You have to protect the root zone of potted nursery stock, even if they are considered 'hardy' in your zone. They fare a lot better in the ground than sitting out in a bad zone six winter in a pot on a porch, or stuffed into a garage. Your little pixie tree isn't going to throw so much shade that it's going to take up a lot of space with its canopy shade unless you have a postage stamp lot. Even then it's probably doable with blueberries nearby. I grow my blueberries in a dappled sun situation and they're loaded every year. I also do not prophylactically use pesticides on my fruit trees, because I do not have a lot of insect pressure either. I keep a small orchard, and don't invest that much time in its upkeep, short of pruning. So many people are scared off by what they consider the high upkeep of fruit trees, when they aren't that difficult. Plant the little guy and enjoy.

What a beautiful sight! I tried to taste it but it's not the same as having the real deal in front of you :-). You've reminded me of a lime Angel Food Cake that I used to make alot. Lime Angel Food Cake - Williams and Sonoma Recipe Collection ********************* 1 cup cake flour 1 cup confectioners sugar 1 1/2 cups egg whites (about 12 large), at room temperature 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (I use a little more juice) 1 teaspoon grated lime zest 1 teaspoon cream of tartar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup granulated sugar **Confections' sugar icing flavored with lime (recipe to follow) ********************************************************** Position rack in the middle of an oven and preheat to 350 degrees In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and confectioners' sugar. Resift the flour mixture twice. Set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium-high speed, beat together the egg whites, lime juice, lime zest, cream of tartar and salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add the granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, and continue beating until stiff, glossy peaks form. Sift one-fourth of the flour mixture over the egg white mixture. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the flour mixture into the egg white mixture. Repeat the sifting and folding with the remaining flour mixture in 3 more batches. Spoon the batter into a nonstick or regular tube pan 9 1/2 inches in diameter and 4 inches deep. Bake until cake springs back when lightly touched, about 45 minutes. Invert cake in the pan on a work surface and let cool completely. (If your cake pan does not have little legs on it then turn over a bottle neck) When cool run a sharp knife around the pan sides to loosen the cake and turn out of pan. Place right side up on a serving platter. Drizzle icing over the top allowing it to run over the sides slightly. Let stand until icing sets, about 1 hour. Serve immediately, or cover with a cake dome and store at room temperature for up to 1 day. **Notes- I will eat this cake after it sits for up to 3 days

"Apply shellac sealer to cat-affected areas of subfloor." If your goal is to remove the odor, shellac won't make it go away. You need to replace the subfloor underlayment in that area (which they can do) just as you are going to replace the damage baseboards. Cats CAN smell any of those spray odors that you are trying to cover it up. If it's soaked into your drywall underneath the baseboards, you will need to replace that drywall also. Wood flooring installation prices in our area run $2/sf to install, $2/sf to sand, $2/sf to stain (if needed) and $2/sf to finish. So about $6/sf. BUT this is in our area of the country, the Mid-South. If you live out east or out west, I would think those prices would be higher. Others can chime in... Our flooring contractor charged me an extra $20/room to install the new baseboard (which I had painted and all ready to go.) Removing carpeting and padding is really easy to do if you have one or two people to help you. That can save you some $$. Roll it up and take it out to the curb (or call the city to come pick it up - some will.) WHen we took up our old carpeting, some of the padding stuck to the subfloor so I had to scrape it off. But a $6 scraper from HD did the job and I did it myself with ease. (female) If your hearth boarder is the same wood as the rest of the flooring, there shouldn't be any extra charge for that. My last comment is to be careful about filling in gaps in your wood flooring. We are coming off the heating season which causes wood to contract a bit. Come summer and higher humidity, it will expand. If you fill in the gaps now and it expands this summer, you will have cupping or possibly the floor may buckle. A flooring pro might be better able to explain this. Wood floors move - that's just the nature of wood. The carpentry work along the wall and subfloor would be extra and replacing drywall is not a difficult job, nor is sanding,priming,or painting it. And I wouldn't pay any contractor for anything except materials until the job is finished. What kind of warranty does he provide on his work? You don't pay for half of your house before it's built so why would you need to give him half of his money before he's even started the job? I would not hire any contractor that insisted on pre-payment except for materials. So looking at your quote and figuring what I would be charged here for all of that, it does seem a bit high especially since you might be able to do some of that work yourself. Does that quote include the cost of the hardwood flooring??? That will make a big difference. And if it were me, I would go buy that flooring myself so that I knew I was getting good quality wood and not some LL rejects. Is there any specification as to the grade of wood he is going to use in the quote? If you have any leftover pieces of your old flooring, you should be able to match it up easily - just take it along to the flooring place or lumber co. Do some test pieces without any stain - just the finish. You may not need to stain your flooring. It doesn't look like it has any stain on it. Good luck - hope that helps!

Did grammy put some monies in the purse for her???? ....LOL Do you know how much your love for her shines through...???? patti