Right, so the last one was kinda down but I'm not really feeling down, so I thought I'd post again. Lets see...This weekend, I built nine boxes to go around Ivy's roses. Also a sandbox for the kids (although I need more sand...and at $3/bag I think I may go steal some from a beach somewhere!) The yard items were all made from found lumber...if anyone is interested, I'll post how I made them: The rose boxes are essentially 1'x1' with stakes to prevent the mower from hitting them and to prevent our ever increasing zoo from digging around them. I took 4' lengths of beaded board (about 5" across) and cut into quarters. I also cut up several pressure-treated posts, like the ones used for porch railings (about 1"x1") and cut them in half, then half again at a 45 degree angle (to form a point to stick in the ground) Then, after a few false starts, I drilled holes through all the beaded board (to prevent splitting) I offset the holes on either end to prevent the screws from hitting each other during assembly and attached one stake to each board. I attached the stakes all ion the same direction, so that when the boxes were done they all faced different directions (in the hopes of added stability) {I'll put up a picture tomorrow here} Then I just pound them into the ground around the young rose bushes. The sand box was easier...maybe. I cut two 2"x10" boards (they were 16' long) into two 6' lengths each. These formed the sides, nailed together (because I didn't have long enough screws) with those ribbed nails for high wind areas, etc. I took the other two sections (each 4' long) and cut each end at a 45 degree angle, then cut across the middle at a 45 degree angle to create corner seats, which I nailed onto the top of the assembled sides. BTW, the 45 degree angles were to create two trapezoidal pieces each After the 'frame' was assembled, I nailed (because I couldn't find my @#$%^! staple gun) some weed-blocker fabric to the bottom, to hold the sand in somewhat but allow for drainage (ever seen what happens to a plastic-lined sandbox after a heavy rain?) Then fill with sand. {picture here tomorrow}