Kudzu and Ravencajun, I just went to the forum to find your reply and answer it, and I don't even see my question let alone anyone's reply. Cannot figure what's going on except NOW I see that the replies on the forum are dated October 15th which was 2 days ago, just like my clock which is 2 hours ago. I opened the time adjust and DID see it was set in the wrong time zone, but when I set it for Pacific it said the time was now 10:10. I now see something else on that same adjustment site that may be wrong, but since I have no idea what it means, I'm afraid to change it. It has to do with Internet time. It's set for Time-n.w.-nist.gov. This seems to be getting very complicated. Update, now I see the current forum posts/replies so maybe things are correcting themselves??? Thanks, BarbB

i changed many things. important lesson learned: once you start this kind of project it can feel like a speeding train leaving the station, and not everyone may be on board (i felt like i wasn't and it was my project!). particularly with this economy - when they get the job they want to GO! meet a milestone - get paid! i had to learn to slow the train down. it is my project. if it takes me 3 months to figure out the design before i sign off, so be it. i had to really pull the breaks a few times to keep control of the situation. i was getting pressured from the GC as well as the cabinetmaker. you are the customer, take your time. design is an iterative process. do not expect to get it in 1 or 2 rounds. be sure look at things in different lights, mock things up in cardboard if necessary, get real life samples, live with them. when you think you have the final design live with it for a few weeks before signing off... it took me 1 year before i was ready to say OK to building.

Phoggie- Thank you for your thoughtful post! I'm so sorry about your surgery, but very glad that your home is so perfect for your recovery. I do need a bigger house..mainly because we work from home. We have phone calls coming in and have to make sure there is no noise from the rest of the house. That means a separate wing or level, just for the business. Then, my mom hosts all the family events, so we need to make sure she can continue to do that. My husband and I want a little private space for ourselves and he really wants a separate family room. That would give my mom the living room, for her friends to visit, etc. When I say a big house, I mean over 2,000 sq.ft...and many people do not count their basements as living area. That means many smaller homes have the potential to live much larger, with that extra space. I saw a cute home that was 1,300 up and 1,300 down...and was almost big enough. I agree with you about the stairs, but for some reason it's almost impossible to find homes without them. My focus is now on making sure each level is accessible and has a bath, so if we have to add accessibility later (stair seat, etc.) it would not have to be used all that often. As for the horses...they are my pets (LOL) and they are expensive to feed, but they also keep me from even thinking about suburbia. I know I would hate it (been there, done that) and if we didn't have at least 2 acres, it would be too small. Once you've lived without close neighbors it's awfully hard to go back...and I'm hoping to start a garden/landscape business at some point in the future. So, I could use the land...and the horses, if you know what I mean. It's not always easy to find organic fertilizer :)

You can feed them once in Spring and then add "weak" fertilizers like coffee grounds, liquid seaweed and-or liquid fish during the rest of the growing season. If you had been located in the far South, your shrubs would go dormant between Dec-Jan, and you could add another shot of fertilizers in Sept. Add ferts after your avge date of last frost. Chemical fertilizers should be general purpose, slow-release fertilizers with a NPK Ratio around 10-10-10; apply them per label directions. Or use about 1./2 to 1 cup of organic compost, composted manure or cottonseed meal (for a newly purchased shrub). Those three are organic and slow-release that will last thru most of the growing season. Normally, you want them plants to go dormant before early frosts so you should stop all fertilizers by the end of June-ish. Amendments to control acidity (garden lime will turn colored blooms in acidic soils a shade of pink) should be added according to the label directions and should be continued thru the year on the specified frequency because otherwise, the soil will tend to loose whatever alkalinity you have added with the amendments. You normally would want to start several months before the shrubs bloom so feel free to start with the amendments now (if the soil is not frozen).