Do it now. There is a full moon. I just replanted a bunch of seedlings last nite into larger containers and left them to get the full benefit of the full moon. If you have the room, start a compost pile. When I go to Menards I usually stop by the 25%off torn bags section and buy one or two bags of manure or potting soil. I mix this in with the finished compost bin or in the fall in the bin that is cooking. Mix it well and after adding a small amount of clean sand, I use it for containers. You can use a wheelbarrow or a tarp on the ground and mix what you have with regular dirt from an area of the yard and make a mix that should be ok. If you are container gardening you will be adding some nutrients later anyway.

Roses are problem magnets. There are newer varieties with more resistance than many older ones, but still. The good news is that the afflictions of the roses don't often carry over to the veggies. Preventing the problems with roses usually boils down to frequent coatings and sprayings with chemicals. Please don't do that if you are growing edibles in the area, especially when you are pregnant or nursing.

After a night of soul-searching, I took it apart and turned the whole thing 90 degrees yesterday. There were a couple of benefits... Snow will now pile up along the solid side. The east side will now have full morning sun to warm up. And I can always put some shade cloth on the west side if some afternoon shade is needed. Also, a couple of things that hadn't lined up exactly the way I wanted worked better going this direction. It was a PITA, but I'm glad it's done. :-) Cheers, Michelle

Maybe you got those looks because some people prefer a more matte finish in rooms that don't have water. I typically use eggshell in all rooms except bath, those get satin. I used to put satin in the kitchen, but when I switched over to BM I used eggshell and it wipes easily. Did you make a horrific mistake? Heck no. Lots of people out there like the look and finish of satin as well. Easily wipes off without being glaring. It's pretty much personal choice. (Actually, the opposite scenario would probably cause you more headaches: if you had gone with eggshell and your pooches are big droolers, you might have come to really regret an eggshell ;) If it works for your needs and you like it, it's all good!