Many Counties have free mulch available. Some will say it is no good. I'm inclined to agree it isn't the best but for large area's it is okay. I'm neutral on its quality, it will have some rock and a little trash debris in it. In St. Petersburg it looks fine and I've seen much worse from a tree company dropping a bunch of wet palm trees or (even worse) bannana trees mixed in with their untreated mulch. Also the pest factor. If there are big Sago fronds chipped up & mixed in with a tree company free product you will have the scale sailing all over the place on your property the same with a fungal disease. These factors are more troublesome even then the weed factor. The way I see it weeds will come in no matter what I do from all sides (birds, wind blown, neighbors property, feet, etc). The Counties mulch is supposed to be treated to kill weeds, bugs and some bacteria. I believe this to be the case. I have not found this to be the case with tree company mulch, however the tree company mulch can be of a high quality oak/hardwood chip if you are familar with the company. I've found no real extra weed problems with this, nor any roots sprouting Pepper trees in it like some roots in tree company mulch. You can also get strictly "log mulch" often from the County at certain times. It will be pine, oak, and of course pepper or other log quality chipped trees. Bulk loads are delievered at a decent rate. When you look at a finsihed bed it is fine. The break down is fast. It does the job at the right price.

American Standard is mechanically the same as Trane, so no problem going with either brand. Price does seem a bit steep, but it's hard to make that judgment without knowing much else about the job. The equipment combination is good, and I do think American Standard/Trane makes a good product. Furnace does not have a variable speed blower motor, which would be nice, but that furnace was quoted to meet the tax credit requirements. May be worth getting another quote or two, especially if this was a phone estimate and nobody actually came to evaluate the job.

This is what I did with my puppy - she is now 8 months old. I got a puppy play pen and plastic rug protectors to set it on. I put it in the family room since that is where I spend almost all of my day. She would stay in there when I couldn't keep an eye on her and also at night. I decided to sleep in a recliner (and I did it for probably three months, but she was 8 weeks when I got her) and when she would whine during the night, I would take her out with a harness and leash. You don't have to wake a puppy. He will wake you. As for collar and leash, my pup was a bucking bronco when I started getting her use to a collar and leash, so I used a harness for a good long while. I had a cute pink collar for her at first and it didn't take long for her to pull back hard enough to escape her collar and start running in the neighborhood. The harness gave me much more control until she became used to the collar and leash idea. At 12 weeks, I would think the puppy is now due for the second set of shots. I wouldn't think parvo would be a major concern, but I don't have enough experience to really speak to that issue. Have plenty of good things for him to chew on. I lost two pair of shoes to the early stage chewing. LOL And above all, have fun with him. He will grow up quicker than you can imagine. Congratulations!!!

Interesting, teacats, but I had a very different reaction to them. It struck me that both were featuring far too much pale, off-white, beigy-y, or brown(ish) rooms. What's next: grey walls everywhere? ;) In the past, I think there was much more color. I'm not saying that's the case for every article, but, like in recent issues, there were enough of them that I noticed. Or maybe it's that so much of the furniture and decor was clean-lined - whatever, but I felt there's a lack of diversity to the issues. The magazines, and some of the others out there, seem to be converging, rather than emphasizing their own distinct styles. Of the two, Veranda did it first, I think, and now AD has begun sticking its toes in that water. It's not nearly as extreme with the look as Veranda, fortunately. Oh, yes, and Trad. Home has started doing it, too. If they all feature the same looks, what's the point of subscribing to any particular one? Any one of them will be able to stand in for the rest of them. Frankly, I'm becoming disenchanted with Veranda, and that's a real shame. I used to really look forward to receiving it. I hope I don't end up placing it in the House Beautiful category - I subscribe to HB only because the online deal is so good that the cost is lower than (or almost as low as) buying a single issue in a store. But an article about what's on somebody's vanity, describing a foundation or eyeliner? In a shelter magazine? Seriously? Gee, a rant first thing in the morning! What side of the bed did I get out of? ;)