Serve you foods in edible bowls or vegetable bowls. Fry large corn tortillas and form them by laying over the back of a bowl. Use holooed out pumpkins, squash and gourds. Hollowed out round crusty bread is good also, although kind of Eighties. You can lay your paper plate down in the garden to block out weeds before laying mulch. Just a coulpe of ideas. Here is a link that might be useful: Adults and Kids Go Green at Frogpatch.com

Dorothy, We only dropped down to 3 degrees and the pond froze over on top but not all the way down. All our fish must have survived just fine (I didn't see any floating dead bodies when the ice melted). I've heard of people putting them into rain barrels but haven't tried it myself. Jo, I fold them up and stack them on a high shelf in the garage. I've never had anything get into them or into the floating row covers stacked on the same shelving unit. If the thought of pests or rodents getting into your stored stuff (it hasn't happened to me, yet....) bothers you, you could buy a storage bin with a snap-on lid and store them inside of it. I do pick up things carefully (most of the time), but that's because I'm more likely to find a coppehead or a rattlesnake than a spider. Either last year or the year before, I picked up something off the ground in the garden and something that was underneath it stung me or bit my finger. It hurt worse than anything (except possibly childbirth) I've ever experienced and I was petrified it might have been a snake. When I finally stopped jumping up and down and screaming "Ow Ow Ow", I looked at my finger and there were no fang marks. In the meantime, Tim was using a stick to lift mulch and stuff and see if he could find the culprit. My finger and hand started swelling and turning red so I ran inside and took children's liquid benadryl (to get it into my system ASAP). The redness and minor swelling persisted for a couple of days, and my finger and hand hurt for almost a week. I guarantee you that after that occurred I was once again very, very careful about picking up anything. I think it likely that a scorpion got me, or perhaps one of those big yellow-and-black hornets. Both have stung me in the past and the pain was similar. It was a good lesson to me to watch where I put my hands in the garden and one I will not soon forget. You can discourage spiders in your shed by spraying with a Spider Web Eliminator product. There's also a product called Spider Not that you might liket. I used to have to order them online, but now I see them in some local stores. I'll link one below to show you what I'm talking about. I spray the garage, sheds and back porch (formerly a screened-in porch and now a sunporch) with a spider web eliminator a couple of times a year. In general, I don't worry about spiders at all except for the venomous ones like Black Widows and Brown Recluses. We have about a million spiders an acre here and I appreciate all the non-venomous ones because they help control pest insects. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: Spider Not and Spider Web Eliminator

Kitchen work zones, what are they? "Zones" are areas in your kitchen where the work occurs. Work in the kitchen is broken down into three primary work zones. Everyone has these three zones, everyone! Prep Zone...This is the zone where food prep takes place. Food prep can be anything from making a sandwich to preparing a multi-course meal. It includes cleaning/rinsing food, cutting, mixing, processing, etc. For many people, especially those with small kitchens, their Prep Zone is also their Baking Center for rolling out dough, etc. 70% of the work and time spent in the kitchen is spent prepping. It's the most often used and longest used zone in your kitchen! Cooking Zone...This is the zone where you take the food you've already prepped and apply heat...cooktop, oven, MW. Only 10% of the work and time spent in the kitchen is spent actually cooking. This is the least used Zone, relatively speaking. Think about it, you usually don't spend the entire time standing in front of your oven or cooktop watching it cook. Sure, there are some things that do have to be stirred constantly, but most things do not. And even then, you usually still spend more time prepping before you begin cooking. Cleanup Zone...This is the zone where the dirty dishes are handled! Dishes, pots, pans, etc. 20% of the work and time spent in the kitchen is spent cleaning up. ++++++++++++++ OK, now we know what the primary zones are. So, how do we design a kitchen keeping them in mind? Prep Zone...works best when it contains a water source and is next to or across an aisle no more than 48" wide