Let me clarify on the word fast. :-) I needed fast info, not fast pest relief! Haha Fortunately we haven't used any chemicals on the lawn before it was made into a garden spot. I am going to guess for sure 9 years of organic, I would have to ask my husband before that as I did not live here with him. I am planning on planting a fall garden, but not the entire thing, and ALL will be amended with compost, as much as I can afford, anyway. Next year,, i will be more choosy on what I plant, and when I plant it. I learned a lot this year, by failing at most of it, unfortunately.

I just installed a custom wood hood w/liner. After "much" deliberation I ended up ordering it from Prestige America. I'm not sure if they have the shape you need, but they were pretty quick in delivering it (although, you would have to check to see if they could meet your deadlines). I ended up going with them because I needed a hood liner that was 46" wide by 18" deep. I didn't want the hood to stick out farther then the stove and the finished hood comes in at 22" deep. I also wanted 1200 CFM's variable speed, and baffles. I have been really happy with it so you might want to check them out. I never considered the lighting as an important element, but the 48" has three lights also adjustable and is something we use alot. I live in California and they are made in New York. I called them directly and let me order directly from them as opposed to going through a dealer. It was a bit on the pricey side, but looks and works great. Hope that helps and good luck.

It seems you didn't get help because you posted on Thanksgiving when people were probably busy....but also, your drawing is difficult to respond to, because it has scale problems...You can see that your 30" sink is smaller than your 24" dishwasher. Scale is SO important on a plan to see how things relate to each other. The other huge problem you have is your aisles. You can't seat people in only 27" of space behind the island, and those are inadequate aisleways even for walking. Your aisles should be at least 36", remembering that 24" deep cabinets have doors, drawer fronts, and counter overhang that add about 1 1/2" to the depth, taking 3", total, from the aisle, when you consider cabinets on both sides...Like in front of your dishwasher. I have 48" between my dishwasher and island and wouldn't want less than 42". Some do OK with 36", but you need to plan 39" aisles to end up with the clear 36". I hope that makes sense. Recommended aisles for seating are 48-60". Please try to get your husband to wait a bit. Remodeling a kitchen is a very expensive and long-lasting project. It will be a daily aggravation if things are too crowded, and maybe some things will trouble opening, etc. It pays to take your time and get it 'right.'

The truth is that evergreen azaleas are not really suited for Z5 climates unless they are grown in very protected niches and/or given winter shelter from burlap or other barriers. Labels and catalog listings make claims to the contrary and hide behind the "semi evergreen" ruse, but they all wind up looking just like yours after a typical Z5 winter. Your theories are logical and might apply if you lived in a warmer place, but plain old cold temperatures and wind are to blame, nothing else. Any flower buds set last year were probably killed. If you prune back to live wood, new growth will very likely emerge, but next winter will result in the same sort of damage. You can try barriers of burlap or evergreen boughs to protect from sun and wind, but this doesn't really do anything to modify deep cold. There are rhododendrons and deciduous azaleas which will grow and flower well in Z5, but Karen and other evergreen azaleas just won't.