Oldpaddy saying,"I started a second pile yesterday. This one has three totes of manure and shavings, a bunch of fish guts from a seafood market, two large trash barrels (full) of coffee grounds/filters from a coffee shop, and topped off with four totes of manure and shavings. I'll probably add some seaweed to it this week. I'm really hoping for a great compost! I figure if I can get a huge pile in each corner I'll have enough for my garden. I've got two piles that are composting great and I think the third one is getting hot. Today I added lime, a bunch of seaweed and three totes of horse manure with shavings to the third pile. Maybe I'll remove the pallets for the fourth and fifth piles. Yeah josko, I've been hitting all the shops. I'm enjoying taking the garbage, it's kinda like the community is helping me with my garden. Though, I don't think my wife is quite as happy as I am about it..." You are going to have such a great garden. I remember when I had that much energy --- and not so much private supply of animal manures, as I have subsequently arranged to have. I would steal people's grass clippings!! Those were the days in the '70s when suburban people by the hundreds would rake, bag, and stack their grass clippings in bags by the road for the garbage trucks! I don't think you can do that now....our landfill won't take leafy matter of any kind in regular garbage pickup now. So I would drive around in a Datsun pickup and take the bags. Many interesting interactions occurred; one suspicious homeowner asked me what I was doing and then fell in a ditch. There was simply nothing to be said, so I went away from that place, as Mark Twain would say. I used the grass clippings for mulch between the rows and compost. That was great stuff, actually, it was a good idea. Full of nitrogen, quickly decayed, fine texture. I could think of more uses for it today. I suppose there are people quick to say, Oh, Oh, there might be chemicals on it, horrors! However, I personally was more concerned about the dog droppings raked up with the grass. And my garden liked the chemicals AND the droppings.

I would try your local freecycle or craigslist, and post a job ad. I did that last summer looking for a teenager to help me out a little, and I couldn't believe the responses I got! Just check your respondents carefully, and maybe walk them through your garden to get an idea of their gardening knowledge. Good luck! :) Dee P.S. Check the bulletin board at your local supermarket, library, etc. Sometimes there are people advertising exactly such services!

Goldgirl, I live about 20 minutes south of Boston and we visit Provincetown every summer. If there is anything I can help you with, please let me know. Most, if not all the nicer B & Bs and hotels in Provincetown have 3-5 night minimums and can be pricey. If you are planning your visit during carnival week (aug. 16th-22nd), things book up very, very quickly. We like the Crowne Point Inn - the standard rooms are very small, we usually book the upgraded rooms. The Carriage House and Carpe Diem are wonderful and a bit less pricey. All have great locations. Front Street (expensive) and Bayside Betsys (moderate) are our favorite places to eat. There are many fabulous restaurants and shops run the gamut from artsy boutiques and galleries to tee shirt shops. In Chatham, the Chatham Bars use to be the place to stay - friends have given it mixed reviews lately. If you want to treat yourself, the Wequassett Inn Resort is top notch. Great shops and restaurants there as well. In Boston, try to get to the North End (little Italy). On summer weekends there's a really fun farmers market. Transit is fairly easy once in town. I can't recommend a particular hotel, but I'd be happy to do some legwork for you - let me know what you're hoping to see and some idea of your budget!

My preference for maximum storage and function in small kitchens is frameless first, inset second, framed traditional overlay third (rarely acceptable by clients), full overlay framed last. I've done very small kitchens where inset cabinets provide more storage than any other option including frameless. There is no hard and fast rule. The available storage for inset cabinets will be equal to or greater than a comparable framed overlay cabinet. In small kitchens they can be almost as good as inset "when done well" Wall cabinets for inset are generally between 13 and 14" standard- no loss there in depth even in semi custom brands. There is a loss of 1-1/2" in height- that can matter a little sometimes. The places where any frameless cabinets shine is in drawers. A framed cabinet (inset OR overlay) will have 1-1/2 less usable width than a frameless. Height of drawers can be a bigger issue and is what to watch for. Many makers have a taller top drawer for insets than a typical overlay cabinet. "when done well" That means: 1) that as many cabinets are "combined" as possible with stiles specified as 1-1/2". Combine two cabinets and gain 1-1/2" width for drawers-every additional cabinet gains another 1-1/2" Besides combined cabinets look better AND are available in some semi custom brands. 2) blind or dead corners use smaller clearances since they can- since the door is inset 7/8" is gained in each corner (often blind or dead corners are the most efficient solution in a small kitchen) 3) when possible eliminate intermediate rails on multiple (3 and 4) drawer cabinets to gain height and configure drawer heights to optimum. This one is not always available at the lowest price semi custom-have to go up a level but can be a no cost option. There is a way around it in a brand that doesn't offer it with field install but that is another topic. Price: some brands charge 10% more for inset than framed overlay since all else is the same a typical kitchen is increased by 5-8%, some brands charge the same for overlay and inset, some charge 10% less for frameless but again only the boxes so 5-8% swing- then comparing a frameless brand to a framed brand, well that gets complicated but again there is no simple answer.