I few more details on the plans that I posted above: The raised beds along the fence would be completely separate from the fence, I'm not talking about heaping dirt against the fence or anything like that lol! Just building raised beds 2' wide and placing them against the fence so I can grow vertically as much as possible. I have a 50' roll of black vinyl coated chain link fencing (part of it is used to enclose the current garden) and I plan to repurpose it by hanging it along the back fence so I can trellis peas, beans, tomatoes, melons, whatever. I have been reading that growing vertically is one way to get more out of a small space. Since I have two medium sized dogs and I have learned the hard way that regular garden fencing or poultry wire isn't really sturdy enough, I was planning to buy some hog panels, have them cut in half, and have those go along the front of the beds to keep everything out. Hog panels are 34" tall and the bars are close together at the bottom and gradually get further apart as they go up. Each half would weigh about 17 pounds, so I can lift a section off as needed to tend the garden, then put it back up when I'm done. The design I came up with has a 4' tall 4'x4' fence post between each bed, about 2' feet out from the existing fence posts. The end pieces of each raised bed will be screwed into it, and once the 1' tall beds are filled with dirt, it should be plenty sturdy enough to support these panels. I also intend to have a piece of 2"x4" going between each of these posts and the actual fence posts to lend greater stability to both, and that will be the only thing that connects the raised beds to the fence. I thought it would be best to keep them totally separate to allow the fence to be worked on or even replaced later if needed, without having to remove the beds. The center beds would need a different setup for keeping out the dogs and rabbits. I had in mind some kind of enclosure that goes around the perimeter, with a gate at the opening. Most likely I would use the same hog panel idea so I could access the beds from the outside or the inside, or I could opt to leave part of it in place and use it for a trellis. I have thought about even enclosing the whole thing with heavy plastic to create a greenhouse for winter, and I could also use it to suspend shade cloth since the sun is a bit too much here in Oklahoma in the summer and it actually gets hot enough that the tomatoes stop setting fruit. The only thing I don't like about this idea is that it is right in the middle of the yard (actually, two of them, one on each side) though the dogs would have a blast running around them. Aesthetically, I think the perimeter beds along the fence would be more attractive and open, even with the smaller island beds added. I would probably put just low covers on those and use those beds for low growing crops since I would have plenty of space to trellis the taller crops along the fence. Thank you for considering my ideas and if you have any feedback or suggestions for me, please let me know! Here is a link that might be useful:

I live in a suburban area, I have just over 1/4 acre & I have 8 standard size hens, no roosters. I picked breeds based on their beauty, ability to lay even in cold weather, cold hardiness, no white eggs, friendly & not flighty. I originally wanted 6 birds of 6 breeds but I now have 8. I ordered 25 from MM hacthery in March of 2006 & adopted the rest out to other local chicken pet people. I thought one was a rooster, but she was my DH's favorite-so I kept another one like her in case we had to give her away. I also had a sick chick that I thought would die, so I kept another of her breed but she turned out fine. So now I have 1 barred rock-mine is not really friendly like most are but she's pretty & a great layer 1 black australorp-she is an ok layer, the leader of my flock, beautiful & a total lap chicken 1 silver laced wyandotte-she is a good layer, very pretty & friendly 1 redstar(sex-link)-a prolific layer of big brown eggs, pretty & friendly 2 buff orpingtons-one lays regularly, the other that was sick doesn't lay at all yet. They are super friendly & loveable & so elegant looking 2 Easter egger mutts-one lays bluish eggs, the other sage green. They are by far the most flighty and skittish, but are so unique with their muffs & beards & great markings. They are quite docile when being handled by me. The blue/green eggs are a must have for us. My flock has a small coop & run, but they free range my fenced backyard everyday. They eat tons of bugs & more grass, flowers, plants than you can imagine. There is something about the same/similar breeds sticking together and I can see why some people don't like to have a small flock comprised of so many breeds. Have you considered predators in your area? will your tractor be secure enough? Good luck, deciding to keep chickens has been very rewarding & more fun than I imagined.

At the 10 year mark it's possible that brushed nickel will be horribly dated like brass (I don't mind dated finishes but some folks sure do). Chrome really is durable. Unbeatably so. Look at old Buicks! I do have some 80 year old nickel faucets (hot and cold) that look a bit weathered but the nickel is still good. Of course, it started off shiny and is probably not what they are currently using for "nickel". I think for nickel, you need to compare specific manufacturers--the colors of the finish vary and the composition must as well. I had brushed nickel hardware (door handles and cabinet pulls) installed my the PO in my last house and after less than 5 years, the more used ones were worn smooth. I didn't mind, but you could sure see which cabinet had the good towels and which one had the cleaning supplies (insert blushing face here). For durability (and for not being in fashion enough to go out of fashion), I think chrome is the way to go unless you dislike it.

loobab Our china is quite simple. They are white with a goldish platinum accents. I would pull it out and take a photo but god knows where those boxes are! Curtains I totally agree. I was going to go with something closer to the wall colours maybe a the cream side like the chairs. It may be hard to decide but I need to start ordering samples ASAP. My kitchen cabinets are a dark gunmetal blue. I love them! They bring in so much interest in the space and its so unexpected. The builder thought I was nuts going blue but once he saw the final product he absolutely loved it! I agree about the tile as well. People told me to go traditional but as you can see, Im not that kinda chick! lol