Good Fences Make Good Neighbors But Oversized, Misplaced Sheds Make...

...me very annoyed.

When my neighbor told me her husband was thinking about getting a shed I thought cool, extra storage is always great. I didn't expect to come home one day from work and find this monstrosity up under my fence, ruining my side view.

The DH and I know this is not permitted because the variance in our neighborhood is three feet (i.e. there has to be three feet of clearance from any existing structures including a fence). Clearly, this is not. But for now we're going to try and be neighbors and not file a complaint. But my God this is going to take some getting used to.

Wait, Dryer Lint is Compostable?

It's amazing what you can learn watching late night tv. Not able to fall asleep last night, no doubt due to the DH working late, I began flipping channels and landed on Extreme Cheapskates on TLC. Documentary or mockumentary, I can't decide, but it's definately worth the watch. (And I didn't think any show could beat Toddlers & Tiaras for entertainment value!)

I was particularly entertined by Jeff Yeager who talked about fiscal fasts (not spending any of his own money for one week, several times a year), buying the cheapest meats possible (think organ meats and goats' heads) and reusing items around the house. Honestly, not all of his ideas were bad - think composting dryer lint. Who knew?!? Can't wait to try this!

Go On...Humor Me

Yesterday at the library, I ran into a fan of this blog. Really! When I asked her how she heard about it, we figured out our three degrees of separation. She went on to tell me which posts she particularly enjoyed, which pleased me to no end. However, when I asked her why she didn't leave a comment, she just shrugged, like it didn't matter.

Well, it matters to me! As much as I enjoy receiving e-mails from you about whichever gardening tidbit floats your boat, I love seeing my followers grow and comments even more. So please, take the time to do so. Give me the encouragement I sometimes need to keep posting.

Pike County Master Gardener October Meeting 2011

For this month's Master Gardener meeting, we invited Jason Powell from Petals From the Past to speak on the virtues of antique plants. As usual, he was fantastic. There was a great turnout. I was so proud of my little group. And of course Jason brought goodies for us to purchase. In typical fashion, there was a minor scuffle over an antique rose. Only this time it involved one determined lady in a wheelchair...who won out. Great start to the new fiscal year!

As an aside, I talked to him about my soil pH and trouble with berries. He recommended digging everything up (this I anticipated and have already started doing so - seems my MG classes are paying dividends already) and potting them in store-bought potting mix while I amend the beds. This should help them recover faster as adjusting soil pH is a long process. Oy!