My husband and I moved a pile of logs to the burn pile on Saturday. I wanted to move the big old pine tree logs out of view and put them with my stump/root collection, but the ground by the stumps was mushy and the tractor sank at least six inches in the muck. I saw a barn swallow that evening. Sunday morning, I watched two more barn swallows catch bugs while my husband pulled multiflora rose, wild raspberries, Japanese barberry, and other noxious plants up from behind the rock wall to the east of our new yard. He threw it all on the burn pile for what I think may actually have been our last burn of the season. WHEW!!! After the fire went out, I harrowed the space in my new yard and just in front of the chicken coop. I cannot wait to cut down the stumps in the new yard and rent a grinder! Another harrowing and some dragging and it'll be ready for hay and flowers. I'm going to use hay for the lawn. This morning I harrowed the south field again, which is where I grow my crops. I managed to hook one of the garden posts in between the two rows of disks on the harrow, so I'll have to straighten that before I can hang the wire fence on it for my tomato trellis. I'm hoping to make enough compost this year to go to no-till in the garden from now on. At least then I wouldn't snag the posts again.

My 13 year old brother drowned in June, 1971. I was 16 at the time and my sister was 11. I realize now that at 16 I did everything I could to stay away from the house, while my sister was trapped with nowhere to go. My Mother didn't want to do anything for Christmas, and my Dad tried his best to protect her from anything that would cause her more pain. The saddest thing I remember is my little sister dragging a raggedy cedar bush limb into her bedroom and decorating it for a Christmas tree that year. In later years, we began to celebrate Christmas again, especially as grandchildren arrived, but my Mother never quit apologizing to us girls for the way she felt that she had ignored us after Joe's death. Evidently that weighed heavily on her mind, but neither of us remember feeling ignored, but more concerned for her. We could never have the same holidays we had before, but we had good ones again, and continue to have them with Mother and Daddy gone. There are always sad moments, but we remind ourselve how lucky we were to have the good family we had and the ones we still have, and know we have had something special that some people are never fortunate enough to know. This year there is a new grandbaby (finally a girl!) who will be 14 months old at Christmas. While we are all sad for the absence of her grandparents and uncle, we know she has some great guardian angels looking out for her.

No good deed goes unpunished, I guess. I wasn't aware of this thread or godldust's 911 suggestion when I saw the supposed suicide note this a.m. I was hoping to see if the Sears interview from the resume post had any feedback when I was alarmed to read the post from this morning. Being concerned, I tracked the #s from the resume post and informed the daughter of Brenda who assured me both Paul and Brenda were fine. When I went back to the suicide post I read godldust's 911 plea and hoped to stop a panic. golddust was lovely. as one would expect, although I did not identify meyself as working for GW, just a poster. For my concern, I have received several call backs from the family, the last threatening me with the cops for aiding and abetting if I didn't provide them with more info. Since this is all on line, I told them how to read both of "Paul's" posts, but I resent being harassed for trying to stop what might have been a murder/suicide. Since the threat seemed real, I hope I did the right thing. But, and this is a big problem, since thiere are so many crazies out there in cyberspace, I'll hesitate to try to help again. Sorry I contributed to the confusion by falling for a hoax. You may remember I'm the one who researched the Mr.Willie painting and suggested that may have been a different type of hoax, so I'm not usually gullible. The one problem I still have with unravelling this is if Paul is in his 80s it's unlikely he'd have a resume on line. Nevertheless, I hope everyone remains healthy and that the original resume guy finds work soon.

Totally agree with nearly everything here - I was going to list some of your best points, but they are most of them! Some comments / questions, though: 7: Doors should relate to the ground; windows should relate to the sky. I'm with Mrs Pete asking for further clarification. I figure doors are best at preferred access and egress points, but I can see in a passive solar way, taking this into account for window sizes and placements. 11. Design circulation through rooms, rather than halls, where possible. Of course, you don't want to circulate through bedrooms to other bedrooms, so sometimes a hall is essential. Also, not a fan of Jack and Jill bathrooms, or closets that lead elsewhere. 19. Pocket doors are either loved or hated.. I worried about high humidity issues, and so did not use these. I don't hate them, however - but I do remember someone temporarily getting stuck in his pocket door entry office in a climate-controlled building. But I see their functionality in the appropriate space. As a corollary, I'd note: If you have the right sort of house there is nothing wrong with appropriate barn doors. Preferably for a closet, say. (I have a log home. They would have worked here, but I have neither barn nor pocket doors after all.) 35. Maximize daylight. Well, maybe not on the west side... 58. Outdoor spaces which are "left over" will rarely be used. Well, not until I put in the chicken coops, the raised veggie beds, or the maple syrup taps... Plus, I like the vista. 81. Bring the indoors out and the outdoors in. Well, maybe not the mud on the boots or the chicken feathers... Or, worse yet, the ticks. 83. If there is one design principle you should cherish, it’s hierarchy.. I would like to see a further explanation of hierarchy in this context?