Here's a list of tools I could not live without: Digging Pole: (Same as above), mine has a "spear" end, and a chisel end, great for breaking through dried clay and prying out unruly plants, stones, etc. It will rust as the tips are worn, and it can also be sharpened. Heavy also, so beware. Hand Mattock: This is a tool that is so versatile, you may never use an individual fork or spade again. Mine is from Yard Butler, and has a great handle, and good heft and the weld seems to be strong so far. One end is the cultivating fork, the other is the traditional "mattock" end, a blend between a spade and a pick. Great for lifting, cultivating, dividing, just about anything. D-Handle Shovel: I have one of the Husky Brand shovels of this type, and the great thing about it is the "super socket" option, which means you can put a lot of leverage onto the shovel, and the risk of breaking the handle, or spade off, is very unlikely, they are also not as pricey as some of those brands mentioned above, which are of professional strength and durability. Literally a third of the cost of those. You can get the socket design for the digging spade, and transfer shovel ( I have both) these are both indispensable for gardening and planting, and mulching and cleanup. Thatching rake: Great way to clean up trouble spots in the lawn, or refresh thick thatch areas. Also, it is a great way to overseed thin, or reseed bare areas, because you can cut some nice grooves with the rake, better than a tine, or garden rake. Also, thatching this way is great exercise, so long as your yard is well under an acre. Mulching Rake: Not just great for mulch, but also works well for raking things out of grass delicately, without overly harming grass, a tined rake, or garden rake cannot boast this. In the prime season, if things have blown into the yard, I use it to remove the items without ripping up grass, since it has a small, plastic rake head. Also, the long handle is great for evening out mulch in big beds, or under big shrubs, when they are otherwise difficult to get to. Lastly, a great Wheelbarrow: I bought the Ames True Temper Poly Wheelbarrow, and have not been disappointed. There are many bad reviews on Home depot's site, and I cannot see why. My father in law and I built our 16x32 deck together, and we used this to move a broken up concrete pad, earth, rocks, timber scraps, not to mention, mixing over 70 bags of concrete in the tub. Also, I have used it to mix seed and earth for overseeding, and for transferring and dumping mulch. Only problem I have had is needing to fill the tires a couple of times, which makes sense, since I have put a lot of weight on it. I also love the ergronomic handles. Good Luck.

awm Thank you so much for checking on me! I haven't been on much because we are in recovery mode...It was a rough night when Sandy hit. We are near where one of the breaches occurred on Fire Island so we got slammed with waves and water. The good news is we survived! We got power back last Monday (had to have house rewired due to corrosion from the saltwater that flooded our basement-we even had fish and baby shrimp down there), heat last Friday because we had to put in all new vents and blowers. This morning I got a new refrigerator! I almost cried when it came because we've been living out of a cooler on the back deck since Sandy. The good news is we have a roof over our heads and heat and electric which so many others don't have. I am very greatful. The bad news is we have about $100,000 worth of damage so it will be awhile before we are back to pre-storm living. I am very sad for my neighbors-of the 12 or so houses on our street, only 4 of us are able to stay in our homes right now. We do the best we can to help each other out-even if it is just a hot cup of coffee or a hot shower for our friends who are cleaning out their houses of most of their belongings, or for the workmen who are gutting the houses to begin rebuilding. It was a very scary night-we didn't evacuate-won't do that again.

It's not easy going through these renos especially when you are feeling abandoned by your GC. Is there anyone you can go to to help move things along? I feel for you sweet one. It's not easy being at the mercy of these less than dependable people. â¦.I just did a Bible study that was so helpful, it said to just start thanking God even in the bad times and to look at where you can see Him in any of this. Ask God to help you get through this and then thank Him each time something does or even when it doesn't go right. It helped me a lot, not sure if that would interest you but it helps me almost immediately to be calmer and more peaceful about the situations that come with life. The study that I did is called "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voss. Her voice is so soothing (see link). All the best to you and may you have a peaceful day and much progress be made! I'll be thinking of you today and lifting you up, you are not alone. Here is a link that might be useful: One Thousand Gifts

@texasranger2 - I am very inspired by your spring decluttering. Congratulations! It is so exciting when you pare things down to the basics, and then you come back with: what do I really want here? In addition to the work I've had done, I've also upgraded some of my outdoor items. for example, bought a new bells and whistles BBQ, as barbecuing is one of my outdoor joys. I had an older BBQ, and had gotten another used BBQ which didn't quite work out...so at one point I had three BBQs hanging around on the deck! So finally sold off both of the older ones. I also had one of those mid-sized plastic storage sheds, which was beginning to fall apart. I thought a lot about replacing it with a new plastic one, or upgrading to a wood one. Then I thought, I would actually replace it with a greenhouse, which I got all excited about. But I realized that wasn't quite going to work - and then I went back to my original idea, which was to make that shed area into another outdoor seating area - using this wrought iron loveseat which I had awkwardly thrown into another area. So I finally got rid of that storage shed - and most of the things I had been storing in it were excess junk anyway - and it is coming together so well, and freeing up so much space! Which is really important because I have limited space to begin with. I'm actually a little giddy when I think of it. One of the next things I need to do is collect up all the bits of metal I had which I envisioned using for projects or to have plants climb up etc. Those artistic endeavours are not going to happen any time soon, and I'm not even into the idea so much any more, so will gather together for someone who collects scrap metal. Yay - freedom!