It is Pennywort (Hydrocotyle) and there are various types. As a lawn pest it is commonly known as dollar weed. I have it growing as a groundcover around my pond in good soil and it grows out across the pond in summer. It is easily removed from the water surface. It grows into my lawn area but I just mow and that keeps it back. I am not a perfect lawn person and around my formal pond is a jungle of plants for the wildlife. Some I planted and some the birds planted. One thing about Pennywort - it has shallow roots and runners can be pulled up. I have clay soil so the rampant run is kept in check where the soil becomes more dry away from the edge of the pond. In a better soil or a sandy soil with moisture I can imagine it would be a pest. Some folks like it as a groundcover in place of grass. It also comes variegated form. The variegated is planted in a pot sunk in the pond. BTW - squirrels like to eat it. Photo of it planted around the edge of my backyard pond. I don't have the Popup set up anymore. I only put it in the front where you see it in the photo, but in 3 seasons is has slowly worked its way around the edge of the pond. It is a haven for the smaller frogs so the big ones don't eat them. Also, birds that work the foilage for small insects, terrestial snails, what have you. There is always an upside and downside to every plant based on personal preferences, soil type, tolerance to having weeds in the lawn. I opt for maximum diversity in my lawn (i.e. lots of plants that are not turf). It all looks the same to me for the most part when mowed (its green). Now my neighbor has a golf course lawn that puts mine to shame, but he over fertilizes, drops pesticides, uses too much water, and from my viewpoint his lawn is a ecological wasteland to nature. Not to mention all those chemicals end up in the Chesapeake Bay. He only gets to see the birds, butterflies, turtles, snakes, frogs and toads I attract by not using chemicals and having various habitats that are wilder, thickly planted areas. Hey - I do all the hard work and he benefits, if he even bothers to look somewhere else but down at his grass:-) I've written articles trying to get people in the community more involved with local wildlife support but some just want their lawns. We have others in the community that want the wildlife and have started to change the way they think about local ecosystems that are disappearing.

I don't have much to add about moving the trees. Fall is a good time to do it. I've done it many times. Usually I make cuts with the shovel straight down around the tree. With a tree an inch in diameter I'd probably make a circle of cuts about 2 feet away from the tree, a foot deep, then make a kind of trench outside those cuts, then slice under the tree. For the smaller maple, I'd probably start about 18 inches around the tree and do similar. Except for male trees (for types that have male varieties), or trees that are special clones, all trees make seeds. I wish more people would find places to plant the seedlings that come up. I wouldn't let people discourage you from keeping volunteer trees. So many nursery grown trees are clones, I worry that we are losing genetic diversity. Plus, a lot of nursery grown trees in containers tend to have girdling roots that I find hard to tease out. A local seedling is more likely to be locally adapted than a tree grown at a distant tree farm. I've grown seedling maples, ginkgos, oaks, honey locusts. It's a nice feeling to see them grow tall and strong.

That's true, Hostagrams. Here's a blurb from Wiki: While a number of reference works used in the United States describe Oriental as pejorative, antiquated or offensive in some instances, the American Heritage Book of English Usage notes that It is worth remembering, though, that Oriental is not an ethnic slur to be avoided in all situations. It is most objectionable in contemporary contexts and when used as a noun, as in "the appointment of an Oriental to head the commission." In these cases Asian (or a more specific term such as Vietnamese, Korean, or Asian American, if appropriate) is the only acceptable term. But in certain historical contexts, or when its exotic connotations are integral to the topic, Oriental remains a useful term. Random House's Guide to Sensitive Language states "Other words (e.g., Oriental, colored) are outdated or inaccurate." This Guide to Sensitive Language suggests the use of "Asian or more specific designation such as Pacific Islander, Chinese American, [or] Korean." Merriam-Webster describes the term as "sometimes offensive," Encarta states when the term is used as a noun it is considered "a highly offensive term for somebody from East Asia."

thanks for the thoughts and suggestions. oaktown and writersblock, I love the idea of a projector! I hadn't even though about that. We're calling an AV person to see if they can help us with that. louisana, you're correct, the wall between the open kitchen/family/dining does not fully separate the living room, so there will be sound transfer. Actually, one of the bedrooms does not have a wall going to the ceiling so there is a lot of noise carrying around the space. Here's how the space is laid out (pre-remodel): ineffable, I'm a TV listener too. We have Sonos speakers we've installed in the house and I could be perfectly happy just listening to Pandora and watching Downton Abbey and SNL on my iPad, but my husband would be so lost without a TV of his own. tom_nwnj, thanks for the recs -- I will check them out. Good luck with the remodel! robotropolis, thanks! I like the idea of putting all the comfy seating in the formal living room and just making the den/space next to the kitchen just a "lounge" area -- for drinking wine, playing games, etc. I think it would significantly enhance our use of the house as we don't currently use the living room. That room is bathed in light most of the day and has the best views of any room in the house -- it seems like a waste not to utilize it. linelle, we were just visiting friends recently and they had a TV (LARGE ones!) in every room, including several of the bathrooms. The owners both work in the entertainment industry, but it was slightly overkill. karenseb, thanks for the nice words. In our upcoming kitchen renovation, we plan on replacing the double ovens with a pantry as we have no pantry and limited food storage space. A tv at the end of the bar is still definitely an option if we can recess it -- we're going to have an AV person come out to measure. If all else fails a TV in the master bedroom is an option, but I'm not generally a fan of TVs in bedrooms.