Tonight I'm off to the Home & Garden show after winning free tickets.  I need inspiration for my deck and back yard.  Last weekend we ripped out this old potting bench and 20 foot lattice covered shelves thingy in the corner of our upstairs deck to free up some crucial sunny space for a container garden.   We have a good size lot as far as modern suburban real estate goes, but one of the benefits of buying in an established neighborhood is also one of the curses - fully mature shade trees and mega-huge conifers in every yard.  There are only a few spots that aren't shaded half of the day. It's great for the squirrels and birds (and raccoons, and opossums...), provides a great deal of privacy (when there are leaves, that is...) and helps keep the house cool in the summer, but isn't so great for vegetable gardening.  Or lawns.  Or dahlias :(   I've got pics - I'll post soon.   I need help.

Then it's off to Gramma's Bed & Breakfast on the beautiful Central Oregon Coast tomorow for the weekend.   I'll try to get some pics of those no-longer mising San Francisco sea lions while I'm down there.   Darned Californians moving up here, driving up the property taxes.... **sigh**.