Unless you have some that aren't "hyper-technical" (I may have coined a word here) then it would be better for them to go to professionals. I like books with more than just a pretty picture, like information about preferred host plants, information about raising the cats successfully, interesting information about lep/cat behavior, without going into extreme detail, like this or that caterpillar does better at 500' elevation than 600' elevation, if you know what I mean. Of course, pretty pictures don't hurt! :) Sherry

Hi William, If your soil is pretty consistant for the top 10 to 12", you really don't need to worry too much about what's below that---unless it's bedrock! LOL Most of the things you plant will be in that top layer, and for trees and bushes, you can improve the soil in the individual holes before you plant and backfill. But did you check the conditions in widely varying areas in the yard. Colorado soil can vary dramatically even just from side to side of a normal size backyard. I agree with the recommendation you got to spread a 3" layer of a good quality compost over the entire area and then you want to till it into the top 6 to 8" or so. That will give you a good base for sod and anything else you're planting, and you can mix some more into the hole each time you plant something. I'm not familiar with all the different compost names you listed--every company calls theirs something different--but you want a high quality compost which means one with a LOT of organic matter in it. When you feel it (damp), it should feel light and fluffy, not heavy and all sticking together. The organic matter is what will hold moisture and nutrients and help provide good drainage. About the weeds, since it's out by DIA, I'm assuming this is one of the brand new subdivisions out there, so you have a lot of newly disturbed soil, which probably means that a lot of what you have growing is tumbleweed! It's the first thing that grows around construction sites or anywhere else with bare soil. Except to get rid of it now, tumbleweed won't be an ongoing problem for you. In nature, it grows the first year on bare land almost as a kind of cover that allows other native plants (weeds to you!) to take hold and grow in the following years. Does a lot of what you have look like a big--nasty looking--kind of globe shaped thing with just one primary stem in the middle on the bottom? If so, that's tumbleweed! There are different types, but they all have those basic characteristics. Can you identify any of the other weeds? Do you have any thistle or bindweed? They're usually the worst! Tumbleweed is an annual and will go away all by itself when you start planting other things. Just chop them off at the bottom and get rid of them. Other weeds will need RoundUp or a similar product to get rid of them. If you have anything that's blooming or already going to seed, cut off the flowers and seeds as soon as possible to prevent worse problems later. For any weeds you're going to use Roundup on, leave all the foliage on (excluding flowers or seeds), because Roundup works by being absorbed through the foliage and then goes down into the roots to kill them. As a matter of fact, the more actively the plants are growing, the better the Roundup will work---so---you might want to actually consider watering them! With the dry weather we've had for more than a month now, they won't be growing much at all, so the Roundup won't be anywhere near as effective as it could be. Once you take care of the weeds and finish improving your soil, you might want to consider using a pre-emergent like Preen to keep existing weed seeds from germinating--weed seeds are probably going to be your worst problem at this point. Regarding compost, there are a lot of ways to do it. I have a very, very simple, basic compost pile. I just throw all my grass clippings and leaves in fall, and any other (non-diseased) tender plant matter I have around in a pile and wait a couple years till the bottom of the pile is nice black humus, then I pull it out from the bottom of the pile and use it! Because this kind of compost pile doesn't get hot enough to kill weed seeds, I never put anything with seeds on it. (Although, there is a pumpkin growing in it from last year's Halloween pumpkin!) Also, you can put any organic matter on the pile, but the tougher it is, the longer it will take to decompose. For instance, if it is tumbleweed that you have, that will take a LONG time to decompose. Shredding tough stuff will help it decompose more quickly. Other more complicated and time-consuming compost piles will give you a more "balanced" compost, will decompose more quickly, and will heat up enough to kill weed seeds, so you just have to decide how much time and effort you're willing to put into it. It takes a while, but I'm VERY happy with compost I get from mine. And I TOTALLY agree with David! Plan to get some of the biggest things in this year yet, then you can spend all winter refining your plans, looking at books and catalogs, and dreaming of spring. You'll be chomping at the bit by then! When you're putting in trees, keep in mind how much shade they're going to give you after a few years. This could make a pretty big difference in terms of what perennials and other smaller things you'll be able to grow. There are a lot of good shade perennials, but the full sun perennials will give you a lot more color. I think I've probably missed some of your questions, but this is getting awfully long, so after you read this ask anything else you're still wondering about. Hopefully I haven't raised more questions than I've answered. Hope you're enjoying your new house--and all the work that comes with it :-) Happy gardening, Skybird

