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Hey, thanks for getting back to me about the garden plans. I think we should go with the raised beds this year — the soil in our backyard really needs amending and the drainage has been terrible every spring. My neighbor built a set from cedar last season and they look great still, no rot at all. He just used a simple corner bracket system and it held up through all that rain we had in March. I was looking at the spacing last night and we could fit four beds that are four by eight feet each without blocking the sun from the tomatoes. Also I finally found a source for organic compost that delivers in bulk, which saves about forty percent over the bagged stuff at the garden center. The delivery fee is flat rate too so if we split it with a couple of people it becomes really reasonable. Let me know if you want me to send you the link to the brackets he used — they are just galvanized steel and cost about twelve dollars for a set of four. Anyway, I just wanted to share what I found before you started buying materials.

Oh and I finally got around to trying that sourdough starter recipe you sent me. It took about ten days before it was really active but the first loaf came out pretty good — nice crust and a decent crumb structure. I used bread flour instead of all-purpose because I read it gives the yeast more to feed on and I think it made a difference. The starter smells really tangy now and I have been feeding it every morning. I might try a whole wheat version next time just to see how the flavor changes. gNRo3V0isC6 Anyway thanks again for the tip — that was exactly the kind of project I needed to get into this month.

I just got back from a walk around the lake and the herons are back already — saw three of them standing in the shallows near the cattails. The trail was pretty muddy in spots from all the rain we had last week but it was worth it because the wild irises are starting to bloom along the marshy edge. I ran into an older guy who was photographing them with a really nice lens setup and we talked for a while about the best spots for birding in the county. He told me about a preserve about twenty minutes north that has a boardwalk through a wetland area where you can see kingfishers and sometimes even bitterns if you are patient. I think I will try to go this weekend if the weather holds. Also I finally figured out why my camera was acting up — the memory card had corrupted somehow and I just needed to reformat it in the camera body rather than on the computer. That fixed the write speed issue completely. I also picked up a new lens cleaning kit because my main lens had a smudge that would not come off with just a microfiber cloth. The kit came with a little blower brush and some solution that works really well without leaving streaks. I cleaned all my filters too and now everything looks crystal clear again. I have been trying to get better at landscape shots and the cleaner glass definitely helps with flare reduction in backlit situations. Anyway just wanted to share what I learned in case you run into the same thing with your gear.