if your zone 6 is like my zone 6, then you need to do nothing. This year you grew primocanes, next year they will send forth new growth and be floracanes (which means you get berries) I seem to get a windstorm each fall which tucks my leaves neatly into the beds I use for blackberries, raspberries and currants. I just leave (pun intended) well enough alone after that and I've not had any problems. ~Chills

Our raised bar on the peninsula will be 18" wide. About 5" of it will rest on the supporting wall; about 1" will overhang on the counter side; and about 12" will overhang on the other side where bar stools will be placed. It will be granite and therefore pretty heavy - its 7' long. We didn't want corbels to interfere with seating, so our granite fabricator is routing the underside of the granite and installing 1/4" steel plates under the bar (every 18" or so) as supports. The routing allows the steel plates to be flush with the underside of the bar. They will be visible only if one bends over and looks up underneath the bar. They charged nothing extra for doing this.

Thanks for the advice everyone. as for some questions... The floor there is just planks on joists with those support beams going all the way through into the ground (see pic).under the planks is the old insulation and then some sort of 'under-house' ceiling made of homasote (both of which i will replace, eventually). and there are chunks missing from the floor boards: some made from drilling down for a water pipe (around 3" in diameter), and then there are some boards that are chipped and cracked almost an inch deep into the wood, and, of course there are some that have foot-long, half inch gaps in between. so you can definitely see the insulation. i guess i can try to replace some boards, fill some gaps, sand and stain and make it very rustic and mismatched. and i know i can add plywood or osb, but that might be less appealing. and then i can always add vinyl or laminate on top. but i guess i was hoping for some sort of magic material that looks like hardwood, costs as much as osb and doesn't need a sub-floor. i know...keep dreaming.

Ryan, don't take that leaf off unless the problem begins to spread. Spots and blemishes are quite common on leaves of all plants. There's really no way to know what caused it, and unless it spreads there's no reason to take off the entire leaf. If the black area is 'fuzzy' (not the leaf itself, many leaves are fuzzy), then it could be a mold. However, sunlight kills most black molds and fungi, so no need to worry too much. It looks like it's just a blemish, and nothing to worry about. :-)