Does the type of tree or leaves matter for mulching? I have some various huge shrubs and a tree that all drop smaller leaves (some needle like) that are quite dense. Living in So Cal they tend to dry out but not exactly break down. I was planning on doing lava rock in the border of my yard, but since reading this post I'm thinking that that is not such a bright idea. My issue is my long-haired cat will find whatever area of the yard is the most dirty/dusty and cover himself with all kinds of earth and burrs, and then immediately after he asks to come in the house. Half the time my kids just let him in, and then the floors inside becomes filthy and my carpet gets pokey things embedded. I've been worried that if I did anything like bark chips, then my fur buddy is going to bring into the house slivers -the kind that are so tiny you can't get with tweezers. (I tried playing barefoot in the stuff as a kid, and you'd think it would only of taken the first time to figure out that's not something to do again...) Anyhow, with my own kids running barefoot all the time and the cat living like royalty, I worry about using old wood chips or mulch. Anyone have advice?

I've learned that I have to water differently during an extreme drought period. My soil originally started out as glacier slurry in a mini watershed. The soil consists of dense small rocks or stones with clay and silt between them. Since the soil has not received the deep watering during the winter months, it is dryer down at the deeper levels and seems to suck any water applied to the surface staight down to the lower levels asap. Mulching on top does not impact this natural dynamic. It does helps reduce evaporation, but does not help that natural pull of water to the lower levels. Since my soil is between the crevices of lots of rocks, once it has dried out, the water has a path to move to the lower levels. I found this summer that it helps if I use the sprinkler to water the top levels of the soil the night before I do my deep watering, which does moisten and swell the soil particles around the root masses of the roses and within the crevices between all of the rocks. This keeps the water I apply for deep watering around the root mass long enough for the roses to slurp of the water they need. Otherwise, it's like pouring water down an open drain. It's not a perfect solution, but it has reduced water stress quite a bit during a period of 3 1/2 months of triple digits. It's starting to cool off and the days are shorter, so I think I can skip this step for my fall watering. I still rely on deep watering as the best way to water my roses. I just had to find a way for the water to stay put long enough to be available to the rose. My method was dictated by my soil and climate. Smiles, Lyn

I guess I wonder: Have you pulled them out and looked at them in the past 5 or 10 years, and extrapolating that into the future, how often will you pull them out and peruse them in the next 5 or 10 years? I love historical newspapers--I work at a newspaper, so I'm very glad that some people believe "important" covers and important journalism have value. But knowing that they will deteriorate and that there is pretty much nothing you can do to keep them pristine, I like the idea a fellow newspaperman did with a few fronts that he especially valued: He framed them and put them up in his finished basement. (He used special, large mounting corners so that if someone wanted to look at inside pages, he could open the frame and take the paper out.) History all around him--not sitting in a box waiting for the moment somebody remembers the newspapers are there. The OP might not have the desire or wall space to do this, but it's an option for some people, perhaps.

Tom, Since newspaper is SO acidic, I would get these color copied and use the copies in my scrapbook. This would also help in getting them in a better sized format, by having them enlarge the small ones and shrink the larger ones. Kinkos, (I think ) has copiers that can copy pages the size of a newspaper, if it involves a large amount of the page, and you can then have it copied on to a more managable size reprint, that will fit in your scrapbook. Check for copy places that can copy architect (sp) prints, as they are rather large. Call an architect (sp) office near you and see where they get their plans reprinted. HTH Love Penny