I'm with you Sherry-- no way is there going to be homemade cookies arriving here & me not trying them-- I'll be lucky to get picts done before digging in LOL. Once everyone has their's we should do a separate thread on the recipe we sent . All mine went out today-- PO says 2-4 days to deliver.

I was thinking the Spa was pretty expensive, the rest was not bad. I have to clarify what the Stamped Coping and Cantilever edge charges include also. I do not know any Gunite installers in the area, I was set on a Liner, but might get a quote for Gunite, it looks like it is not that much more. I was worried about Gunite in New England. Thank you for the replies

linda117, I did a search and could not find one with egg in the dought. Sorry yours was dry. Pistachio Icebox cookie Pistachio cranberry icebox cookies MAKESABOUT 3 DOZEN COOKIES ACTIVE TIME:20 MIN START TO FINISH:2 1/2 HR Gourmet magazine, DECEMBER 2006 It doesn’t get fancier or more Christmassy than these glittery-edged cookies sporting studs of red and green. But all that festivity comes in an easy slice-and-bake package, so you can always keep a log of dough in the fridge, ready to go when company unexpectedly comes calling. This is just one of Gourmet’s Favorite Cookies: 1941-2008 [EDITED TO ADD: Sadly the link to this fabulous cookie collection is broken. I encourage you to go to the Gourmet website and retreive and print recipes you are interested in, before it goes away. Epicurious has many Gourmet recipe, thankfully, but the photos of the cookie recipes are fabulous and only available at Gourmet.com.] Although we’ve retested the recipes, in the interest of authenticity we’ve left them unchanged: The instructions below are still exactly as they were originally printed. 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest 1/2 cup shelled pistachios (2 1/4 oz; not dyed red) 1/3 cup dried cranberries (1 1/4 oz) 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1/4 cup decorative sugar (preferably coarse) SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: parchment paper MAKE DOUGH: • Stir together flour, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. • Beat together butter, granulated sugar, and zest in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing until dough just comes together in clumps, then mix in pistachios and cranberries. Gather and press dough together, then divide into 2 equal pieces. Using a sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper as an aid, form each piece of dough into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Square off long sides of each log to form a bar, then chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until very firm, at least 2 hours. SLICE AND BAKE COOKIES: • Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. • Brush egg over all 4 long sides of bars (but not ends). Sprinkle decorative sugar on a separate sheet of parchment or wax paper and press bars into sugar, coating well. • Cut each bar crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, rotating bar after cutting each slice to help keep square shape. (If dough gets too soft to slice, freeze bars briefly until firm.) Arrange cookies about 1/2 inch apart on lined baking sheets. • Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are pale golden, 15 to 18 minutes total. Transfer cookies from parchment to racks using a slotted spatula and cool completely. COOKS’ NOTES: Dough bars can be chilled up to 3 days or frozen, wrapped in plastic wrap and then foil, 1 month (thaw frozen dough in refrigerator just until dough can be sliced). Cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature 5 days. This post was edited by glenda_al on Mon, Mar 25, 13 at 12:22

Optimal levels of the various nutrients fall into ranges so Phosphorus (P), optimally, would be in the 25 to 85 ppm range while Potash (K) would be 200 to 400 ppm. Calcium (Ca.) would range from 1500 to 4000 ppm while Magnesium (Mg.) would range from 300 to 800 ppm. The lower numbers are for "heavy", clay, soils while the higher numbers are for "lighter", sandy, soils. The Soil Food Web needs organic material in the soil to feed on, so a lack of soil life (earthworms are an indication of others) is an indication of a lack of organic material, they will not come into or stay where there is no food source. Compost is one form of organic material that can be added to soil, but any vegetative waste as well as animal manure, can be part of that organic material. I would concentrate on increasing the amount of organic material in that soil, just keep in mind that it takes quite a large amount of vegetative waste to raise the level of OM 1 percentage point. The organic material you add to the soil is converted by the Soil Food Web into organic matter. What is measured as organic matter (soil organic matter) by soil testing labs is the residual of the organic material you add, what is left after the SFW has digested that stuff. The first test outlined in my post above measures the organic material you add, or the soil organic matter depending on when the test is done. kimmq is kimmsr