The Inspiration of "Little Boxes on the Hillside"

There is an old song whose lyrics* are: "Little boxes on the hillside, Little boxes made of ticky tacky, Little boxes on the hillside, Little boxes all the same.There's a green one and a pink one and a blue one and a yellow one, and they're all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same. And the people in the houses all went to the university, where they were put in boxes and they came out all the same, and there's doctors and lawyers, and business executives, and they're all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same. and they all play on the golf course and drink their martinis dry, and they all have pretty children and the children go to school, and the children go to summer camp and then to the university, where they are put in boxes and they come out all the same. And the boys go into business and marry and raise a family in boxes made of ticky tacky and they all look just the same.There's a green one and a pink one and a blue one and a yellow one, and they're all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same."
This song comes to my mind from time to time, particularly when I feel that folks are trying to make other folks think and do everything in the same way under the disguise of encouraging people to contribute new ideas and ways of doing things.Hometalk WAS a place where I thought one was encouraged to teach or learn more about old ideas that work, and/or make suggestions re new ideas, and I feel it still is, when it comes to the supportive readers I have, but I am currently a bit frustrated with this platform on HT's end when it comes to their report that "posting just got a lot better!'You'll love the new look and feel," promises HT, and I must say, I am NOT finding that posting "just got a lot better," OR that I "love the new look."
And in fact, I have spent hours and hours trying to access the "post and ask button" in order to contribute my content, for the "post and ask button" was somehow switched in an HT revamp.
Fortunately the always helpful Miriam I responded to my plight and she got to contact me. Lulu was helpful in her email but her if-all-else-fails (she gave me a list of things to do) suggestion to try another computer was not an option!
After much effort on my behalf as well of the efforts of a techie I hired, I was able to regain access to the "post and ask" button which enables me to post content today and I am wondering how others fared with HT's new interface.I was also disappointed to learn (this morning) that in order to add my blog's url, I would now have to add a minimum of three photos.
In my past HT entires I've been very generous with photo-sharing, and at times my posts have had over thirty images! It's true I do have published HT entries with only one image, but that has not my standard.The image quantity I include depends on the content I am posting.
Today, in order to work around the new HT ruling of including three images (so I may be allowed to post my blog's url), in this entry I am including three identical images that pertain to de-winterizing my urban (NYC) garden, which is a task urban gardeners face and have expressed interest in learning about.
De-winterizing my garden is an annual process of unwrapping all my flora and moving them from where they have been hibernating to their "standard" place on my terrace. I've done this for a number of years, but the date for the task varies as it is at the mercy of Mother Nature, and whenever she indicates that winter is coming to an end.However, even though I've been doing de-winterizing since 2004, I have only blogged (and included a number of images per entry) about the process for a few years.
Last year I de-winterized on March 9th 2013 and an entry pertaining to that event is @ http://www.thelastleafgardener.com/2013/03/let-spring-season-begin.htmlAnd in 2012, I de-winterized on March 10th, which was discussed @ http://www.thelastleafgardener.com/2012/03/no-i-did-not-give-up-blogging-for-lent.html
But in 2011, I did not de-winterize until April 16th as I indicated in a post @ http://www.thelastleafgardener.com/2011/04/opened-62-presents-welcomed-2-new.html This year I had planned to do the de-winterizing task on March 30th, but I was rained out by severe downpours; hence I did the job with a couple of folks over a period of a few days: March 31st, April 1st and April 2nd.
It is still gloomy, rainy and chilly, and I "coulda" waited a bit longer, but my crocuses were poking their heads through their winter-gear of bubble wrap and burlap, and, my peony tree was boasting many buds!
Therefore I had to let all of them come out and enjoy the air, no matter how chilly it might be! The "result" of three days of de-winterized can be seen in a partial-aerial-view image of my garden taken by Juan V, which is the picture I've included here (three times).I had a few casualties this year winter!
One was that the home to my Acer palmatum ('Shigitatsu Sawa') cracked in half, and so this sweet tree now awaits new digs while her roots are protected with burlap. She can be seen to the right of my bouncer.
It is a bit hard to find an eighteen inch container (which is the size she needs) this early in the season, so I hope she survives this interim of very chilly, gloomy spring weather.
The other casualties had to do with my tulip bulbs for my KAUFMANNIANA'S, CURLY SUE'S, PARROT BLUMEXES, and my COULEUR CORDIALS, for it seems someone, and I am not naming names, dug into them to find materials to use for his/her nest! All the aforementioned tulips have had their bulbs destroyed!
But hopefully the other varieties will flourish! How about you, dear reader, what is your garden's status these days? And if you don't have a garden, how are the gardens near to you faring?
Also, I ask again, how have you fared with HT's new interface?
*Lyric reference is @ http://people.wku.edu/charles.smith/MALVINA/mr094.htm