Sadly, as you age so do your friends, and I've lost two in the last few years. Both male, one gay and one not though we were never romantically involved. The friendships predated my marriage and waxed and waned as time went on but was always there. Using Marda's criterion, yes, we talked/wrote often, met more infrequently as one friend's work involved working in other states and Europe. Using Andie's definition, I'm not sure I would have called either friend for jail or marriage bail-out ...LOL I feel that's more a relative's responsibility...but I'd sure have expected a sympathetic ear and shoulder. The artist would have insisted on new clothes and hairstyling...the chef would have fed me comfort food...LOL I've not had a close woman friend since college days. Good friends, yes, but not a soulmate. I think you perhaps need to feel the lack at a particular time in life and then if you're very lucky you find that friend. I preferred to keep my personal/work life separate and purposely avoided anything other than casual greetings in neighborhood. (And yes, I was probably judged cold or snooty...LOL) But I didn't "feel the lack" then and don't now. That may change... I know the experts say that the more one socializes as we age the better but being around strangers or even casual friends for more than 2 hours is H>>>. I can just about be civil for 3 hours to DS and family...LOL Luckily the house has get-away space now and then when DH's time runs out...LOL josh

Hey Tammy - well we finally (on June 7!!!!) got all our plants in the pots on our deck! We just had to draw a line in the "frost" and take the chances that the weather was going to improve. Overnight lows have been +2C to -3C and my back has been killing me lugging around heavy terracotta pots full of "stuff!" I finally introduced some mini roses, herbs, and gerbera daisies into my greenhouse, as well...I relocated my greenhouse last year to a shadier spot at the bottom of my garden - with the temp now balanced better, I can introduce more things. I had it in full sun in the previous years and it was a struggle to keep the temp below 35C - nothing lived!!! I also started some sweet peas, freesia (I try every year), and evening primrose - so we will see what happens! If we have an Indian Summer, my growing season (in the greenhouse) can be extended into mid-October. While it is a bit late to start some seeds and bulbs, I always remain hopeful (and am occasionally rewarded with success). I will be working on my raised beds this weekend, and will be introducing some perennials (Golden Creeping Jenny, various thymes, etc) to give some colour amongst the roses and ninebarks - all 38 of my roses survived their wintering, but I may have to replace a few that went a little wild near the end of last summer (some stalks had thorns that would have rivalled medieval war clubs!). Now that I am finally getting into the spirit of things this season, I will be updating photos (on my blog and uploading some here) - I will gladly share photos and exploits with you! Your raised bed looks great - and I love hostas, astilbe, coneflowers, clematis...sounds lovely! This weekend I will perhaps be buying a clematis or two - perhaps a honeysuckle and virginia creeper to grow up and over a pergola I built last year - so many things, so little growing season!!! : ) I may even be brave and try some coral bells this year! There are so many beautiful types (see link to a nursery that shows many examples). http://www.daytonnursery.com/Encyclopedia/Perennials/Heuchera.htm You might have more success than I because your zone is a little more forgiving!! More later, Tammy! Take care... Stuart...

Just wanted to report back and thank everyone for their input. We ended up abandoning the cinder block idea in favor of lightweight, easy-to-install metal beds! Here's a photo of the completed project: Because the area was not actually level to begin with, the back sides of these beds are dug into the ground about 8". There is room on the far right to install one more, but that area is so heavily shaded by the neighbor's shrubs that I don't think vegetables will grow there. We'll probably dig it out and use the area for composting or perhaps plant something shade-loving. Installation was a bit of a chore, but on the bright side we dug out enough dirt in the leveling process to fill the beds, so no need to buy any! We also didn't add any weight to the wall's load, just redistributed what was there, so hopefully we haven't created any new problems with these beds. Thanks again to everyone for your suggestions and sage advice!

Failed communication is hard. I’m going through a new build right now and it’s been the most stressful part of it. Here are my thoughts based on my past year: I think right now there are a lot of emotions attached to how you envisioned the project turning out and all the time and effort you spend on making the your design decisions. The rest of the commenters make it sound like your sub did the right install for the products. That’s a relief. You are probably going to have some plants put in next to the steps so that uneven spot of mortar won’t be as obvious. Eventually, you will get used to it and forget about it. Now, the communication failures are something you need to address with your project manager/contractor/sale contact (whoever it is). You need to let them know you are unhappy with how this situation was handled and need a plan of action of how to prevent this from happening in the future. Also, you can mention that you won’t pay for or will expect a budget credit if something is installed contrary to the submitted design without your approval. Also, I’d just be aware that, at least in my area, sub scheduling is super hard right now so what could seem like a simple delay could exacerbate into something much larger. That’s my two cents. Hope it helps. And remember your not alone and it’s ok to have feelings about the situation. Take a deep breath and acknowledge that your “mourning” what you thought was going to be done but are accepting the future with what is (because at least in regards to your steps they were done right).