Thanks so much for all the kind words! I hope to get at this some more this week, as I really would like to have something other than raw plywood for the photo contest.
Serendipitously, Shamus' article on ground cover showed up right on time!! With any luck, I'll be able to give that a try, too. My main problem is finding the time. Usually, anything I get done has to be done at 5:00 AM or so, as that's the only free time I seem to have...and I'm usually pretty bleary at that time of day.