I've shipped & received several plants over the past month and it's been HOT. I haven't had any problems as long as they go priority and are packed well. I wrap the root ball (or cut end if it's not rooted) in wet newspaper or paper towels and cover that with Press & Seal so that it's water tight. I wrap the foliage in newspaper and pack it in a box so that it doesn't move around. Karyn

My most used tools are my battery powered string weed trimmers that I use to trim the grass and weeds between my plants in my perennial beds. (Trimming is far easier than pulling weeds.) I seldom move a perennial, only if a plant really needs to be moved because conditions where I initially put it are killing it. I never divide my perennials. However, when I do need to move a perennial, when I am planting a new perennial, turning over the vegie patch in the fall, or planting tree seedlings via the "slit method," a good long handled shovel does the job. I have at least a dozen shovels, long handled to spare my back. My older ones have hardwood handles that are still holding up, and they trace their heritage back to the days when we had horses to care for and clean up after. Wooden handles on newer shovels are purported to break easily. Some newer shovels have fiberglass handles - bad choice of material. Like fiberglass fence posts, these shovel handles seem a great idea in the beginning but age and sunlight deteriorates them and you can experience the pain of a thousand microscopic splinters if you touch a "seasoned" pole of this material. The only way to salvage an aged fiberglass shovel handle is to wrap the length of it in duct tape. I bought this shovel a few years ago, thinking that it would be the ultimate tool for digging into root and rock infested soil, but it proved entirely useless. The medieval-looking serrated edge tangles in weeds rather than cutting through them. It has been relegated to a museum piece on my barn wall, interesting to look at, but no practical value. I had such high hopes for it, but it is nothing more than a conversation piece now. As to forks, I prefer my standard pitchfork, also dating back to the days of horses, and moving hay bales. I have a host of short handled gardening tools, but I find that they are only good for planting annuals in pots or containers. My back has seen better days, and long handled tools cause the least damage.

This has been a fun process for me because I've decided to downsize considerably in order to justify having a few nicer things in the small space. I'll be going from an 1,800 sq ft home with separate garage/workshop to a 530 sq ft apartment above a 500 sq ft garage/workshop. This is an experiment for me both in simple living as well as in designing a living space that will cost as little as possible to heat or maintain. I'm also a bachelor, so it's a bit easier making a tiny space work. This structure is also being built on the edge of an heirloom fruit orchard of mine (16 acres), and much of my time is spent outdoors. The apartment is a comprised of a main living space divided into three areas: a well-equipped little kitchen, a dining area, and a home office. There's also a separate bedroom with a large closet as well as a full bath. The workshop/garage is large enough to hold a pick-up truck, tractor, a laundry area, a workbench, and three large chest freezers for storage. My challenge has been to take a serious look at what I truly need and I'm willing to give up in order to make this space work. I've learned a lot about myself in the process. In particular, a piano is more important to me than a sofa! When guests come to visit, our time indoors will have to be spent around the dining table. This is a concession I decided to make in order to have space for an upright piano. I also had to give up having a big, comfortable leather club chair and ottoman for reading and relaxing. Instead, I opted to have an over-sized bed (California King), really comfortable dining room chairs and an ergonomic chair for my desk (Aeron). Having sized down so drastically though, I will own my home outright (and all of its contents.) It's also been designed to be so well-insulated and airtight that I'll have a monthly utility bill of around $195/mo that will cover all space heating, air conditioning, hot water, electricity and propane, including a gas range and a top of the line steam shower. My Scrimps have turned out to be what I've simply given up: *No formal living room *No sofa *No space for a comfortable leather chair *No guest room My Splurges are: *Kohler Unwind Luxury Steam Shower (with six shower heads) *Sun Valley Bronze architectural hardware *Custom made Cedar garage and entry doors *Custom made Cherry kitchen cabinetry *Custom made Cherry rolltop office desk *Custom made Cherry Shaker Panel bed and nightstands with storage drawers beneath *6 Cherry dining chairs & table by Gary Weeks & Co. *BlueStar LP gas range *Yamaha Avant Grand N2 piano *Lie-Nielsen Roubo workbench (in garage) *BR-111 Tiete Rosewood floors and staircase *Sorpetaler Triple-Glazed European windows (from Germany) *Farrow & Ball paint *Caesarstone countertops *Rohl faucets and apron kitchen sink *Fisher & Paykel refrigerator/freezer *Bosch dishwasher *Motawi tile for bathroom and kitchen backsplash *Jaga...

I agree with a lot of the advice you've been given. Your first step is to determine your budget. The second step is to find a reliable contractor that can work within the confines of your budget. Get a bid for all labor and services to be performed, line by line, in writing. Ask for references and don't be afraid to contact them. Ask for proof of insurance and licenses. Verify that those licenses and insurance are up to date. Do yourself a favor and spend time looking at youtube videos to learn about proper waterproofing techniques. Educate yourself about building codes so you know that what is being done is correct. Check with your city or town code office to see what permits and inspections are required. Arm yourself with information so you don't end up like so many others on here with dilemmas about improper installation and waterproofing and bad tile jobs. Remember that you don't know what you don't know. I had spent a few weeks learning about kitchen design and caught my cabinet guy in a few mistakes that would have been very difficult to correct after the fact. The pretty is the easy part. It's everything that goes on underneath that determines whether the pretty will still be functioning correctly in 5 or 10 years. As to what you've chosen, I would stay away from acrylic tubs. They can be cheaply made and don't always hold up well. They also don't hold heat well so if you like to soak in a bath, acrylic won't work as well as cast iron. Based on the color of your current cast iron tub, it's been there for 40 or 50 years. There's a reason it's held up for so long. You want to replace it with something of the same quality. When you look at toilets, consider an elongated bowl, comfort height toilet. They're a lot more comfortable to use. I just installed two with an enclosed trapway and it's so much easier to keep clean. I would also stay away from anything too trendy or difficult to maintain. Porcelain is easier to maintain than marble. Larger format tiles in the tub area are easier to keep clean than smaller ones due to less grout. Even easier are solid surface walls in the tub, such as Corian. Drawers in a vanity will give you a lot more storage than doors. Good luck with your project!