Suggestion for growing melons on clay soils: We didn't have room for melons in our garden until the guy who rents the farm ground around us started leaving a small field fallow. The ground was a pretty well spent corn field with heavy clay soil. But⦠I found that I could grow good melons on the ground by giving just the soil for the "hill" some special preparation. I dig out a hole a bit over a foot in diameter and a foot deep, dumping the soil in a garden cart. Then I use my shovel or garden fork to work fertilizer, lime, and peat moss as deeply as possible into the bottom of the hole. I also mix a bit of fertilizer, lime, and a good bit of peat moss (about as much peat as the soil I dug) into the soil in the cart. I water the hole thoroughly, return the soil mix from the cart to the hole and transplantâ¦adding a bit more water with a bit of dilute starter fertilizer mixed in. I mulch our melons with grass clippings, mostly from the part of the field we don't garden (and keep mowed as part of the deal with the farm renter). We live in an area where much of the land south and west of us is clay soil where farmers grow lots of great, commercial melons. They're amazed we can grow good melons on our land. But doing each hole as I do is lots of extra workâ¦and the peat moss is expensive. But it just has paid off handsomely for us. Here is a link that might be useful: Senior Gardening - Transplanting Melons

ltd123, I do lots of foam carving and if you don like the mess then you can use a hot knife. It will only work on EPS foam not urethane foam. HereÂs some pics of my foam carving projects: Cartoon Trees Theming for Water Parks - 3D Trees Themed Water Park Attractions - Six Flags 'Ship Wreck Splash' Water Park Carvings - 'Ship Wreck Splash' Artist Carving 3D Foam Ship Wreck For a Themepark Themeing for Water Parks - Six Flags Over Georgia Skull Splash Water Park Props - 'Skull Island' Water Park Attractions - Skull Splash Roof 3D Foam Props for Water Parks - 'SKULL ISLAND' Six Flags Sculptures for Water Parks - Three Dimensional Skull for Six Flags' Themed Waterpark 'SKULL ISLAND' Water Park Theming - Bell Tower for Six Flags Water Park Themeing - Bell Tower Water Park Sculptures - Carving Bell Tower Three Dimensional Signage - Calloway Park Sign Three Dimensional Signs - 3D Sun Carving 3D Water Park Attractions  Mermaid Playground Themeing - Toddler Town Facade House Facade 2 Giant Clog Canoe Theme Park Attractions Theme Parks Exhibits - Cartoon Snake Slide Exit Amusement Park attractions - 3D Pirate 3D Sculpted Pirate Ship Amusement Park Sculptures - Octopus Sign IAAPA Booth IAAPA Themeing - Eel Slide Exit Theme Park Props - 3D Pirate Amusement Park Props - Pirate Head Sculpture Chipmonk Head Sculpture Softplay Corvette Soft Sculptures Playground Sculptures - 3d Shark Faux Marble Sign Tree Houses Tree Bases Robin Cat Relief Carving Skull Chair Movie Prop Moon Relief Sculpture Parrot Window Relief Sculpture Alien Window Relief Carving Picnic Basket Props for Water Parks - Cartoon Birdie Cartoon Bird Foam Sculpture Cartoon Butterfly Professor Window Foam Relief Carving Treasure Chest Window Relief Sculpture Snake Window Flat Carving Alien Robot Flat Sculpture Clay Dragon Maquette Lion Window Low Relief Lion Height Restriction Sign Low Relief Sculpture Snake Head Slide Exit Sculpture Pizza Pooch Head Movie Props - 3D Space Pillars Space Medallion 1 Space Medallion 2 Skunk Softplay Dinosaur Chipmonks Clubhouses for Kids Octopus Slide Exit Dragon Slide Exit

Amazing just how many you have fitted in there Tricia What is that purple coloured one in the foreground of #1

Thanks for the input. This guy is probably more in the laborer camp but with an eye to matching (e.g., he mentioned this when discussing tuck pointing my brick house as well). He is going to be coating the entire side stoop steps -- not just the part that needs patching -- since it's impossible to match. He did tell me the re-coated side stoop would not exactly match the concrete stoop/steps he'd installed in my backyard because of the different product he needs to use in order to patch. Any idea of what's a standard warranty?