they definitely sell topsoil around here...by the bag or by the truckload...it sure looks pretty but it's definitely garbage. don't throw things at me though...because i just used some in my mom's yard. her soil was too rich for the type of garden she wanted...xeric. she had added so much compost over the years..i just knew the heads of all of her echinacea would be flopping over in no time! so...i had to basically cut the quality of her soil a bit. sad..huh? i added only 6 cubic feet...i'm not sure if it will make a difference or not..but i wasn't going to add compost! when i put in my raised beds, i ordered something called planter's mix. i think it was a 70% topsoil 30% compost mix...and i STILL had to add TONS and TONS of compost and manure to get that soil fertile enough to grow good plants. the soil was horribly hydrophobic too! anyway..in horticulture class..my professor warned everyone against "topsoil." he said it has no organic matter and will not support plants on it's own. in my soil class...we learned that silt makes great soil! so edie...just start adding compost and you'll be happy with your soil in no time!

I am referred to as "the tick magnet" in my household. It is not uncommon for me to walk across the lawn, spend 10 minutes in the veggie garden, and come in with a tick. I've gotten so I can spot a wood tick sitting on the top of a plant, waving its little legs and waiting to grab hold. I'm going to repeat what I said in the post from last fall that Claire linked. I live on an old farm with a mix of field, brushy growing-up field, and woods. I use bug dope with DEET, though I put it only on my clothing and I don't always use it. I own several pairs of the pyrethrin impregnated socks and I tuck my pant legs into them. (Along with my bug net during black fly season I usually look pretty dorky when I am out in the garden.) I don't really worry about ticks because during the height of the season I might find 6 or 8 on me over the course of a day, but I do take them seriously. Instead of worrying, I do a complete visual and touch check whenever I come into the house in the spring and fall. Clothes get stripped off and examined along with my body. I again do a complete visual and fingertip check at bedtime every night (until it gets too cold for the ticks to be active) standing nekkid in front of a mirror so that I can see places like under my arms and the middle of my back, etc. in case I missed any the first time around. I also comb my hair with a comb having close-set teeth and do a careful touch examination of my entire scalp. Clothing I take off doesn't go into the bedroom. I view that nightly 15 minutes as the dues I pay for being able to get out beyond the lawn areas at my house. When we first moved here I used to freak out about getting a tick, but there are so many (mostly wood ticks, though there are some deer ticks) that I just don't have the energy to get worked up about them. I'd rather put the energy in to doing careful checks afterwards since it takes a day or more for a tick to get seated and spread disease. I do this check religiously, every single night, even if I have not worked in the garden. It's part of my bedtime routine, like brushing my teeth. It is my understanding (and fits in with my observations here) that rodents are a large part of the cause of the "deer" (more accurately referred to as "black-legged") tick problem, so the tick tubes, which target the application of permethrin specifically to rodents, make good sense. I haven't used them, however, and studies vary in their evaluation of effectiveness. Last season was the first we had appreciable numbers of black-legged ticks, so we are just starting serious consideration of management for them. I haven't previously seen reference to nematodes as good for controlling ticks, so I did some reading. It seems like around here they aren't too effective since nematodes live in the soil, and when are ticks are in or on the ground, it's too cold for the nematodes to be effective. They are also more effective on adults that the nymphs that often spread disease. However, I did come across a fungus that it supposed to be better in this part of the country, Metarhizium anisopliae, that has met with EPA approval for tick control. Unfortunately, it appears to still be in the product development stages. As others have mentioned, keeping areas with brush or long grass mowed will help reduce shelter areas for ticks, and reducing areas like stone walls where rodents hide will help as well.

UPDATE: I am the OP on this thread. It's been about 3 1/2 years since the financial infidelity disaster between me and FDH and I thought it was about time to give an update. In 2009, FDH and I completed our counseling after a couple of months and it was a great experience for us. We got a lot of things out on the table and learned a lot of new communication skills. FDH uncovered a lot of stuff around his relationship with money and had a lot of light-bulb moments that were helpful to him. We learned about how our different upbringings shaped our feelings about security and money and it was highly revealing. He also initiated a debt repayment plan, and we decided to postpone our wedding (and not even talk about it) until he reached the halfway point. We decided to stay engaged, at which point I explained to him that if he ever, EVER lied to me about money again, no matter how minor, I would be done. He agreed with this and was supportive, assuring me that he would not make the same mistake again. And of course, I talked to my family and my bridesmaids and everyone was so understanding and supportive. At the end of the year we moved about a half hour away to save money in rent which helped us both financially. The new apartment was quieter, more in the suburbs and felt like a fresh start. In 2010 I bought a new car, and we visited a financial planner together and created a financial and retirement plan that works for us. In 2011 we took our first trip together overseas and I met his family for the first time. The halfway point of his debt repayment came and went, and I congratulated him, but it wasn't until 2012 that we hired a wedding planner and began making plans for our wedding, which will be in September 2013. I am very happy to tell you that over the past few years, FDH has completely changed his relationship with money. He worked through his issues from the divorce, and began a totally transparent system of financial accountability. He also became an avid coupon-clipper! LOL (But spending was never really his problem - it was more around a lack of respect for his own earnings and a lack of reality and motivation on how to manage things.) And happiest of all, I am so glad to say that in about three more months, FDH will be DEBT-FREE. I could not be prouder about the changes he's made and how he has stuck with the debt repayment. Getting out from underneath the burden has allowed him to become the man he should be - someone who works hard, has money to provide for himself and his daughters, and is able to make choices about his priorities in life rather than reacting to situations powerlessly. So, I'm posting this update to anyone still reading this thread, and anyone who happens upon it because of a similar situation in their own lives. Like some of the wise women earlier in the post said, it's not so much about whether you think people can or can't change, but about whether or not they are adult enough and motivated to correct wrongs. I listened to my heart and it told me that it was too soon to leave. (Even though in many ways I am a tough and cynical person.) I was brave enough myself to say, "Financial instability is a dealbreaker for me and I will absolutely go to the wall on this," no matter what the consequences. And things turned out in my favor, because I believed him when he said he was willing to stick with getting out of debt, for himself first. That's when I realized he really got it, and he has more than proven his point to me. So you see, there is sometimes light at the end of the tunnel! Our lives aren't perfect, but we are so, so much closer than we used to be, and we're living a shared life, a life that can be built upon, and not one that's being hollowed out by deceipt and fear. I so much appreciate all the support and hugs I got here. Thank you all.

Linda, you were right on the money. At five hours it would have pulled but it wasn't at that falling apart stage. At that point I took off the lid (per directions) and it went another 45 minutes, then sat resting on the board with a little foil blanket until the kids came. It was perfect! I followed the recipe pretty exactly for the lamb, other than the change in quantity, and adjusted the couscous a little to taste (less onion and cilantro, more lemon, almond slivers and tomatoes). I even used the honey, leerily, to get the whole effect. They loved it! Yea! I love it when new things come out right. Served with spiced roasted eggplant, yellow squash, parsnips, carrots and dino kale, latkes and applesauce, borekes for starters, and chocolate chip cookies (from the chocolate chip cookie guru) and strawberries for afters.