That is a good idea. I'm in zone 5 (can't get my page to update for some reason). Would it give winter privacy too? And how deep of a barrier do you need to install? I run into tree roots all through the area so it might be difficult. I went out into the woods the other day and dug up some weed shrubs (they look similar to privet). I put them around the last area where I cannot fence. I planted lots of little ones that can take a transplant and a couple larger ones for more of an instant privacy. I did this in the rain and it seems like the big ones are going to live. At least it is blocking the trash cans and the trash pile of food. You can step around the little ones but hopefully the hint will be taken. I might trudge back through the poison ivy woods and get a couple more larger ones. I don't want to be mean, I just want a my privacy back. I can take these out at any point but at least I don't have to wait for anything to grow. I would absolutely die if someone was watching me with binoculars. Especially in a swim suit! People have so much nerve.

Great News! We received an offer yesterday! We played the game and countered, they came back and we have a signed contract for $510,000. Onto appraisals and inspections and hopefully house hunting for us! I know we're not out of the woods yet, but we're having a bottle of wine with dinner tonight!

If you check a "Like" button, people may be able to see what you "like", and I personally do not like the like buttons, and so I almost never use them. They love to "like" things on the decorating forum, but I find mostly things that I do not like there and almost nothing that I like. I did add a project here, to show what I am doing in my back yard, with regards to landscaping and adding lighting, and so I "like" being able to do that. I'm not sure if it fits in with their guidelines for a project, but we hired an electrician on Thursday to get some of the work started. To relate it to cooking, having more light in the back yard will allow us more time to spend cooking outdoors, and it has been unseasonably warm lately - so much so that we have had to use the air conditioning, which I feel I should not have to do in February. However, Kevin said that it does not affect our electric bill that much, and I just wanted to lower the indoor temperature from 78° to 75° or 74°. I turned it off before going to bed, and the outdoor temperature dropped to the mid 50s last night, and the indoor temperature for the north side of the house was 68°, but my bedroom (on the south side) was still 72°. At this point I will open some windows. Anyway, the weather is very pleasant for barbecuing outdoors, and so I will plan to do that this week-end. I mentioned to the electrician yesterday about another fixture that I want to install outdoors, to put a spotlight on the fountain, which is in an otherwise dark area of the back yard. Thanks for the tip about the zooming! I had forgotten about that!

We are ordering new garage doors and will be painting soon so I do unfortunately have to stress about my accent colors. I would rather whitewash so that stone looks more natural than if I painted it a solid color.