I posted this reply on the other thread where you asked the same question: Personally, I wouldn't consider the "20% perlite, 20% vermiculite, 60% sphagnum peat moss, and 1/2 cup each of bone meal, blood meal, and dolomitic lime per 8 gallons of mix" you mentioned. Even if you DO decide to use it, I can tell you that the .5 cup of blood meal suggested is enough to (by itself) supply maximum nitrification to more than 3.4 cu ft of soil (25.5 gallons). The bone meal breaks down so slowly in containers that it is very ineffectual as a Ca/P source as well. You should be able to use the 5:1:1 mix and add gypsum instead of lime to keep pH down to Alternate (and a good choice if you want to spend the money): Instead of the extra potash in the soil, you could use Dyna-Gro's 'ProTeKt' 0-0-3, which also provides silicon, which is particularly beneficial in container culture. I was contacted by a grower in PA last year about a soil/fertilizer program for Black Hills spruce, and the above is what I suggested. He was very happy with the results. Take care. Al

Oh Brenda...I'm riding on a cloud of hope and appreciation! I couldn't believe that I had forgotten my experience with an affiliate in New Mexico several years ago. The organization that I'm dealing with now is called "Shascade Community Service", I'll post the info. as soon as I can get up to their office to pick up any literature they have. In the meantime, these are people with disabilities, some physical, some mental who earn their way thru organizations as this one. I was so glad that they got here early enough to beat most of the heat, they were all anxious at first, wanting to please, but I think I put them at ease and we got on with it. The supervisor appointed each one to a specific job, making it very clear that if they didn't understand they should ask & they did. They had their tools, but I offered some of mine as they were a bit more efficient. There was one eldery gentleman that took charge of getting all the hardscape cracks cleaned out, then he sprayed the cracks with something. I got down on my hands & knees with the other young men to show them what was weed & what was flower. Of course in doing this I managed to get really tangled up with my tank & hose, but no matter, these young people took charge and got me untangled, good laugh too! I made sure that there was plenty of cold water available and to top it off I had a package of wash clothese that I put in cold water and had them tie the cloth around their necks. They thought this was a great thing & when they finished their chore, everything was collected, picked up, cleaned and brought to me. As far as cost goes, the gentleman who was in charge had come out prior to this work day to find out what I wanted done and to assess the time and cost. He quoted me $50.00 for first visit and then If I wanted monthly service it would probably be 25 to 30 dollars a month. Like I said, I'll get all the info. from their office as soon as I can get up there, I'm sure there is a facility in your location that provides work for the disabled/handicapped. Pat

It's probably the starkness of the white walls that make it feel cold. Do you have favorite colors, colors you detest(pink and lavender for me), or a color scheme you'd like to use (warm neutrals, greys, etc.)? SW kilim beige and nomadic desert (have them love them), accessible beige, balanced beige, bm revere pewter, shaker beige, and manchester tan are popular colors. If you choose a neutral background for the walls, lose the border and get new light fixtures, you can accessorize with brighter colors in manageable amounts and change it as you wish. You could also switch out the laminate for a color and pattern with a little more pizzazz for a moderate amount. How long has the house been empty? While I would definitely paint a nice neutral to freshen and warm it up, sometimes a house just needs a new loving family to breath life into it again.

I think the evergreen shrub on the right corner looks fine. (The others not so much.) You need a tallish shrub at that corner anyway. I definitely agree with a solid color on the front door. And the over and under trim on the double window on the right looks a little odd. I'm guessing you might be able to remove the top trim piece cause there might be brick under it, but I'm not so sure about the blue trim under the double window. Maybe you could paint it to blend with the brick? Or plant something tall enough to hide it but not hide the windows. I like the deep blue on somebody's sample picture above. Could you paint everything that's currently baby blue?