sm98101's Profile

Yes, I plant all mint varieties in pots & containers now.
A number of years ago, when I first started gardening, I planted a lovely lemon balm(I believe part of the mint family?) and now the large garden plot that my neighbors and I share has any number of "volunteers". Fortunately, it seems to spread slowly, and it may just be because it's self seeding(we're letting some of it flower and go to seed, instead of pinching it off). Catnip can behave the same, but I never put it in a garden because I don't want to attract cats there(!) but I have some in a pot on my deck.
Mint is great though, I just split a large container root ball, transplanted it into three differents containers. Plenty to go around!
Another plant never to put in your garden - morning glory! It has taken years to get rid of that in our garden. Runs and climbs and spreads like crazy, at least here in Seattle, do not plant in any open garden, it will take over.

Wow, this is really amazing. Thanks for the added history, so interesting. It'd would be really fun to live in one of these. Cool!

Hmmm, well, since the auther states: "I'm just feeling feisty today, and decided that it might be fun to play the devil's advocate on that most controversial of design decisions: organizing books by color." then it actually is a sort of invitation for "a full-on throwdown in the comments section (entirely)." Haha.

Anyway, as far as appearances go, I do not like rainbows as color schemes or as a design choice, some people do. That's pretty much what it boils down to, right?

As far as organizing goes, I am an artist and very visual thinker, but arranging by color does not work for me at all. If it works better for some other people, own it!
I like my artist books all together, cookbooks, fiction, etc, especially if I'm cross referencing, and I have a decent amount of books, so it's better(faster!) if they're all together by category.

Sooo, in summary, overall I think this situation comes down to appearances first, unless someone legitimately and truly has the type of mind that can find books purely by color.

And, last but not least, IMHO, while I love real rainbows in the sky, otherwise I think decorating with rainbows is great for children, and maybe public spaces with a lot of pass through traffic. It's a bit simplistic for me, might be fun and/or whimsical on first glance, but would not create the enviroment I'd like in my living space. I would not diss friends if this is how they choose to decorate, but this is a public forum asking for readers' opinions.

Seattle - $650/mo for a small one bdrm on the southern edge of Capitol Hill.
Second floor, with a small deck, and even includes utilities. I've been living in this apt about seven years now, and I know it's a good deal. I'm loathe to ever let this go(not that I could afford to move within this neighborhood, rents are so high now).
My landlord is a decent person with three rental houses(all old, charming, quirky, divided into apts) on the hill, and he seldom raises rents - he'd rather keep good tenants than turn over units in a selfish drive to make profit. Lots of artists and creatives living here too. The landlord has updated a few, with dishwashers and such, but even those are rented below market rate, even though the rents are much higher than mine.

I dog & house sit too, along with two other jobs, and being an artist as well. Glad to see I'm not the only one juggling.
However, some of my "lessons" learned are different. I live in the city, so I wash my hands when I get home anyway, especially after riding public transportation(bleh!).
I do agree with leaving the house-sit home "as-is". I've gotten compliments on this, due to the fact that apparently some house sitters settle in like they live there, which has been told to me directly by both owners and the cleaning people(!). That's weird to me, I prefer the "leave no trace" approach.
I have two cats, so the get a pet lesson doesn't apply, but dogs are way more work and commitment. However, dogs remind me to get up and get moving right away, and it's great to go out for a nice walk first thing. And they seem just a bit happier, or perhaps more expressive of their happiness.
One other lesson I've learned - curtains in the bedroom, please. I have house-sat at three places without any: two of those in the city, one out on an island. And also another house with sheers so transparent that there might as well been none.
And I've learned to appreciate my own apartment more, despite it's tiny size, and when I come home, no matter how long I've been gone, I get to see it with fresh eyes. Usually that makes me clean more ;)

Oh, and I do have a wicker hamper with a lid, so sometimes the halfway stuff gets folded and set on top of it to await another chance.

As everyone knows, dogs and cats are different, so their vacation care is going to vary also.
For me, a cat owner, it has worked best to do cat sitting trades with trusted friends, who are also cat owners. My two cats are not the variety to be left with large bowls of food during extended weekends either, unlike my last kitty (rip). But my cats don't need a house sitter to stay there either. I do ask that they get a daily visit, as well as daily litter scooping.

I also only pet sit for friends that I know well.

I do dog sit for my old boss, this includes house sitting as well. I've known their dog since it was a puppy. As well as dog/house sitting for my current boss, and another neighbor across the street. They all pay me, usually 25/day, plus a bottle of wine ;)

Dogs, like many domesticated animals, seem to really thrive on routine, so I can't see leaving a dog in the yard while one is away on a trip, unless that is its regular pattern. Also, this can't possibly be a reasonable solution in a city, but maybe somewhere more suburban or rural? (or in a place where the weather is extreme, or if the breed is not hardy.) There are also plenty of domesticated species that are not quite capable of self sufficiency at all.

no accent walls - paint the whole room, or nothing at all. accent walls are a blight.

Seattle, two blocks south of Capitol Hill hood: $645/mo, includes utilities, for a small one bdrm, 3/4 bath, maybe 400-475sq ft(?) including a long hall and lots of passing through space, almost like a tiny shotgun apt. It's a steal no matter what, even though the largest room is just over 7' x 9'.

Weird layout, small rooms, but can't beat the price with the great location, and even a little deck. Have been here six+ years. That being said, a creepy nutter has moved into the house next to our building(six months ago), which my apt faces, and it now looks like I may end up giving up and moving out.

dark with dark - sounds great! go for it! :)