They're here, but we haven't seen them in great numbers... my neighbor has fed them for several years and put her feeders out about a week ago. She said she saw a scout about 3 days ago. I have two feeders I got from Freecycle and put them up last night and had a visitor at 7 this morning, and this afternoon there were a pair of them at the feeder at the same time. Lynne (in Bowie, MD - between DC and Annapolis)

15-0-0 is the fertilizer analysis. You will see 3 numbers in that format on most every fertilizer that exists. The first number is the percent of product by weight that is Nitrogen, the second number is Phosphorous and the third Potassium (sometimes called Potash). For lawn fertilizer all you need is Nitrogen. Phosphorous has a potential to leach into water sources and contaminate streams, so it should only be used when you actually need it to get results. Potash isn't bad for anything, but it also doesn't do your lawn much good, and over-applying encourages dandelions. As to Weed and Feed, it contains some Nitrogen, which will make your grass grow in thicker and greener, and also 2-4D. 2-4D is one of the most common herbicides in the world, it specializes in exterminating broadleaf weeds (dandelions, clovers, etc.) without harming grasses. Applied even close to to directions, it should remove most lawn weeds without harming your grass. Be careful when you get close to any flower beds or vegetable gardens though, it has a potential for going a little past where you were aiming, and some species of plants (especially vines and melons) respond VERY poorly to 2-4D. I wouldn't call it 'totally safe' for people, but as herbicides go it's pretty safe. Give it time enough to dry on and soak in, then you're fine.

I have a lot of stuff on my kitchen counters, but I don't consider it clutter as we use it, like the toaster oven, the can opener, the cylinder full of utensils, hot shot, etc. Clutter to me is stuff that has a place, but isn't in it. We have only a few corners of clutter where they're supposed to go...like on the desk area in the kitchen with bills, catalogs and junk mail; like coats hanging on the hooks in the mud room that aren't hung up in the closet; like stacks of papers in the in box(s) on DH's desk. For the most part the clutter is kept at bay. Mainly because we both like the look of the rooms when they're neat and it does keep it less stressful. But we also designed in places for things to go. When we run out of room, that is not the sign to add more spaces, but the sign to clean out the existing ones. To ellendi and others with a coat issue, I'd suggest a 2-point tackle...1) add coat hooks where it's convenient to the door so you don't have to open the coat closet to hang them up and 2) tip the dining chairs on their side for a few days after installing the coat hooks so they can't be used as an alternative to the hooks until the new habit is formed. My gf lives in a 4 br colonial with the basement level garage, which only has room for 1 car as the other is full of stuff. Then you walk into the hallway which is very narrow as it's lined with stuff on both sides, past the laundry area which is stacked with unfolded laundry and around the corner to get to the stairs that go up. I never say anything, but every time we go through there, she makes a comment about needing to get to it, or about who's stuff it all is or whatever. I know it eats at her and stresses her out. She certainly doesn't need more stress in her life. I'd even offer to help her clean it up and organize it so the simple act of coming home doesn't cause her such fret, but I'm afraid she'd take it as criticism. Mind you, her adult son is living at home post college so is strong and capable of helping her with the heavy lifting. But somehow...an issue common to women?... she feels as if, as the mother, it's her responsibility and she doesn't enlist her children's help. And that is really the point of reducing clutter...the simple act of coming home should be welcoming, not stress inducing. Here is a link that might be useful: Why mess causes stress

This room looks to be somewhat far away from your kitchen, so unless you do a lot of formal entertaining, I'm going to hazard a guess that you will not use it as a formal dining room. I have a similar room in my house which I have designated as "the parlor." I use it for entertaining guests and as a quiet reading nook away from the family room with the TV. I can serve guests tea or drinks in there, and we can talk or I can slip away and curl up with a book or magazine. In your case, you could also add stuff to make it a game room, music room, video game space . . . whatever you might do when entertaining. Or not, it could also serve as a "den" space to escape to for whomever did not want to be in the open family space. I actually have a den and formal dining room, which is why my extra space serves as the "sitting room." The two are not mutually exclusive. But I would not do a formal dining room unless you are really hankering to do a lot of formal entertaining.