If you plan to make continual batches of pickles, I suggest that you plant at least a dozen or more plants. More plants means more cukes in each picked batch. Mine go from picking at 6am, to canning or fermenting within two hours. You can't get fresher than that! For the Mrs. Wages, don't forget the GARLIC!! I also add hole seed heads to my dills and use the same pickle mix for the salt brine fermented half sours. Ball pickle mixes are not as tasty and some have added sugar, which, for true dills, isn't usual.

Our contract is fixed price with allowances. Our builders approach is that changes in things like tile or lighting fixtures that don't change the work involved for him, are no issue- we are paying the difference in the cost of material. Obviously, if we make a change that results in more labor, this would be considered a change order to be negotiated as everything else was sorted. As an example, if we change from a simple, tiled backsplash in the kitchen to one that has much more elaborate patterns and an increased time to install, then I'd expect the builder to ask for a change order to cover this. To the OP, sounds like a discussion with the builder would make sense- for some areas, it would seem that a process could be worked out to at least help you understand the relative differences in the choices you're looking at? This could be done in a way to preserve the approach this builder seems to have with his suppliers but give you some information to help with your decisions? Maybe it's time to ask the builder to meet you at the tile store to make some progress?

For three days now, I have been seeing a rather large spider crawling across the top shelf of my computer desk. I haven't tried to catch it to put it outside, because grabbing among all the stuff on the shelf would result in a disaster. It must be difficult to go through life fearful of bugs, spiders, snakes, etc. I don't have that fear, in fact for the most part I find them fascinating, and in the case of spiders, when practical, adopt a live and let live attitude. My mother was the same, as is my sister and my children. But in my husbands family, they all are more fearful. So I am wondering if a persons feelings about such things are inherited or perhaps learned.

I agree, Annie, deciding on what to cook is sometimes more work than cooking it. I do a lot of food saving, so usually always have things in the freezer to pull out. Some of the things we have when I don't want to cook are just things that are easier to throw together. One that my DH likes was invented by one of our sons in high school. To a box of Annie's or Krafts Mac n Cheese add a can of drained albacore tuna-could even throw in some frozen peas if you like and a piece of fruit for dessert. And I never use the butter and milk in the mac n cheese , but sub plain Fave yogurt. I always have a can of Red salmon in the cupboard for a quick meal of salmon patties, a microwaved baked sweet or white potato and heat a frozen or canned vegetable. We always have fresh fruit around and I usually have a can of pears in the refrigerator for such times. I hard boil 7 eggs in my egg cooker weekly, so have those in the refrigerator to use for tuna salad or just as they are. I keep good hard cheeses and Johnsonville all beef summer sausage on hand and paired with a ripe pear or a good crisp apple and crackers works for me when I really don't want to cook. One of my favorites from childhood: a slice of buttered bread generously covered with slices of ripe avocado, then a grating of fresh black pepper and again generously cover with freshly shredded cheddar cheese. Yummy! Add a glass of milk and an apple for dessert. Seagrass, I hope you are getting some ideas that work for you!