A few months back I had purchased rose bushes. 5 of them in fact, and that I had an idea cause it looked so easy to do one of those gardens that is in the magazine, and the roses are cheap - just the stick in the chip non established dormant things. So I watered them and they grew, and I had them in the garage by the window because it was cold outside and I roped off the area that I wanted to put it in and then I tried to remove the sod...urg.Didn't work.Then I looked over at the neighbors. They had taken down a pine tree and they had been talking about getting seed down but the soil was bad and I went over and I said, hey, I was just going to turn the sod in the ground, if you want what ever is there- its yours " and I came home from work and ta da, all the sod was removed down to the level that I needed it, and I didn't have to do anything except haul the stones for the pathway around and put them in place, so a nice formal rose garden cost me 2$ per plant, plus a splurge of a turtle for 4 $ and two days of work.The other day I was showing my neighbor lady the roses. (they are as big as navel oranges) and she showed me her yard, and I was like WOW... she had tons of flowers more set up like the wild flower thing, and then we went to the back and they had dug up earth and I said a garden and she said no, they had tried to put up a shed for the lawn care stuff for her sons buisness and it was too big and they had no place to put some of the stuff, and I took a breath and said, Well, I am not using my back shed for anything, he can use that till you get things figured out.She was like- oh-really?? and I nodded and today I dropped off the key and I was able to borrow a small step ladder to remove the birds nest from above the door and I went to my mums after looking at the yard. I had cut it last week, but it needed cutting soon, and I wasn't going to do it in 90 degree weather because- well, it takes forever and I was having problems breating in the heat.and I came home and looked.... and the grass had been cut.and I was like ohhhhh...Remember how I said I was , adopted in to the neighborhood??This barter system seems to be working well. I let him use my driveway to park because they are ajoining, and in the winter the walks get shoveled and I get all the perogies that I can want. The thing is, I dont ask for or expect this, and they didn't ask, or expect. though i know at one time that the son was wanting to store his truck in my garage and I had just unloaded it from a person who stored things in it for over a year, and the year before it was my brother who stored things over the winter in the back part and I need- the space for - well, my stuff.So next week I am on vacation, and I know one day is fathers day, and the other is my dads birthday and I will be at mums both days and putting flowers on my dads grave.The next battle is the battle of the weeds between the garage and the fence...but that is another day...Kath