While I think that the "FAQ" as outlined by swanoir was presented tongue in cheek ('the humus'), many of the subsequent comments and/or links to threads that could/should be included in a FAQ were presented in a more serious tone. And maybe they do make sense as a foundation to a real LD forum FAQ. But I've also sensed something else in these comments that may contribute to the apparent lack of communication between new posters seeking advice and those that regularly frequent this forum and offer it. And that is that the long checklist provided by Miss R must be (or should be) answered in detail before posting. Well, of course not! But it is definitely something worth reviewing and giving some thought to. This checklist, or something very similar, is what most designers utilize when first meeting with a prospective client. It gives them a feeling for what the client wants to do with the property, how they intend to use it, what they hope to get out of it and how much effort (time/$$) are they are intending to put into it. Hopefully, reviewing an outline or checklist such as this could help to refine and focus some of those blank slate questions and even educate those new posters totally unfamiliar with the process the degree of complexity, the number of variables and exactly what is involved in the formulation of a landscape design. Even DIY landscape texts intended for the homeowner with no previous design or landscaping experience offer similar checklists to get one started thinking about the process. Obviously, this is overkill for those questions that are more issue-specific, but I think very appropriate for those that are much broader and far less focused.

I have a walkway leading to the step-up at the front door and like a flower bed between the walkway and the house foundation, where water stands and at the front door. when it rains we can't hardly Step down on it to get to the driveway. what can I do. please help.

Yes, I would think so. Attorney is on the phone now with the Department of Health to let them know of his lack of cooperation, and urging them to slap him with violations and fines. The neighbor's attorney has not answered his calls. What this man does not realize is that in order to go straight up on my property, there would be about $3000 worth of damages, which he is responsible for taking care of. Of course, this is meaningless, in light of the fact that he was also responsible in terms of letting them access through his property. He should also be responsible for paying the salary of the three men who were sent here to excavate, and who still had to be paid by the company they work for. This may turn into a long drawn out process, and the guy is 94! Still working, by the way, and sharp as a tack, but still, 94.

Those of you who are afraid of canning shouldn't be afraid. As long as you always follow all the safety rules and do not deviate from official canning recipes (no changing of any ingredient unless the safety-approved recipe lists allowable changes), the food you can will be safe. People who get into trouble with home-canned foods generally have used canning recipes that were not official safety-approved and safety-tested recipes, or they made the error of using a boiling water bath canner instead of a pressure canner or they decided to freelance and add additional items to safety-approved recipes, which then compromises the safety. Certain foods can be canned in a boiling water bath but others MUST always be canned in a pressure canner. Safety-approved, safety-tested recipes are available on the website of the National Center for Home Food Preservation, and also are available on the websites of the companies that make canning supplies. The standard canning book, available at Wal-Mart stores on the canning aisle, is the Ball Blue Book (always use the most up-to-date edition of the BBB because the rules change over time as research indicates changes should be made). Avoid random recipes posted on cooking websites or blogs or even in some magazines unless the recipe can be verified to have come from one of the safe sources. I have seen random canning recipes in some magazine articles that blatantly disobey canning rules. I'm always appalled when I see those and always ask myself "What were they thinking. Inevitably, a correction eventually runs once food preservers see the recipe and contact the magazine to express their displeasure with the publication of an unsafe canning recipe. Once you know and understand all the rules of safe canning, you can tell at a glance if a random canning recipe is safe or not because it will violate the canning rules that you learned. If it isn't a safe recipe, then don't use it. I can around 600-800 jars a year, sharing hundreds of those jars of canned goods with friends and no one (as far as I know) has ever become ill from anything I've canned. I've canned food on my own since the 1980s and canned with my parents as a child in the 1960s and 1970s. The rules we follow when canning foods now are sometimes different than the way our parents or grandparents canned, but that is because more advanced research has shown us how to can more safely. Some practices that were common decades ago no longer are safety-approved in the USA, and you have to change with the times. If you cannot make it to one of Johnny's classes, there are classes offered periodically---often through the Ag Extension Service or sometimes as non-credit continuing ed type classes at colleges and other places. Or, you can learn by watching the videos at the website of the NCHFP. When you have questions you need answered, you can ask the canning experts here at Houzz/Garden Web over on the Harvest Forum. There are many well-experienced food preservers at the Harvest Forum and some of them are Master Food Preservers or are Home Food Preservation instructors who teach canning classes themselves. Canning is a great way to preserve food, but remember that you must have a place to store your home-canned goods and equipment. That can be a big challenge at times. My stuff takes over the pantry and overflows into other rooms of the house. At peak canning time when I am putting up far more food than we can eat on a weekly basis, every bed in our house has plastic storage totes with lids underneath the bed filled with dozens of jars of canned goods. As time goes on, the storage totes are emptied of stored food and then refilled with empty jars awaiting the next canning season.) If there's anything I'd change about our house, I would want a root cellar and a canning pantry solely for all the food that can be root cellared and for all the jars of canned foods. As it is, I have become adept at squeezing home canned foods into every nook and cranny of our house. No closet, cabinet or large drawer is safe when I am tucking jars of canned foods away for storage.