Right now the back yard is 150x180 feet of flat land. Once upon a time, probably last year, it was prairie land/cattle pasture. Then it was fenced off, brush hogged and churned/graded such that very little of consequence is growing on it - a few incredibly tough weeds and some struggling bits of prairie grass. It's unshaded and has no trees. It's a blank canvas. The building plan is that in about a month, they'll come through and grade for better drainage. I'm not sure if I should incorporate my "general" amendments before or after the grading. I put "general" in quotes because I have two classes of soil amendments. One are the cheap ones that cost only my time to get them and my time to operate machinery to get them incorporated. Those are the general amendments. The specific ones are things that cost money, like a 50/50 soil and compost mix for the raised beds in the garden. Most of the yard will be lawn. Around the edges I intend to put flower beds, or at least some shrubs. Somewhere we will plant a few rows of small fruit trees (peaches, dwarf apples, etc.) Somewhere else we will plant several rows of fruiting vines/shrubs/brambles/canes (blackberries, blueberries, etc.) Closer in towards the house I will be putting in a 45x75 vegetable garden. And we'll plant one or two future shade trees (most likely one in front yard, one in back). This will be my only opportunity to do a general amendment of the entire body of soil. If I don't get stuff in the ground in the next two months, then there will be sod laid directly around the house. That will limit general applications. I probably won't be planting anything with the intention of harvesting (other than in containers) until next spring. It is my intention to build raised beds of railroad ties within the 45x75 garden area and then fill those beds with a good top soil/compost mix I've found at a local supplier. I'll do that this summer, or fall. Or maybe just do some of the beds instead of all of them, since the compost and railroad ties cost money. So before I started asking my aunt about her friend who has horses, or the neighbor who has horses, or the various locals who have cattle... about the availability of their manure, I wanted to find out whether I could put it in the soil immediately or if I'd have to leave it piled up for a while. I'm sure the neighbors would be thrilled to have to deal with a humungous pile of my crap before I even managed to move in! So I'm pleased to hear that immediate tilling into the soil wouldn't hurt anything. Any other suggestions you have for my situation, I'd be happy to hear/read.

For your first year you're ok. A couple three thoughts: 1. Heads will store longer..much longer than single cloves. You should get 4-6 months storage life from your German Whites and Leningrad's IF stored in the 50s or a bit below with good air circulation and reasonably dry air. Hopefully you have a dry basement with a cool wall or end. If you have the space it is best to store your garlic single or double layered (for air circulation), off the floor, in a dark area. Oh yes..snip off the stalks when they are paper dry before storing. You don't want to bring any bugs inside or have momma get after you for shattered stalks on her floor. 2. Aside from freezing think about peeling/slicing the cloves and drying them. They'll be good for soups/stews and an occasional Xmas gift. 3. Make a point of checking/looking-in/moving your garlic around a bit once a month or so. While "sprouted" garlic is excellent to eat. If or when a good amount starts to sprout best consider drying or freezing. 4. Don't be too tight with your larger cloves..consider setting aside 60 or so heads for 2012. Also think about adding one or two new varieties. Just a thought..see what Karen & Mike at We Grow Garlic have up in Wisconsin: http://www.wegrowgarlic.com/catalog/.

Linda, this is my favourite recipe for Moussaka. It originally called for ground lamb, but I almost always substitute beef and sometimes pork. As much as I love other cuts of lamb, I've never really cared for ground lamb. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Moussaka ======== Source unknown edited 2 eggplants cut into 1/4 inch round slices. 3 large potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch thick long slices 1/2 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper. vegetable oil. (1 to 2 inches deep) For the beef tomato sauce: 2 pounds lean ground beef/veal/pork or lamb. 1 large onion, medium diced 2 tablespoons minced garlic Salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 to 2 teaspoons ground allspice 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1 large can tomatoes, chopped For the Bechamel: 4 tablespoons butter 4 tablespoons flour 4 cups milk garlic clove cracked (not minced) 1/4teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1 tablespoon lemon juice 3 egg yolks 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese Salt Freshly ground black pepper To Finish: 3/4 cup breadcrumbs 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated . Slice eggplant and salt. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Wipe dry. Season flour with salt and pepper. dip eggplant into flour and fry in hot oil turning when golden. Dry on paper towels. Fry potato slices until lightly golden. Remove the potatoes to a paper towel. For the ground beef Tomato Sauce mixture: Saute the ground beef for 2 minutes, until it begins to turn brown. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Drain off any excess fat from the pan. Season the mixture with allspice, oregano, and cinnamon and cook for 3 more minutes. Add the tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally until the mixture is a thick tomato sauce consistency, about 30 minutes. Check for seasoning. Remove from the heat and cool. For the Bechamel: In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour to make a roux. Cook the roux over medium heat for 3 or 4 minutes, or until it becomes a very pale tan color. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Add the garlic clove, the nutmeg and the lemon juice. Simmer, stirring constantly, over low heat for 15 minutes. The mixture should be fairly thick. Remove the garlic clove. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs together. Take 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture and whisk it into the beaten eggs. This will temper the eggs. Whisk the egg/milk mixture back into the milk mixture. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir. Over very low heat, cook this mixture for 3 more minutes. Be careful not to let the mixture simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and cool. To finish: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the bottom of a baking dish with 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs. Place a layer of the eggplant over the breadcrumbs. Place a layer of the potatoes over the eggplant. Place 1/2 of the beef tomato sauce mixture over the potatoes. Add another layer of eggplant and another layer of potatoes. Top with the remaining lamb mixture. Place one more layer of eggplant and potatoes over the beef mixture. Top with bechamel. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

We have a 20-year old Spring-Air twin mattress that my daughter still sleeps on. It's great. We have another 15-year old Spring-Air king-size that's still good as new. I bought a Sealy firm-memory foam, and it's still good as new, after 9 years. My mother-in-law also loved her very old Spring-Air mattress. I don't have much luck with Serta. I bought that brand new one time, and returned it to the store after 1-night of sleep ... it was really bumpy. My friend has Serta for a few years and she's NOT happy. I tried a bunch of Serta this weekend at Sam's Club .. NOT impressed. We bought a memory-foam topper at Sam's club for an old mattress in the basement, but we HATE it, too mushy, like sinking in mud. I'm shopping for a FIRM latex or foam topper .... spent hours looking at Amazon reviews but could not find any safe bets. Thanks for any recommendations.