Some of your photos are a little too close-up which makes it hard to grasp the context. What's certain is that the excavation needs to be somewhat larger than the finished product and then backfilled. I wouldn't label this overzealous grading. It requires a little extra room to perform the construction. So you see the maximum extent of space you have to build a patio. But there's nothing to stop you from shrinking it if you desire. However, thinking that putting dirt back around a tree is somehow equivalent to putting roots back is just not accurate. An amputation cannot be undone. Putting dirt back will make no difference. In spite of that, the tree will re-grow some roots as that's what they do. The ultimate patio size is a factor of desire and space available, but as patios go, it certainly doesn't look too large. Neither does it look like the ret. wall will be abnormally tall. Its curved shape will add strength. It will be stepping or sloped down in some way to generally follow the earth so it's highest section will not extend for great width. Its height is a balancing act between the patio elevation and the surrounding soil levels. Calculate these out and adjust them as you see fit. Raise the patio too much and you will be filling the bottom end or shrinking the patio size. Lower it and you'll be creating a taller retaining wall. Balance and moderation are the key. As I look at the pictures, I don't see anything that can't be worked out to a decent conclusion... if the right design decisions are made along the way. If this were my yard, I'd prefer the appearance of a nicely detailed mortared stone wall, but that requires more skill and higher cost material than the kind of block you're proposing. Therefore, it would be more expensive. But it would look better, too. What you decide on is a factor of cost vs. benefits as you see it. At the end of it all, it will be imperative that you establish groundcover capable of holding soil in place. This is a key to preventing erosion.

Actually, I liked the raw fish when I had it in California, but I remind myself that I like raw beef too, some others probably don't. When (if) I catch one of those Lake Michigan salmon I think I'll try that, I'm not comfortable with the commercially available stuff here or with eating our inland lake fish raw. Because salmon are temperature driven, they live in water in the low 30s, just above freezing. That's why they are high in omega 3 fatty acids, it's "anti-freeze" so their flesh doesn't freeze in the cold water. Anyway.... Deborah, I did glaze the orange loaf with a mix of about a cup of fresh orange juice and 1/4 cup of sugar, heated until the sugar dissolved. I poked some holes in the loaf with a skewer and poured the mix over the hot loaf while it was still in the pan. Yummy..... Donna, I'm very adventurous and I always try something I don't care for at least TWICE, just to make sure I wasn't holding my mouth wrong or something. (grin) The nori did come in sheets like that, and was perforated for slicing! I did have to shop for it though, it's not available anywhere close, I got it in Grand Rapids on my way home from the airport. The date shake? I got the "recipe" from the internet, someone in California had a blog, LOL. Being a farm girl, I'd rather go for strawberry, but it wasn't bad. I'll make it again, until I get it "right". There was another recipe that had orange juice too, but that seemed like too many flavors. AM, yours is prettier than mine, I need more colors! Passover sushi, now THAT'S an idea whose time has come. Sol, it was really easy and made a LOT. Of course, how could it not be good, dipped in soy sauce and wasabi? Go for it, I'll bet yours will be prettier than mine too. All this Michigan sushi going on, Aunt Amy would be proud. now, if I could only get the hang of those chopsticks. I can still hear her say "You no good with chopstick. Use fork." Sigh. Shaun, a sushi kit would be a great swap item, I think. After all, we're foodies. Expand our food horizons, LOL. Annie

One thing to check is the overhead of the condo, for insulation. It might not be very good. I believe in the expanding spray foam which they are now spraying beneath the roof, especially in residences with the heat and a/c in the attics. And, if you also have a basement, well, I'm not sure how to deal with them, I've never dealt with homes in really cold climates. However, putting a fireproof glass door on the fireplace might make sure the chimney doesn't draw your heated air up the flue. The present resident in the condo might not know about the damper needing to be closed. They have these gages they use, like heat sensors, or cold sensors, maybe infrared? that they use now to detect hot spots in summer where there is no insulation, as well as cold spots in winter where there is no insulation. If the power cost in that condo are different by much from the power costs in nearby similar condos, then something is terribly wrong. I'd be thinking that the tall ceilings have some windows up high that need recaulking. Sometimes simple things like insulating around electrical outlets on exterior walls, etc, can make a big difference. For just a little cost, they sell those closed cell foam liners for your power receptacles. And my DH went up in our attic and discovered that two of the a/c ducts were not fully wrapped, and it has helped a lot to lower the electrical bill here. Phoggie, I feel for you, because I know it is a difficult thing to make the decisions alone, after all the years the two of you consulted and you came to rely on his expertise in the building trades. But, you can do it. Your DH is not that far away, and I'm sure God has made him your guardian angel. What is the quote: "Be still and know that I am with you." Listen. And look for the signs.

I'm sure your starter is fine, but I think you'll find that after a year it'll be that much finer, especially if you stress it occasionally (let it go a little too long between feedings) to thin the herd. :) My own journey is a big old muddle of learning wild yeast (sourdough starter) and whole wheat at the same time, combined with water restrictions that made me look for ever less cleanup. Whole wheat actually requires at least eight hours of soak (in the liquid of the recipe) or rise, to fully hydrate, along with some acid to reduce the anti-nutrients. Along the way, I experimented with a number of traditional recipes, some white or with a large enough percentage of white to handle the same as white, many of which I documented in this forum (search on 'sourdough"). What worked for me was making a preferment (i.e., biga or levain--The Kitchn says "leaven") in the evening, and baking in the morning. I can't remember the timing well, because I have a bad relationship with mornings. There are some hours involved for the dough to rise. It only rises as fast as commercial yeast when you're counting on it not to! My best advice is twofold: One, get in the habit of baking bread so that it becomes part of your rhythm, and you'll have it ready before your chicks turn up hungry. The other is just to try some recipes and learn what it is you all like best. There may be one that does it for your daily bread, or a base dough that you can make up differently as in the 5 minutes method, or it may be a rotation of different flavors and textures. While learning one at a time seems wise, there's also something to be said from learning a bit from each thing you try and bringing the total learning back around when you try them again. Nine people, minimum, if I got that right, is plenty to be experimenting on, and should give you plenty of scope for learning what you're doing. So, do you want sour or just good bread with wild yeast? Sour takes some time to work, remember the rule of less starter = more sour taste requires longer rise. If you have your starter on the counter and feed it every day (maybe twice a day while it's young), you'll be ready to bake a lot sooner. I don't quite agree with some of what is said at The Kitchn about starter. It is an acidic environment (not "likes" one). It's also not finicky once established. While it's young, you have a number of organisms fighting for supremacy. The yeast will win, and as it strengthens, it'll do away with new organisms introduced in feedings without any protest. Once it's established, it's very hard to completely kill. Just feed it up and it'll start burping again. I'll also mention, that no matter the original source, all wild yeast in starter is the same kind. The whole location thing is silly. "San Francisco" sourdough is the name used for really really sour. That's about how hungry the yeast is, not the location (French fries aren't from France, either, though, I believe they got their name because frying was in vogue in France at that time, just as really sour bread was commonly made in San Francisco, and they did up beans mighty fine in Boston). Rather than getting too wrapped up in how long the process is going to take, it's best to just go with what you know and work it into your life. Eventually, you'll be able to adjust the timing. Like maybe you know if you set your dough to rise at noon, it'll be ready to bake after the school run, and before dinner. Or that if you make your levain after breakfast, you can mix the dough up after dinner, and bake after breakfast the following day. Also, have some interim breads, either quick to produce commercial yeast breads, or bisquits, waffles, cornbread, or whatever it is you can fill in with if your bread just isn't ready yet, while you're learning. You'll get there.