Good plan. I am a lot better at planning than following plans. Next year I want to grow more herbs.Build more raised beds. Put out more mulch and do a better job of keeping the weeds down. I also want to collect my shower water water in a barrel and use it in the garden. I can't be that dirty. I won.t use it on my carrots. I want to build a chichen coop and a pen also. If I had a few chickens to turn out it would help with the grasshoppers. This year was a lot better than the last few. I put out the nolo bait 3 times. I had a quite a few flowers this year. If they would just eat my grass I could love them.

Maurader .... in the other thread someone suggested giving a worm 'farm' to a school classroom. I did a google search on 'lesson plans for worm farms' and got a lot of hits. Here are just two of many: http://www.windsweptwormfarm.com/htdocs/Kids%20Projects.htm // http://www.worm-farming.com/worm-lesson-plans.html //

That's a lot to be dealing with all at once. When I had to deal with my parents going into a home, then taking care of all their things and their house, etc, it was very taxing. And that was with it all being within a few miles of where I live. I can't imagine doing what all you are having to do, and having to drive all that time too. I pray that all goes well. Shirley

Sandyslopes, I close Dec. 8. I'm going in there Wednesday with a possible contractor and a termite inspector. The yard has already been graded pretty flat (as you can see in pic) and they put in a French drain to eliminate a muddy yard. The future garden will have to take a decided back seat to getting the house ready to move into, hopefully near the end of January (I hope this contractor will be "the one" and could start soon so I won't have to drag out moving in February). I will be studying "plans for small backyards", "plans for interesting front entrances", etc. I know I won't want tall evergreens near the house, as they could provide cover for burglars. I wonder what would look nice near the house foundation in the front, but not get too tall. They also removed the bushes at the side of the house, so I will have to figure out what to put there, an eastern exposure. Has anyone heard of a deck "kit" you can assemble yourself? I'd love to find a small one made of composite wood with all the pieces cut, all the bolts and hardware, and some assembly directions. I could assemble that myself to replace the decidedly homemade little deck out the kitchen door, which is crudely made of 2 x 4's. It's a tremendous step for me to take, and I hope I'm up to it all! Meanwhile, here is a picture of something growing like a weed INDOORS: my new Maine Coon kitten Dandi. I'm really thrilled that it only took 3 weeks for her to become pals with my resident cat, Zizu, a short haired rescue.