Personally I would be hesitant to hire someone to prune your trees unless money is no object. I was referred to a great book, I think by Harvestman, called Ecological Fruit Production in the North. It has a chapter called "The Swiss Pruning Method", and the author goes into detail about how to rejuvenate fruit trees. It will most likely take at least four years for you to get the trees to full production. I would step back and take a deep breath and realize you are on a journey; this is not a task to just cross off your to-do list. Personally I envy you for having so many established trees. I have brought back only a single pear and am working on two apples. I have learned so much from everyone here. You WILL have those moments you have envisioned, but it just won't be this fall, or maybe even next. Realize that the trees will be there for many years. Learn one step at a time and don't get overwhelmed. I was mentioning my little back-yard orchard to a friend who didn't know about my passion. She was so excited and said her mother, who is from Italy, would love to see my trees. It dawned on me that there are probably lots of older people who have a great deal of knowledge and are unable to share it. Maybe you could find an older person who has the knowledge and wisdom you need and who would feel it a great privilege to come and help. When my parents decided to keep sheep many years ago we heard about a man who was in an "old folks home" that knew everything about sheep. He virtually LIVED to come and spend time with us. It was a blessing for him and for us as well. Your new neighbors might be able to refer you to someone who helped the previous owner out in the orchard. Maybe the children of the owner would have some ideas of a person who could help. Sorry, long-winded and rambling! Congratulations on your new home!!!! Here is a link that might be useful: Ecological Fruit Production in the North

I'm close to your zone I guess -- I'm also Zone 5, around Toronto. Of your list, we have grown these ones: Fair Bianca - Myrr scent, not as strong as some others and I happen to really like it. To my nose, this one smells like Black Licorice. Fairly compact with tons of white blooms, clustered together. I love this rose. No fuss, no disease trouble ... almost carefree. It does like sunlight. I moved her after her second year into a corner spot where I could smell her as I walked by, and she got more sunlight there and seems a lot happier than before. Now, a wonderful rose. Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Kind of a climber, but not too much because of the winter dieback. She's root hardy for sure but you'll need to prune off about half of the canes each Spring. She'll shoot up again, but won't "climb" the way you might be thinking. More like a trellised rose, or against a wall? Also slightly more of a pinkish-red than I was expecting. Still, a beautiful rose. The Prince - One of my favourites! The colour is to die for. The fragrance is also to die for! Likes a lot of sun. He is a compact little plant, but I wouldn't want to be without him. Some people don't like him because the lower half of the plant can be a little leggy and barren, and a but ugly. Mine is pretty good and I have lavender planted in front which hides any barren legs and just looks wonderful. Don Juan - This one is in too much shade to really bloom properly, have to prune the tree that has overgrown next to it. But it seems hardy, I don't winter protect it. Beautiful red blooms. I should add that I don't winter protect any of my roses (except the Noisette) except for the first year. I pile cedar mulch the first winter, but I leave them after that and they do just fine! I would suggest that you make sure to ammend your soil properly before planting, and not just the rose planting holes but the entire area. If I could fix one thing in my gardening experience, I would do this :) And all of your roses will be much happier for it! Also, I should also add that all the roses came from either Pickering or Hortico, grafted. I bury them very deeply, partially to protect from cold winters, and partially to encourage them to go own root. Not sure which ones actually have, but I'm in a very similar situation as you. The Ingenious Mr. Fairchild - I have always wanted this one, but have never gotten around to it yet. Mostly because of the name, although the peony-like blooms looks so blousy and beautiful to me :) We had Golden Celebration but it didn't last through it's first winter. To be fair, it was in a pot not in the ground and roses here (no matter which kind) have trouble surviving the winters in a pot. It was doomed from the start, and I suspect would do much better in the ground but I can't be sure.

Congratulations on your first home! You might want to start with Consumer Reports or similar charts listing the pluses and minuses of various countertops. Browsing the local HD or Lowe's (and you'll be running there a lot in the first months after a new home purchase) is also a good starting point. There is no one perfect material for all people, and one person's definition of affordable might be different from another's. Some people want the countertops to be a focal point, and other people want the countertop to not distract from a different focal point. I'm partial to granite, which I think meets all of your criteria. Granite is always beautiful and durable, and I prefer the natural variations inherent in any real material. Most granites are lower-maintenance than their reputation (read this forum on how to test your granite), and some are affordable. (I went for blue granite, which is notoriously unaffordable, as my big splurge, and IMO worth every penny.) Granite comes in every color of the rainbow, not just the colors you see at HD. Here's a pic of my WIP (just 'cause it went in this week and I'm still in the show-off phase): There are people on this forum who love the feel and durability of soapstone; the unique and interesting look of copper and zinc; the recycled glass terazzo style countertops; the patina of well used marble and the gleam of polished marble; the smooth look and durability of quartz/quartzite; etc. Enjoy the search!

@LRS S: In northern Illinois our routine protocol is as follows on new construction: The builder provides a final grade (machine only) which is then inspected by the village. If it passes then the landscape contractor provides a finish grade (machine and hand-raking) prior to seeding or sodding. One thing is for sure, the grade at your home is not right and I understand your sleepless nights. You could talk to the village or county inspector. Sometimes there might be statutory relief for you or the village might be able to pressure the contractor. With all drainage issues the idea is to fix the problem, which in this case is a grade that does not drain your back yard as it should. Drain tile and French drains are not the primary answer as your problem is wholesale with the grade. You could route your downspouts into drains as part of the solution, but the proverbial big picture problem here is pitch or lack thereof. You will probably need to remove the sod and re-start the grading process. A qualified landscape contractor will know what to do and perform accordingly.