Home Depot products would cost you $100 per spring app at 6 month rate, so the Prodiamine jug will save you $940 over the next 10 years. With that size lawn a tow behind sprayer would be a wise investment. Also, it would be worthwhile to keep looking into buying bulk lawn care products( e.g herbicide concentrates, fertilizers etc.) rather than stuff from big box stores, it gets very expensive when you have that many square feet to cover.