or so from the Cooking Zone. Trash & recycle bins should also be in the Prep Zone. Cooking Zone...works best when next to/across from the Prep Zone (see Prep Zone). It's also nice to have a water source nearby as well as trash & recycling nearby. Cleanup Zone...works best when separated from the Prep & Cooking Zones. This can be on the opposite side of a one-sink kitchen from the Prep Zone or it could be in a completely separate location (the latter usually only works well if you have two sinks). Obviously, it also needs a water source and the DW. What else do we need to keep in mind regarding planning a kitchen and zones? Dish Storage...works best when it's near the DW and near the serving/eating locations (island, DR, Nook, etc.) Food Storage...works best when it's near the "action". It's nice to be able to store staples, etc. at their point-of-use, so food storage can be spread throughout the kitchen. E.g., flour, sugar, etc. in a "Baking Center", spices in the Prep or Cooking Zone, Cereal close to where breakfast is eaten, etc. If you have a dedicated pantry, it's nice to have the pantry near the point where the groceries enter the house as well. Refrigerator...works best on the periphery of the kitchen so it's easily accessed by people working in the kitchen as well as "outsiders" looking for a snack without the "outsiders" getting underfoot of those working in the kitchen. It should also be near the Prep & Cooking Zones inside the kitchen and, if possible, near the main meal location(s) for ease of access during mealtime. Microwave (MW)...this also works best on the periphery of the kitchen so it's easily accessed by people working in the kitchen as well as "outsiders" looking for a snack without the "outsiders" getting underfoot of those working in the kitchen. Zone-crossing - avoid!...When planning zones, etc., try to minimize zone-crossing. For example, if you can avoid it, don't put the refrigerator such that you have to cross through the Cleanup Zone to go b/w the refrigerator and the Prep or Cooking Zone. Protection...of all the zones, the Cooking Zone should be the most protected from through-traffic as well as general-kitchen traffic. The Cooking Zone contains the range/cooktop where you will be dealing with fire (if gas), hot foods, etc. You also do not want to have to cross a busy aisle when taking a pot of boiling water from the range/cooktop to the sink for emptying...or anything else hot, for that matter! Zones and Kitchen Workflow When designing your kitchen, ideally, the zones should follow the normal/usual workflow in a kitchen: Refrigerator => (Prep) Sink => Workspace => Cooktop/Range => Table OR (Cleanup) Sink => (Cleanup) Sink => Cabinets (dishes, pots/pans, etc.) Which translates to: Refrigerator => Prep Zone => Cooking Zone => Serving Zone => Cleanup Zone You don't necessarily have to have this exact flow, but something close. For example, you might have the Cooking Zone located between the Refrigerator and Prep Zone. This isn't necessarily bad b/c these two zones are tied so closely together. On the other hand (OTOH), it's not a good idea to put the Cleanup Zone between the Refrigerator and Prep or Cooking Zones on the same run or on the same aisle if it's a narrow aisle. In this case, the DW and someone cleaning up and/or unloading the DW will be in the way of anyone prepping or cooking because the refrigerator is an integral part of both prepping and cooking. And, of course, the reverse is true....someone prepping and/or cooking will get in the way of someone cleaning up! +++++++++++ Common Zones, Appliances In That Zone, and Suggestions For What To Store There: Storage--pantry & refrigerator--Tupperware, food, wraps & plastic bags Prep(aration)--sink & trash/recyclables--utensils, measuring cups/spoons, mixing bowls, colander, jello molds, cutting boards, knives, cook books, paper towels Cooking--cooktop/range & MW (and near a water source)--utensils, pot holders, trivets, pots & pans, serving dishes (platters, bowls, etc.), paper towels Baking--ovens/range--utensils, pot holders, trivets, pots & pans, casserole dishes, roasting rack, cooling racks, cookie sheets, foils, rolling pin, cookie cutters, pizza stone, muffin tins, paper towels [often combined with Cooking Zone] Cleanup--sink & DW & not too far from trash--detergents, linens, dishes & glasses, flatware Eating/Serving--island/peninsula/table/nook/DR--table linens, placemats, napkins, dishes & glasses, flatware Utility--broom, dustpan, swifter, mop, cleaning supplies, cloths, flashlights, batteries, extension cords Message/Communication/Command Center--keys, phones/answering machine, charging