Dsnine.. okay.. well.. I just have to get you caught up on something I am sure about! You are going to experience a lot more bugs than Alaska! I am familiar with upstate NY, near Buffalo, Rochester and Finger lakes. We almost moved to Ithaca but the taxes ;). The summers are really lovely in that zone more than VA! The summer; the heat, bugs, humidity, but I still have lots to do with kids. Plus still need to keep gardening for me (food, harvest, sowing again for more susscesions like lettuce, sometimes carrots (a bit later) and radishes and beets.. but eventually, life suddenly tells me, to go inside and drink some ice tea and homeschool the kids! Take them to the pool, etc. It seems like my choice not to do summer is also based on native annuals that are super happy! And some others like daisies. I guess I was trying to say; I don't try for summer but I keep up with what is going on; watering. I don't like to weed unless a weed is going to flower because the earth gets like a sun burn (top soil death)! And I relax in the heat a whole bunch to protect the roots of the plants I want to stay happy near by. I should have had all my weeding done but, nothing is perfect! Summer to me is a time to get busy and relax too! Lol! It is lovely weather for all kinds of fun in the evening here at least and some days; telescope out, campfires etc. Spring and fall for people that eventually grow green thumbs are a big deal and people that grow cheaper thumbs- FALL! Not only cheaper but surpirsingly well established plants had the luck of fall planting or seed sowing. Many native bulb like plants (perrienals) that will be gorgeous and give you so much interest and spread well, are almost unknown to me without fall seed sowing. Many annual seeds I tried sowing in the spring for our fenced garden showed up the following year due to, my layman's guess, a freeze! There are some nice bushes and bulbs (you will see Lillies in Ohio I bet in summer) that love summer. That is absolutely worth a try! You have figured me out by now that I can't stay away from the plants lol. We were suppose to not garden this year for house! But I was trying to voice that I threw seeds; tickseed, echineace and echineace and daisy keep on each year like almost wild flower annuals here. This is how I define my "no summer gardening plan" (starting self sowers (annuals, each fall, or when a free seed packet comes, even in winter under the snow sometimes.) I want to water the fruit trees and veggies on a timer one day! But we have to share the well for now and too tricky. The summer flowers and ornamentals need to be totally independent plants and they absolutely are! Drought tolerant or just not me tolerant. Watering in the spring and fall is so much more enjoyable with breaks with the rain and cool weather. Summer watering is so hot too, and basically, we feel irresponsible if we do more than for our food sake; very minimal for other plants. Small trees are okay to help start. Winter gardening is a new book topic (and fall too, but that book points mostly to color and sometimes to fall blooms, but chances are if it is foliage, the plant will be thriving in the spring too.) I love talking winter gardening! This is still new to me but what it says to me is mostly about form, evergreen and surprising blooms! The winter garden can be so everlasting! Elegant and besides sourcing the plants, easy! It is lovely to think of still forms placed carefully that add enough grace year round that the garden feels like a familiar room. Much like a favorite tree and a bench or swing. I don't see winter gardens that often and I know I will be one of the first in my circle. Many people have them if you thought about it a tiny bit.. like all the landscaping basic installments that people line their homes with. That is almost exactly it. You just take those plants and make them in front of your and on a path that you focus your attention on instead of something hugging your house or porch, like walking down a brick, or mulch, pea gravel path to a bench and a winter garden delighting around you. That is what it felt like to me anyway! You need to go to more historic gardens than most to find some. Here is the book! It is like a catalog and very few pages are the same but chapters do hold the similar ideas together. https://www.amazon.com/Cultivating-Garden-Style-Practical-Personality/dp/1604694777 Praire nursery is great eye candy too! (And a teaching and design catalog if you read it right.) It can help you sow wildflowers seeds on your septic leach field. We didn't buy a mix from them of it, but have gotten seeds from them before. (It can be pricey but easy and a good source for seeds; they always tell you the mix). They have your style for sure! And btw, you might like some purple grass! A sedge is like a grass (but not) and a wonderful mate to iris and others if you have water spots or gutter runs.

