Don't feel embarassed, Angela. We all make mistakes. Is your signature line correct - you live in zone 9? If so, you might not realize that lettuce can't grow there all summer. Lettuce is a "cool season" crop, which means that it doesn't like super hot temps. Which I'm guessing you're getting more and more of? Soon, it will bolt, which means that it will flower/make seeds. So the advice about harvesting the lettuce is because we're all guessing it won't last much longer, anyway. People tend to count on sowing successive crops of lettuce, even if they pick leaves as they grow instead of harvesting the whole head. There are various "heat tolerant" lettuce varities that are less likely to bolt. (Someone mentioned trying those.) I do grow those in the middle of the summer, but regular lettuce is fine for me with a little shade for much of the summer, too. But I'm in a much cooler zone that you. Lettuce has much shallower roots than the other plants, so it would be easier to move. But I hear you on wanting things a certain way. Why not try to make it like you want it? Be prepared to be nice to the plants you move for a week or two after. Don't overwater them, though! And you might still lose one - but that's part of the learning process. Plants do die occasionally, even when we do our best to care for them. As far as the aphids, I hear you're supposed to gently hose off the affected plants daily until the aphid problem is resolved. The water makes the aphids fall off. I have an army of ladybugs in my garden, so I've never had a big issue with aphids - I feel lucky! My overall approach is to attract the beneficial insects with flowers, etc, and let them take care of the "bad" insects. It's worked well enough so far. Enjoy & good luck!

The wine isn't a problem, however, the cooking down could be. Density is one of the factors in processing time, so you don't want the sauce too thick. Personally, I like VERY thick sauce, so don't usually can it, I freeze instead. Deanna

We used Ikea cabinets in our detached workshop/garage and they've worked out just fine so far. The building has been climatized but we only turn on the heat or air when we're spending time out there. I am a bit concerned about how the blumotion hinges will work around sawdust over time. They aren't built as well as the metal cabinets we have in the attached garage so I don't think I would use Ikea cabinets in a typical garage environment where vehicles, tools, sports equipment, etc. are stored and used on a regular basis because I think they would get pretty banged up. But for storing dishes they should be fine.

Lots of wineries out there - I suggest talking to some of them first. And then tasting a lot of wine if you don't already know wine. And then remembering that what you want to produce may not be what you will be able to produce. LI has wet cloudy weather compared to the west. And that means the red grapes are going to be less ripe and whatever you do, you will always have some notes of bell pepper. Yes I know that there are many cab francs out there, etc., and some people love them, but for my money, I would not plant reds. After having tasted many dozens of wines from LI, my advice is stick with whites. Good luck!