Okay, I'll leave it be and hope for the best. The pine nuggets seemed perfect, with some pieces being dime sized at the largest and some being really fine mulchy stuff. I'll see if I can get a picture when I go down to my mother's house this weekend, I don't remember the brand name. Was a massive bag for pretty reasonable though, I've used that stuff for nearly ALL of my plants this last repotting season. While most are houseplants, for edibles I planted an olive and a cherry tree in soil amended with it. Guess I'll just see what happens over the winter!

Lou, you crack me up! I had an old neighbor once in the country who shot a red-tailed hawk who came after his chickens. Wildlife had just released them a year earlier in a repopulation project. I told the wildlife guy at the time he was releasing them in the wrong area, that they would all be dead soon. He said that a lot of people would be in jail if they were. Nobody ever went to jail. The hawks caught on and moved elsewhere. I heard they were seen in Aiken, about 30 miles down the road, where they raise horses, not chickens, and love hawks because they eat the barn mice. Birds are smarter than we think they are. It's sad that we can't protect our crops from migratory marauders, but rich people can breed doves and foxes by the hundreds and shoot them on a yearly basis for "sport". FWIW, I've done some borderline illegal stuff to protect my garden when I lived in the country, and I purposely put net on my chicken coops to kill the snakes. I like snakes...in their place...but chickens are not as cheap to raise as some people think.

No offense to AZ Wildcats, but Jock is way beyond starting small at this point! He is well into this process and has probably hit the limit. Jock, I think I was where you are now, back in 2005 when I tried to hire a designer or color consultant to work with. I knew an awful lot about what I liked, but I felt I needed the extra edge from a professional to get me the last few yards to the goal. As for finding someone to work with who has compatible style...you need to find someone who does not insert any of their own style into your process. That should be one of your first questions when interviewing people. Make sure you are not getting a look or a package or (heaven forbid) a formula. You need someone to help you find your home's own best design potential....a facilitator. I'm not sure where you live, but I would start with the IACC-NA.

In reading through all the posts that have made, it seems that no one has actually viewed the problem. Its been all conjecture of what it might be. Have you or anyone poked their head into the attic to view the damage area with a good flash light? If the location of your attic access is near the chimney, one might be able to see the problem area by putting your upper body through the attic access and look around. If that is not sufficient, then one needs to go up into the attic and move to the problem area. This requires care to step only on the rafters and not put your foot through the ceiling and possibly getting hurt. Also, there should be attic insulation, and if one intends to wade around in that, proper foot and legging wear should be used. This problem is serious and must be addressed. Damage continues as long as this problem exists. In a prior post, a good illustration was shown. I'll add another one showing flashing around a chimney. Note that the lower edge of the flashing comes out on top of the shingles. The base flashing goes on first and then the counter-flashing collar is installed. There should be at least a 4 inch overlap with the collar flashing over the base flashing. A "saddle" is shown on this illustration. It is used to channel water away from a "pocket' region where water can collect and run under the shingles. Often, this is the the upper side of the chimney where it pierces the roof. (Saddles are custom fitted to the problem area and can have shapes differing to the one shown here.) I hope you find a knowledgeable tradesman.