Billme- the one constraint is that the beds cannot be a permanent structure, as there is a pipeline nearby. But thank you for the nod, I did spend quite a bit of time planning this out, lol. Weedlady- insight is much appreciated. This is in fact only my second year gardening, so this is more an aggressively planned expansion than a dream. The dream garden is more along the lines of Billme's operation, but this is baby steps. I managed to do almost everything wrong last year, so I've amended as much as possible this time around. To some of your devil's advocacy: during summer, only one corner doesn't get full sun - that'll be for leafy greens. I had great success last year using the fabric to kill existing weeds, but I do recognize the downside of it. That being said, it's still my most practical option at the moment. Once the sun starts hitting it, everything below exposed fabric gets cooked. It'll never be 100% weed-free, but it's the best start I could muster. The game plan for harvest is to give away/sell whatever can't be stored or used, and if all else fails, there certainly are tons of shelters near me to benefit. Compost plans are on the table, but some fencing needs to be moved prior to that, and I still have all summer to deal with that aspect =) until then, I get mushroom compost for $3/yard, and I'm starting with a very fertile gravelly loam, so I have a bit of leeway in that regard. As for help, I do have it, but not for the back breaking labor, (other than paying friends with Belgian beer, but honestly I'd rather save it for myself ;) but I knew that going in and planned accordingly. Harvest help is abundant and easier to explain, to boot. If I survive moving all the compost 200 feet and down a hill (estimating nearly 1 yard per bed at 24 beds) I'll post some pics before and after covering the boxes...from a wheelchair probably, lol. Thanks again all, the support and validation makes it all a little nicer =) Cheers -Rathos

Ahh but these parasites, if they exist, will survive how long exposed to the elements? Plus this assumes that no parasites already exist normally with in soil. They do. tapeworms, whipworms, roundworm, hookworms, misc. protoza, to name just a few. Not to mention all the bacteria and fungi. As mentioned "Gardens grow in dirt" and it will never be a sterile process, nor would it work if it was. Thus the "wash your hands and wash your food" guideline in gardening. While pregnant women are advised to avoid dealing with litter boxes due to the possibility of toxoplasmosis they are also advised not to raise chickens or other fowl or be exposed to manures while pregnant due to histoplasmosis, not to work with garden chemicals, and many other things. But we aren't talking about pregnant women and the OP has already pointed out that they are not growing root vegetables or other low growing crops. So scare warnings about unrelated issues serve no point. Dave

GoodOleBoy...I agree with you. Luckily we are not using the little Ranger for hauling a bunch of stuff. We have an Exolorer with a V8 for towing whatever and use a utility trailer for lumber, trash, gravel, beauty bark and the such. My commuter car is an 83 Civic. The Ranger is for our daughter (who is away at college). She is studying veterinary medicine with an emphasis on large animals so the Ranger is something she can use if she needs hay, grain or who-knows-what. Thus, having a spacious bed is not #1. Ruled out tonneau covers (hard or soft) and caps. Either too limiting on the size of what can go into the bed or too cumbersome in trying to load something heavy or large. Since I am spending the money for college and the Ranger I am trying to keep some costs down and this is why I did not get her an F350 diesel with four-doors (would be nice). I have the honor of driving the Ranger around for awhile for a break-in period to work out any kinks before our daughter takes it back to college with her. So not looking for anything fancy, but something strong, weather tight and not a cheap paperthin thing. Hoping that another set of eyes out there are seen something I might of missed. Thank you, Casey

If you truly want to find her a new home, contact your local rescue groups. If she's healthy, a Siamese cat shouldn't have problems finding a new home. I don't think it's fair to even consider putting her down since she only reacting to the stress of another cat, new home & location, being locked in a basement and then locked in the bedroom. Plus, she probably doesn't see you as much as she used to. On top of all that, she now has the additional stress of your response to her accidents. If you really want to keep her and intend to move as soon as you find a place, then I'd suggest finding a pet boarding facility that houses only cats. My local Cat Clinic boards cats......and they each get a nice room with a large viewing window. I think it'll be less costly in the long run.