I for some reason put more emphasis on texture or in many spots in my garden with shallow soil raising the level. I have also used grass clippings on top of newspaper. And Rose Tone. Occasionally Composted Cow Manure and some Milorganite. Then I have several old coompost piles that have been lying there overgrown with vines, covered with fallen tree branches and otherwise somewhat inaccessible. In short I have been too lazy to get at them. I promise to do that whenever the soil thaws. I've had at least a couple of soil samples done by Cornell that I find not very useful. Both have come back with the conclusion that NPK is high. Organic level 4.6%, no comment as to whether this is high, low or adequate. The analysis posted on GW brought a response that the iron level, 7#/ acre, was low. Have been adding iron lately that seems to help. I notice in checking the last one that the pH is on the low side, 6.2. Might be a problem so will add lime again. Anyway I'll give a lot more attention to adding organic matter!

Great to hear about all the showings. We got a call from our realtor's office today and our realtor is showing our house tomorrow. It hasn't been shown in about three weeks, so we are hopeful. In my dreams, they love the house, want to move in by Christmas, so they close with cash on Friday! A girl can dream, can't she? We are just passing a year of double house payments.

Update.... They are at our house today installing the decorative door panels on the ends of the peninsulas (& patching the hole behind the PR mirror they made taking the old medicine cabinet out). Another step toward the end! My DH (at home today) says they look great. [These are 2 of the panels that I had originally eliminated due to budget but am now getting for free...the granite folks irreparably damaged one of my peninsula cabs and when the replacement came it had two "blobs" of glaze on the end (the only issues we've had w/finish, btw. Our KD said that rather than reorder the cabinet they would purchase & install the end panels on both peninsulas so they could move the Project forward! We may eventually put them on the back of the peninsula as well, but not now.] Still a few "minor" things like the final plumbing inspection and getting our granite properly caulked (not caulking b/w counter & wall on one side!) [Sheesh...I would definitely not recommend these guys....our counters are still so uneven at the seam on the sink wall that a glass rocks on it!] Here is a link that might be useful: Passed Final Elec Insp...Mocketts & All!

OK, how old is TOO old? I'm pleased to see that so many posting here are looking at this as unfair to the child. Recently a single forum member of 40+ posted, wondering if it was feelings of 'last chance' or if she really wanted to have a baby with her 50-ish male friend. I got flamed for looking at this as less than fair to a child. Things happen. Sometimes children are born to less-than-optimum-age parents (young and old). It feels different when someone *deliberately* creates a human life (s)he will almost certainly be unable to parent long or well. In addition, the child in the OP has no father to parent him -- and will never know who his father was. At a reputable adoption agency -- one where a child's best interest IS put first -- a 66-year-old parent wanting to adopt an infant would have to have a 14-year-old partner to meet the "Combined Age of 80 or Less" rule!