Here's my Shrimp one. Ingredients for a Shrimp or Catfish Po Boy Sandwich 1 pound fresh medium to large shrimp (peeled completely and deveined) 2-3 Thin Catfish filets (cut into strips) Shrimp & Fish Fry mix or corn flour � cup All-purpose Flour 1 tablespoon Sea Salt 2 tablespoons Tony�s Creole Seasoning 1-2 eggs Milk Canola or Vegetable Oil French Bread or Po-Boy Rolls Shredded lettuce Tomatoes (thinly cut) Slice Dill pickles Optional: Yellow Mustard, Creole Mustard, Ketchup, Cocktail Sauce or Tartar sauce. The Seafood: Prepare your Shrimp by peeling completely and slice the top open to remove the dark vein. Prepare Catfish by cutting into strips somewhat like chicken tender strips. Seafood Batter: Prepare the egg wash by breaking an egg into a mixing bowl. Wisk in some milk (maybe a cup). Squeeze in a wedge of lemon or lime juice. In another mixing bowl, pour in the Shrimp & Fish Fry mix. Add � cup of flour, 1 tablespoon Sea Salt and 2 tablespoons Tony�s. Stir altogether well. The Oil: Using a heavy bottom deep pot, skillet, or electric fryer, pour in fresh canola or vegetable oil. Always be careful to leave 2-4" from the top to leave room for the oil to bubble up. Optimal temperature is 350 to 375 degrees. An electric fryer either has an automatic temperature setting or a button to help you. If you are using a regular pot and do not have a thermometer, drop a small amount of the frying batter into the oil. If it bubbles up quickly, the oil is ready. Note: Oil and water DO NOT MIX!! Keep water away from the hot oil. If you pour water on the oil, the mixture will explode. If the oil smokes or catches fire, cover it with a pan lid or cookie sheet. You can use baking soda to put out any grease fires, but be careful that you don�t spread the flames around. Battering Seafood: Using your left hand, drop several pieces of shrimp or catfish in the egg wash and cover completely. Pull out and drop in the Shrimp & Fish Fry mixture. With your right hand, toss the seafood around to fully coat with corn flour. Shake off excess and place on a platter. Continue this process until all seafood is coated. Deep Frying: Once the oil is properly heated, carefully drop seafood into the oil. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan. Seafood should freely move around. Seafood will be ready in just a couple minutes. It should be golden brown and probably will be floating to the top of the oil. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain excess oil on layers of paper towels. Serving Suggestions for Shrimp Po Boy Sandwiches This is optional � prepare French bread or Po�Boys by splitting open and spreading butter on the inside. Toast in the oven. Then, add desired amount of seafood, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and mayonnaise. Some people prefer mustard, cocktail sauce or tarter sauce. Fold it altogether and cut in half for easy handling. Oh man � that�s some good eating Cher! I stole it a longtime ago! LOL

"Here is a question...what is it called when you have a look of a saltbox on the front but not steep roof line in the back...just the same façade as the front..." Hi Jennifer, In answer to your question.... I am attaching a drawing (a picture is worth 1,000 words) depicting a soft drop in bearing heights, using an 'uneven bearing' truss. This is the terminology our firm used, but other vendors may refer to the condition as something else. Anyway, you can achieve the same goal using stick frame construction, but trusses alleviate the need for interior bearings. Different roof pitches, front & back on the same roof is referred to as dual pitch . The exterior of the roof shown in my example IS NOT a dual pitch, but it could be. My point is that you can control both the exterior of your roof and the interior of your ceiling heights to gain more room inside and control roof lines outside. This design, a little something I was playing with to learn Revit shows the use of trusses in combination with stick framing. Also ... while I realize you are heading in another direction with your design, that quick footprint I posted for you in our first conversation bothered me after I studied it a bit, so I tweaked it to soothe my own subconsciousness mind. Given the fact that the drawing is done, I thought I'd share the results with you. The closet space isn't what it was in the original layout, but the 2 minor bedrooms are bigger. Hope you found this information useful.

You can't imagine how wonderful it makes me, and the other volunteers feel, when we do this for a deserving dog or two or three... As I sat at the turnpike Park n Ride waiting for the driver before me to meet me there, I saw many other cars pulling up, and other lucky dogs from other organizations getting into the next car, either to continue their journey or go home with the person picking them up. I'll admit to other pet lovers that I had happy tears in my eyes as I watched those dogs jump around on grass, get a drink, and continue their journey to a loving home. I 'failed' on my very first transport, when suddenly asked if I could foster her for a few days, as the head of NEBR had to go to MA to pick up a large un-neutered male who was heartworm positive. I did, and when that little girl greeted me with kisses, and jumped into my car, it was all over. Brought her home, and my three at the time welcomed her, and I asked if I could adopt her. My BIL said that I did great on the 'transport', but failed the 'delivery' part! Who could turn down this face??