Man o man! What an assortment of responses! Thanks to all of you who have responded (even the sarcastic ones). I have to admit it was a lot easier to read the sympathetic responses than the sarcastic ones, but I did ask for it, remember, so I feel I should "take it". In the middle of it all, I really enjoyed reading about how folks grew up in neighborhoods, where kids ran around all day long. I was one of those too. Winning a 6-hour hula hoop contest (because that was how long the playground stayed open!!!) I was much skinnier then! Snow Cones and making pot holders and other stuff you tried to sell door to door. You could sell it too! Everyone knew who you were and would give you 50 cents or something for your "work". Roller skating down the middle of the street with skates that clung tightly to your shoes -- you used a skate key that hung around your neck on a string to tighten and release. So, your stories brought me to some really nice remembrances of my own. Thanks so much for that! Amazing how much you can enjoy memories once roused. That buried stuffed chicken tickled me to no end! Bad Dog! As to my problem with the neighbors. It hasn't gone away and in fact, is a little worse now because they've decided to stop mowing the lawn in front of their house closest to our property -- you would need to scythe it now it's so tall. However, maybe all of your stories and your support and your sarcasm, yes that too, has helped to make a decision. I've decided that you just can't have it all. I'm going to bite the bullet. I've had a long time of quiet and this is the new period of noise. At least in the winter, the windows are closed! It wouldn't kill me to try to be friendly and think of how nice it is that our neighborhood is diverse instead of how untidy the back yard is. (Although I cannot understand why they don't at least put their lawn mower away.) I guess I'm talking about a grin and bear it attitude. At least I'm not afraid of them..... (yet!) I felt so sorry for seeyouatmidnight when she relayed her tough situation. But she displayed a very good attitude, and she is positive. If she can have one, I can do it too. Everytime it gets noisy over there, I should go for a long walk. I could stand to lose a little weight!!!!! I think the idea of sharing my tomatoes is a good one. If you don't like home grown tomatoes you're simply not human. That might go a long way towards softening my heart towards my neighbors..... You gotta like who you give your precious tomatoes to! This web site is a truly amazing place. I feel like I can just about say anything here (within reason) and get some serious comments. The people who took the time to respond are all wonderful. Sheez, aren't we lucky to have this resource! It's funny but I think just airing this problem of mine and hearing all the possible solutions helped! It helped to hear that just about everyone has some sort of problem with their neighbor, or their's neighbor's dog, yadda yadda. I guess I don't feel as sorry for myself anymore. Thanks so much for pointing this out to me. I recognized lots of monikers of the responders and appreciate the sound wisdom that I got to experience. This does kinda feel like my home and you guys are all my neighbors. This is where I come to get my attitude adjusted. Kinda like happy hour without the two-for-one beverage specials. Thanks so much for writing and for trying to understand! Debra

tim: I don't work for Sears and I'm not a professional garage door guy but if you do some internet searches you'll find that Sears openers are made by Chamberlain, a well respected long-time manufacturer. Further if you search on this site you'll find posts from Don who is a professional garage door guy. Don suggested that the reasons you'll find lots of issues with Sears on the web are 1) They sell a LOT of openers (because bulk inventory results in lower retail costs, lower costs means more sales), and 2) Sears openers are most often installed by DIYers who use the internet to solve problems as opposed to openers installed by GD contractors where the homeowner will call the contractor rather than review/look online. this results in many posts if you do an internet search. Lastly I personally have gotten 15+ years out of a Sears opener (got my monies worth out of a ~$100 opener) before I replaced it with a newer unit with better features (for about $150 which included a keypad remote which retails for ~$40 as an add on). I installed them both myself and have had virtually trouble-free operation. I have no problems recommending Sears openers to anyone.

To be frank, I think the raised wall waterfall as it is situated, and the palms flanking it, are space-destroying elements. These elements are placed in the prime "window" to the water views. Now all of the water view is broken up into small, less important looking segments. We use nature's ideas (like a grove of trees) in order to make artistic statements in the landscape that have some power. The grove is a single element made up of many small parts. Adding parts that are of a different artistic family will not make the whole element read stronger, but weaker. Suppose you are creating a hardwood floor. Would it look better to intermix many wood types -- oak, cherry, bamboo, etc.? It would look like a bargain basement mess! Your present groups of palms are single lines of widely spaced palms. To me they look skimpy even after I've added more. If anything, I'd consider beefing them up with even a couple more -- of same type plants -- to each group. Calling tubs of color a "container garden" makes it sound like a planter with a lot of variety. I think it would be much more powerful to have planters that contain a single variety, and possibly repeat them where there is room for another planter. These are the kinds of things that are figured out more or less toward the end of the planning process (since they are like furniture) after you know what space is available and where the permanently installed elements will be. For #6, what I mean by large flowering shrub is ... a large shrub that flowers! :-) The intent is to screen the neighbor's pool cage and give a sense of privacy. Therefore, it must be a shrub that is tall enough to do that. Well, why not specify that the shrub puts on a show at least once per year? And actually, it could be SMALL trees combined with a hedge behind, or some such thing. Or it could be an evergreen screen that doesn't flower but just looks really good anyway. The main idea is that is screens and looks good.

"They [low priced nursery/garden center landscape designers] are used primarily as a marketing tool to sell plants, often very common or less desirable plants, and what you receive design-wise may be very substandard." My sentiments exactly. One would likely get the typical "builder's plan" ... the kind of problem prone landscape that everyone can't wait to redo as soon as possible. The forum is good for giving ideas about general direction to take, or spot problem solving ... but it does not produce PLANS, which are essential for a quality landscape product. One has the option of drawing their own plans if they are DIY oriented and feel competent about it. (They can get advice from the forum on the mechanics of doing it. ) If not, as in every other project, they must hire a professional. But landscaping without plan at all will probably result in something less desirable than a 'builder's plan.' The approach one takes for a back yard depends largely on one's goals and objectives. Some people want total privacy, as in a private paradise ... they don't want to see any part of neighbor's houses. Other people want a more open solution and prefer not to block much view between neighbors' yards. Still others want to block sight lines between theirs and neighbors' outdoor living spaces while keeping a feel of openness at other places. One needs to decide on their goals in order for a plan to shape up that would meet them. In nearly every discussion of creating a privacy border of some type comes the advice to avoid a uniform hedge. I would take this with a grain of salt because often, especially when space is at a premium, it may be the uniform hedge that best fills the bill. Many people here are plant loving "gardeners" and can't conceive of a planting that is not crammed with as much variety as possible. A potential downside to that is more labor in upkeep, more space consumption, and a busier look. If that fills the bill, no problem. But there are advantages to uniformity in potential space conservation, a cleaner look and simpler maintenance. Landscaping is not 'one size fit all.' Develop your goals and set about to see how they can be realized.