The good news for you is that some of the best agricultural sites in the US consist of red clay soil. As long as your property DRAINS sufficiently, it's no big deal to tame this stuff. Trust me, I know from personal experience! Rather than looking at the big picture, why not focus on one small portion of your landscaping....one area that will make you happy each time you look at it? The ordeal of it ALL won't seem so insurmountable if you attack it a little bit at a time. Eric had the right idea in his earlier comment. I'd surely suggest that you turn as much of your property into something useful (and easier to take care of) instead of grass. Large landscape beds and tree collections can all be mulched to keep weeds down and to add to their attractiveness. Assorted mulches eventually break down and begin improving that soil, too. When we moved to our present home, this yard was pretty discouraging, too. I was horrified at this brick hard stuff we were supposed to grow stuff in. We tilled in a fair amount of aged bark fines and compost ONLY into those areas where we planned to add landscaping (shrubs, perennials, and annuals). The several trees we added, as well as the grass (mostly weeds when we got here), simply had to make do. Guess what? Trees planted directly into that hard red clay, with no amendments at all, grow like crazy! Those beds were amended once. We top dress with mulch and compost annually. We aerated the areas meant for grass heavily, then sodded with a hybrid Bermuda. After a very brief growing in period, the grass began to thrive like crazy on top of that red clay. Again, with very little watering (and we don't have an irrigation system). Come to find out, there's nothing difficult about growing in red clay soil. Well, we use a heavy duty auger to plant things rather than a shovel... but so what? ;-) Our plantings have thrived with less water, less fertilizer, less fuss than I have ever experienced in all of my years of growing! Go figure.

adkinska, no darn wonder and thank you for the obvious trouble you went to for me. That looks exactly like the schematic in my manual, and I was starting to think that, too, as it is the only way I could envision that looked like the schematic. No wonder I was confused. I don't think that's what the guy at the hardware store told me on the phone, and I watched them one time trying to fill and start it before making out a ticket. He definitely was doing it just tilting it to the side and pouring straight from the plastic container of oil. Wasn't getting anywhere with that, wouldn't start, said I got it all spilled onto the spark plug and other parts, and would have to be all cleaned out which was probably true. So to be doubly sure here, you are saying that I should tip the engine FORWARD like that (perfectly clear, just went and tried it) for BOTH filling and checking? They only had that one tiller, and I don't think they know a whole lot about it to be honest compared to the other one they sell. I will emblazon that magic number 2.7 oz in my brain and find something more exact to measure it with and fill very slowly. A baby bottle comes to mind, maybe my new measuring cup(s) has oz on it. In time, I should gain more confidence about that. What a difference a good explanation makes! First I will try what you said before bothering my son about it and hauling it back over there. You don't know how much I appreciate that! I will check if 10W 30 is the same as the SAE 30 they sold me that I've been using, knew not to put my snowblower/lawnmower oil in it from that older thread.

Ha. My Ex actually linked up with SM at a daycare where my children were going. He left me for her, and actually it was humorous to see her thinking she knew more about raising children than I did. He, after divorcing me, married her, and she was their stepmom. And actually I did see after I got over my anger that she was a pretty good person. Eleven years later she left my ex by moving in with and finally marrying his ex best friend. My Ex was livid, of course. Ha Ha. I could have used that to the hilt. It was sad to me to watch SM try to have a relationship with our children, and my Ex and now also her Ex also tried to stop that relationship with everything in his being. I was now the one who held all the power. I could have blown her out of the water. And you know what, many people told me here is the biatch who stole your husband pay her back. It was actually one of my daughters' friends who said to me, SM is really trying hard here, give her some slack. That statement made me think. And the friend was right. It did make sense. There was no reason why I should stand in the way of a relationship simply because my Ex moved on, or was forced to move on. I have been married to my second husband for 15 years now, a marriage that I think will go on until we die. My EX is now into his third marriage, and now what I say to my girls is this. Your dad's new wife is in fact your stepmother, but it isn't the same this time for you. They are 20 now. And yes first SM, and her mom and her dad and her sisters and all their children have special times with "my" kids, and none of them wanted to say goodbye. I say you are all more than welcome because that is what my girls want. Is it hard? You bet you it is hard. It is likely the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. But when you have kids it isn't about you anymore is it.

From what I've studied, passive agressive behaivor is kind of sneaky. It's the people who spit in the drinks of customers they don't like, or use other's toothbrushes to clean toilets and put them back. Yes, they are usually afraid of confrontation, but it goes deeper. They'll 'accidentally' break a kid's toy if it was given from someone they don't like. They may not say your food isn't good... but they just won't eat it (implying indirectly that you're a bad cook). They'll be mean in a different way than you would/should expect. It's kind of the opposite of active agressive... Those types tell you off whenever the get mad and don't hold anything in and are often annoying to be around... Passive agressives hold the problem in and express anger about it often secretely in other ways. It's kind of hard to spot an passive agressive person because many times you won't know they are being mean. When they're late because they are mad at something, you'll believe their "excuse". Their anger is NOT out in the open so to say... but behind your back. Although, if you are close to one, you should be able to spot it (and feel it) after a while. They are very negative and often judge things and act harsher than they should. Passive agressives are very insecure (hence are often afraid to react or communicate directly) instead, they have a "I'll show you - or I'll get back at you behind your back" kind of complex going on. Everybody can be passive agressive from time to time (even eye rolling is a form of passive agressive behavior), but a person with an on going passive agressive personality often does have other mental problems associated with them.