I don't see a problem with it. The only potential problem with top soil is that it is an incredibly generic term and can mean anything. It might be soil very suitable for growing things and it might be garbage. The top soil will also almost certainly have a lot of weed seeds in it, just the nature of the beast. However, in a 15" bed it really doesn't matter. Do as you were planning and place it on the bottom as filler. Even if it were the worst soil on earth, 6" of it would still give you 9" of great growing area which is enough for just about anything. If it does have a lot of weed seeds they would be buried deep enough they would be unlikely to ever emerge. If the top soil appears to have some clay in it it will be a water and nutrient sponge. If this is the case you may want to mix it right into the mix for this added benefit. Then again you live in Seattle so I don't know that water retention is all that important to you. Anyway, my point is you aren't going to hurt yourself if you use it to appease your family. I suppose I do wonder why your family would be so controlling as to not let you just 'try something new', but that's really none of my business.

I don't know about the back CS. I was irate with DH when BM dumped the boy off to begin with and DH didn't press the issue way back then. I'm hoping that DH's atty will do the best she can to at least get DH the past three years in exchange for the next three with BM. To me, that would be fair. As far as SS goes, he's only 12 but emotionally more like an 8-year-old. He is very childish but his parents and grandparents have allowed him to call the shots from the beginning which is part of the problem we've been having since we married. Unfortunately, DH denies it so he's just as much to blame. My parents never allowed my brother or I to dictate what adults did and I don't allow my DD to do it, so this is completely foreign to me. I don't understand how adults let a child who can barely wipe his own butt or who forgets to eat during the day to make such life altering decisions. I want to say "I told you so" to DH but know it's only going to fuel the fire. SS has flat out told DH he doesn't want to do anything here and DH has begrudgingly forced the boy to chip in doing chores while BM doesn't make him do a bloody thing. I know BM doesn't want him but at this point, this is all part of the game that she, SS, and DH play with each other in addition to wanting the CS. SS goes where he's promised the most material goods and the least structure, which she makes good on both promises. After all, she did say that divorcing and CS was easier than working. Unfortunately, I think this is a lost cause since DH refuses to accept responsibility for the situation.

Gwanny...if you loved Dorothy's pic....check out these...I try to visit it at least monthly for the new pics...they are just a riot... glad you were able to fix kitties head!! Liz...who if her LIVE cat brings her one more treat from the hunt she's gonna have heart failure...In the last week I've had a snake, lizard, moth, dragonfly and frog in the house!! Here is a link that might be useful: funny cat pictures

Bon, I haven't noticed forsythia blooming here, but then again, I haven't driven past any of the houses on our road lately where I know forsythia grows. Daffodils are going crazy everywhere, though, and new bluebonnet plants are sprouting down by our front gate like crazy. If nothing happens to them, it will be a good bluebonnet year here. Mike, Santa Rosa is the one that bloomed yesterday. It always is first to bloom and that sometime costs us the crop, and sometimes it doesn't. It just depends on how far below freezing we go and how long we stay there. Of course, I think there's likely quite enough nights left with freezing temperatures that we may not get plums this year. We have two more trees that bloom later, so I'm hoping they take their time. They do not look like they are going to wait much longer. It really amused me that the peach tree that was on the verge of blooming did not bloom first. It has been pinking for over a week, and the plum tree looked almost fully dormant or dead, and then---BAM! Flowers starting popping out on the plum yesterday. As soon as it bloomed, the peach went into overdrive and started to open flowers. Luckily, it didn't get too far yesterday. Gardens are full of surprises. We dropped down to 26 degrees at our house and 24 at our mesonet station, and we stayed at or below freezing at the mesonet station for about 9 hours. This wasn't a quick hit-and-run freeze, it was a prolonged one accompanied by heavy frost. I'm just glad the tree wasn't in full bloom. Dawn