Glad I could be of help, Funkyart. In Santa Fe, I can highly recommend the B&B, El Farolito. We've stayed there twice for romantic weekends away and loved it. Great host/owners. Beautiful, quiet, peaceful grounds and rooms. Gourmet breakfasts. Walking distance to the Plaza. Check to see prices at Tamaya for rooms. We won a night there a few years ago and really enjoyed it a lot. Beautiful rooms, resort, restaurants, golf course, spa, and views! I know enough about both towns so please just check back with me before making any lodging reservations. And by all means, do NOT stay anywhere close to Central in ABQ! The Nob Hill and University areas are wonderful, for shopping and restaurants, but there is no decent lodging in that area and some places along Central are downright iffy. Tish, I thought you were in the Las Cruces area? As far as good antique places go in Albuquerque, Morningside Antiques is head and shoulders above the rest. It's on Central in a good area of town. It's owner, Christian, is wonderful, very knowledgeable and honest. He's very respected throughout the area. We've bought a number of pieces from him over the years and can highly recommend him. I've added a link to his site below so you can see where it's located on Central. After Morningside, I would look up and down North Fourth Street in the Los Ranchos area. I used to always stop by Antique Co-op, but haven't been there in a while only because I just don't need any more stuff lately. I always have liked Legacy. It's pretty, well organized, clean and has good parking. The prices are fairly reasonable but I've never actually gotten anything from them. "Morningside Antiques" My laptop is almost out of power and I need to iron a shirt for DH. I'll come back tomorrow with more shops. Lynn

I absolutely agree with the part played by relentless new coverage, cameras and cell phones everywhere. It serves as a double sword to encourage a lot of sympathy but it also reveals real corruption making it seem as if a whole group is corrupt (or that a whole group is victimized for that matter). Sometimes it seems like certain people want their 15 minutes of fame nowadays since everyone is capable of becoming a star in the movie of life. I can't help but believe that many of these homegrown mass shooters are drawn by the idea of fame and the fact that the whole world will notice and hear them. I've seem some videos that look as if people are trying to bait the police into getting worked up and loosing it. Maybe I am seeing it wrong but I don't think so in all cases. Its like a kid will taunt a cop, act completely uncooperative and he's got that cell phone held up in the air, as if attempting to make a U-tube hit to play the poor victim in. We used to respect police when I was a kid and no one would have acted so rude or uncooperative like I see on these videos. I liked what that guy Dr. Piper wrote. I agree with the idea of self absorbed and narcissistic people who get their feelings hurt over any perceived challenge, whoever or whatever makes them feel bad is tagged with a name like 'bigot' or 'hater' with they themselves being the innocent victim. Many people seem to think freedom is equal to complete lack of restraint and that they live in a country where no one should not have any right to hold them to account for anything no matter what. This type of thing is completely out of hand. The laws are becoming more and more oppressive due to groups like M.A.D.D. (not to single them out, it just comes to mind) and 'The War on Drugs' that push the idea that more laws and penalties will solve these problems. Current events are always connected to the events preceding them. Problems like this need to be looked at as a progression of events from a historical perspective to make any sense. You can go back to the 1950's, 60's and 70's to mark the progression of events along with popularizing and accepting certain philosophical ideas. People now seem oblivious or uninterested in how these things connect and focus mainly on the results we have to live with because most people seem oblivious to history. Seems many only live in the present moment concerning any given crisis or personal experience as if history is irrelevant. The tendency is just get outraged or to come up with overly simplistic solutions like fixing 'the gun problem' or adding stiffer laws. Not that we need more guns mind you, I'm no NRA fan.