As long as we are brainstorming--part of the problem is finding a way to transfer solar heat deeper into the ground faster and storing it during the cold night period- using the ground as storage to try to get a sort of thermal flywheel effect going to get through the cold night. My idea âÂÂonly half hatchedâ is this 1. Hammer sections of copper, aluminum, steel or whatever conductive pipe you have into the ground-exposed part painted black. 2. cover with a thick layer of your favorite mulch. 3. install a clear plastic cover over the pipes you drove into the ground----Variables to be considered are many--- a few are a) the spacing of pipes. b) the ratio of buried to above-ground c) what thickness of mulch is the most beneficial d) would 2 layers of plastic with an airspace between work better e) instead of pipes how about a L shaped piece of metal like an unassembled length of ductwork 8"x12" purchased from Menards or Lowes. They come in 2 L shaped pieces. Bury the long 12" side. Paint the exposed part black and bend it to an angle it to face the sun, f) would insulation buried alongside your test planting area improve heat retention. g) bury 8â side and angle 12â side to sun. The duct comes in many sizes 12âÂÂx 12â ��"4âÂÂx 16â etc. Benefits: cheap-easy to build and store -----towards spring and planting season, the benefits of the warmer ground and more direct sunlight might combine with this system to gain us a week or two. Any other insights as to other variables and/or âÂÂconsiderationsâ before I give this a try in the spring would be appreciated.

All the dirt that comes out of their trench MUST go back. Don't let them take any away or sweep it away from the scar they leave. Mound it up and let it settle back into the trench. It might take 3 years to return to flat but if you remove any of it, it will become a depression. Water every four weeks in the winter. I guess I should ask where you live before answering that. Your zone is sort of meaningless to grass issues. We need your town. The suggestion for once a month would be for more toward the coast. If you live more toward the Mexican border, then you are in a desert and may need to water every 3 weeks because of the soil and low humidity conditions. If you water weekly you might keep the grass green all winter. I just bought a home in George West, TX and am learning about gardening in a more desert-like climate.

Okaaaayyyy...... If I run HDMI, I would also want the Cat5 for the IR (since the TVs would be on different levels of the house). If I did HDMI over Cat6, I'd probably also need another line for IR in that case too, plus expensive "converters". Does (can) the Cat 5 run along with the HDMI cable? Where would you have them located in relation to each other? If I use HDMI for the main HDTV where the cable box/DVR will be located, I can't then use the component output at all for other TVs--I would have to split and use HDMI, right? It's one or the other signal? Thanks! I'm meeting the LV guy at the house tomorrow to mark what I want and where. Maybe a few more questions: I think we'll use TWC telephone, but I only see the need for 1 actual phone location, the rest will be "satellites" of this. This will be Cat5, right--and you just plug the plug the phone into it? If there are other Cat5s run for computer, do we need to differentiate these (from that used as phone line)? Anything else I need to keep in mind, or consider, or ask of the LV guy??? Thank you all for your help! Tracey

Kudzu is exactly right, there are a lot of rip-offs going on by producers of cables and wiring of all kinds. Cables.com is also a good place to buy fairly priced products. Monster Cable is one of the the worst perpetrators but there are many others. They tout meaningless and valueless features as an excuse for premium prices. OP, you may only spend a few weeks there, but it strikes me that bringing along a wireless router to use is a lot less fuss and less elaborate than whatever you went through to have a satellite internet connection. I'd personally rather not deal with a cable through the living quarters since the alternative is so simple and inexpensive, but suit yourself.