Just for anyone's information, I did get my supplies. I was at KMart for their Burpee Seeds @ 40% off sale and I picked up supplies while I was there. They had 6 packs of bubble envelopes for $3.+ change, for different sizes, Clear packaging tape, and mailing labels, which I paid too much for because all they had were the sheets that go in the printer and they were about $4. for 100 of the 2x4 inch size? I just couldn't make a separate trip to another store to get a better deal. For anyone trying to keep the cost down, I have used index cards or even colored notepaper for mailing labels, with clear packaging tape over it. I also forgot to look for the plastic baggies at KMart. I've never ordered from the 'big auction site' but they do have them on Amazon.....500 2x3 clear baggies for $5.33. So I'm going to go with that, since I have to make a purchase there anyway and will be able to get free shipping. Thanks again for all your help!

Oh, I have lots of seeds I forgot about! I have Territorial seeds for purple coneflower, Rudbeckia 'Cherokee Sunset', Sunflowers 'Apricot Twist'and 'Jade'. I also havae borage, butterfly weed, ornamental millet, and nigella. Can you winter sow annuals? Anyway, I'll bring them all and try to bring some markers along also. Susan

> and getting agreement from one's spouse/SO is the main thing. Beyond just agreement, it often helps to factor the SO into the situation, especially the negatives. As in, my lovely wife just does not grasp how to 'telegraph' motions in the kitchen space. As in, pay attention to what someone else is doing and time motions to work with the. For example, if someone's doing a lot of prep on produce at some point they're going to need to get to the sink to wash it, get out the spinner to dry it, get a knife and eventually dump the leavings (disposal, compost bin, etc). All of this can be done while someone else is working in kitchen. But it helps a lot more to be aware of the other person(s) and time your motion accordingly. Yeah, sounds great but my wife just plain does not grasp the concept. So as we designed the new kitchen space the layout was configured to allow these tasks to be performed in ways that avoid overlapping. Sounds trivial, but in the old galley style kitchen it was a serious problem. There's the negative and factoring it into the design will do a lot for marital bliss. Had we just said 'put in an island' it likely wouldn't take as much into account. Placement and style of drawers for utensils, cabinets for equipment, trash, orientation of sink and disposal, etc. In theory a good kitchen designer (NOT your architect) will do things like this. But it has greatly helped ours to know what we really didn't like. This led to several iterations of the design to really make one that works. Now, will this entirely eliminate the problems? No, of course not. But it'll go a long way to making day-to-day shared use of the space go a lot smoother. So beyond just a list of desired features and negative issues, it helps to also have 'use patterns' thought out. Let your designer know how you *really* use the space, not just how a cooking or decorating magazine thinks the space "looks".

First of all, you may not legally be permitted to make an alteration to the system. In most jurisdictions any multi-family residential structure which is greater than 3 stories in height or which has four or more living units is considered a "Commercial Residential Structure." In recent years we have seen a lot of apartment complex's go condo and this has created a real gray area in the zoning restrictions. In some condo purchases each owner is a member of a corporate agreement to maintain the common areas of the structure and grounds while in other situations when you purchase your condo you only get title to your individual living unit while there remains an owner or property manager that oversees the common areas. In order to perform any maintenance or alterations on the utilities from the point where they enter the structure to your living unit you must be a bonafide owner of the common area or you must be an employee of the owner of the common area. The laws further define that an owner or employee of the owner may only perform maintenance. By definition, maintenance is the act of repairing or replacing the existing components but you may not alter the original design in any manner. In order to make alterations to the original design no matter how slight, you MUST BE a licensed commercial plumber. (those licensed solely as residential plumbers may not work on these structures). For years the commercial codes have required that all commercial multi-family residential structures must have either a separte water service or an individual shutoff to each living unit. You stated that you do not know where the main water line enters your living unit. The first step would be to locate that line and you will most likely find you already have the individual valve you desire. It may be in a common utility space, in a service access panel in the ceiling in the hallway, a janitors closet in the hall or even underground just outside your unit.