I realize I'm coming late to this party, since the thread has been going for a bit now. I try to put in as many new planting areas each year as I can. Less lawn the better. Last year, when it appeared that gasoline would be maybe $5 to $8 a gallon by now, it was somewhat easier to convince skeptical family members that this was a good thing. It will be somewhat less so this year, but hey, they'll get over it. I'm the one that does all of the outdoor work anyway, so it really shouldn't be a big concern for them. I have my eye this year on an area towards the back of my 2nd acre that's about 80 feet wide by 40 feet long. It's at the top of a hill with fairly sandy, loam soil and a southern exposure, with a slight slope. I do have a bit of a deer problem around here, and I'm considering putting some of my sand-loving, more deer resistant crops like potatos, groundcherries, quinoa, garlic, and tomatillos up there, with drip irrigation and black plastic, so that I can plant some of the more deer vulnerable crops in my lower garden, closer to the house, and fence them off. I'm not at all convinced that the price decline in oil/gasoline is permanent by any means. The theory of "Peak Oil" certainly does explain a lot of the economic turmoil going on around the world. I certainly wouldn't be surprised if gasoline prices climbed right back up there within the next year or two, as crazy as the economic situation seems today. The good news is that I have proven able to grow far more food than I and my immediate family can possibly eat, so I have it to share with others. The bad news on that front is that, last year, I had trouble giving away perfectly good, high-quality produce because I kept encountering an attitude of "we don't like that" or "we don't really cook." I found this rather sad. I would encourage anyone interested to grow as much of their own food as possible. The world is sad enough these days, and gardening certainly seems to bring more than a little much needed joy to the world. Dennis SE Michigan

nancy, in ky, thank you,I am much better tonight. my hand is hardly sore now, seems like it just healed over night, which I am very grateful for, as it was very sore, that pc of wire almost went through my hand,and it DID hurt bad for a while. RITA, we had some sunshine here today, too which I was happy to see. It had been cloudy for a week, but was very nice today, just a little chilly out. nancy. Thank you,I am happy I didnt break any bones too.I have fallen a number of times since I was on that high dose of colesterol drugs that time,. the side effects of that stuff effects the muscles,and makes them hurt so bad,and some times the muscles just give outand wont hold the body up.i think thats what happened this time too, I fell in the yard before, but this time I fell on cement and some cinder blocks, so I WAS lucky nothing broke. Have a nice day, Jean

newhostalady, if my experience can be a cautionary tale, then, yes, that is a good thing. But they told me that they'd be dropping all the shingles into the dumpster on the driveway and you see what happened in the back. Get things like bird baths, feeders, pots of plants, etc. safely put away because you don't know for sure where things will land, lol. But a solid roof, ....gotta have it, right? Good luck on yours! Phil, I was just thinking that I should get my windows washed because how much worse can it get now with more ladders out there?.....a roofing nail in your shoe, and ilovetogrow finding nails nine months later, those are both good reasons for me to wear better shoes and get a magnet out there. As the plants die back this fall I'll probably be able to find a lot more. Just today I found a piece of shingle and a nail close to one of the bird baths I was filling. For one moment I thought about how bernd said the nail is good for my soil. Then I imagined hitting that nail with my shovel some day and tossed it in the trash. littlebug5, I understand the apprehension that goes with any projects like this. My DH still thinks we need new gutters, ~sigh~. When they built the decks, I got some of that bright caution tape and bamboo stakes. They managed not to ruin some shrubs I had blocked off that way. Maybe that will work for your cherry tree and hydrangea. Good luck to you, too!

Its holding up great in my bathroom. In November, I repainted that bathroom, a different color, and so it has been repainted again. It didnt need repainting, I just did things a bit different in there and repainted. Its been a lot of years now, since I first painted it.