station, directories/phone books, calendar, desk supplies, dry erase board or chalkboard, pens/pencils, sticky notepaper Less Common Zones: Tea/Coffee Bar--tea/coffeemaker (and near a water source)--mugs, teas/coffees, sugar, teapot Snack/Beverage Center--near MW & refrigerator or small refrigerator--snacks, snack dishes, glasses [often combined with Tea/Coffee Bar] Pet Zone--feeding area--food, snacks, leashes, medicines (if no small children in the home), etc. Overlapping of Zones Due to space constraints, some zones often overlap. If this is the case in your kitchen, be sure there is enough work space in the overlap for both activities. Zones that commonly overlap... Prep & Cooking Zones--These zones should be adjacent to each other, so this is a common overlap and is generally not a problem. Just be sure you have enough room for prepping as well as landing space for the range/cooktop. (It is strongly advised you have enough room for emergency landing space on both sides of a range/cooktop.) Prep & Cleanup Zones--If there is only one sink in the kitchen, these zones will be adjacent to each other because of the need for a water source for both zones. However, true overlapping is not generally a good idea. Instead, try to keep the cleanup area separate from the prep area by putting the sink between them. E.g., DW on one side, Prep Zone on the other side. (You should strive to keep the DW out of the Prep Zone as well as out of the path between the sink and Prep & Cooking Zones and between the refrigerator and Prep & Cooking Zones.) Also try for at least 36" (42" or more is better) of room on the Prep Zone side of the sink for ample workspace as well as accommodating the inevitable dirty dishes that will accumulate next to the sink.

Last while while Kevin and I were visiting our sister in Austin, we ate a couple of meals in her kitchen nook/breakfast area, where she has a table and chairs for six. Our BIL has taken over her dining table with his research papers, and has completely cluttered it up to the point that the dining room is completely useless to anyone except him. He already has an office in her house (He has his own house that he seems never to use any more - it may have been taken over by raccoons) but does not appear to be content with that. She also has a living room plus a den, and the den is connected to the breakfast nook. BIL has decided that her living room is the perfect place to strew his mail; i..e. mail for his relatives who use my sister's address instead of their own so that they can send their children to a different school district. Her living room floor is now covered with mail because BIL puts it there and does not pick it up. His children are her step-children - they do not have children together, but she has adopted them as her own. Anyway, we had no meals at her house, and it would have been nice if we could have had a family reunion in her dining room, but since that was unavailable, one niece decided that she would only see us at a restaurant of her choice, one hour before we were going to leave. Because it rained that day, we had to eat inside at the restaurant, which was so noisy that I could not hear a single word at our table. It was a very disappointing meeting, and I do wish that my sister could arrange to have family reunions at someone's house - I hate going to restaurants for reunions or parties and will not attend another one. My sister offered to make dinner for us one evening and asked us which can we wanted her to open, and so we declined. I was very sad that she was unable to use her dining room, and I only sat at her breakfast table once - to have reheated leftovers from a Cajun restaurant. While I was eating my leftover, BIL came and leered over my shoulder and asked what I was having - I assume because he wanted me to give him some, as he was acting like a puppy. Since I do not feed dogs in the house, I ignored him. I was having leftover stuffed crab and shrimp, and he could have ordered that when he was at the restaurant with us, but instead he and my sister split an order of crawfish etouffee. They only order things that they can split and therefore never have leftovers but like to graze on other people's plates, if there are any around. I do not like this practice - I do not eat off of other people's plates, and I do not want anyone eating off of mine. This was the first time we had been back to Texas in more than four years, and I told my sister that we might go back in 2020 or 2021. If it were more pleasant to have meals with them, I would feel differently about this. We did enjoy time we spent with one nephew and one niece, however.