jlwmid's Profile

My what cute little dandelions you have! Here in Seattle mine are quite a bit more robust. My yard is certified habitat. I pull some of the dandelions or they would pretty much take over. I also use corn gluten to limit weed germination a little. You need to strike a balance when you live in an urban area. When I do pull them, I fill in the hole with compost which encourages the worms to come up.

@ead While this space is really cool and I like a lot of the things she did, this isn't even adequate for someone who had to work at a computer for hours. As a programmer I seldom see a home office on this site that would be comfortable for a whole day working. The keyboard and monitor aren't set up properly, there aren't speakers and other gear, the chairs are lovely to look at a and a disaster to sit in for 8 hours. No one has a foot rest. As a short person, if my keyboard is on a 30" desk I need to jack me chair up and then I need a footrest because me feet aren't on the floor. If you want a gamer setup check out some of the office setups on LifeHacker.

Evergreen huckleberry, wild strawberry, salal and oregon grape will all produce fruit in the shade. Most greens can tolerate some shade if they get sun for part of the day. Mushrooms.

I find that as I get older there are fewer things I want. I used to want a library with floor to ceiling bookcases. Now that just seems like a huge mental energy suck. However, I installed a dgo bath inside my back basement door when I was replacing the waste stack from the kitchen. Best investment ever. My current dog has allergies and sometimes needs a special bath every day until her rash goes away. I can't even begin to imagine trying to do that in my bathroom every day. I think the tub, grate, ladder and spray attachment cost about $400 and then a little additional labor from the plumber who was already there. Also, my sister has used it a few times returning from camping trips where her dog rolled in some dead thing.

I think it can mostly be learned though I think some people connect with plants. As for apps, a quick search yields:

iVeggieGarden
Vegetable Gardening Guide
Landscaper's Companion
Home Outside

There are definitely apps for vegetable gardens that will tell you what to do in your location. They are good for beginners because they limit it to the most basic growing season. Experienced gardeners in Seattle can be harvesting almost all year.

Thank you for the update. It must also be comforting to her that they went together.

I have had really good luck with the caged feeders keeping out the squirrels and standing up to the abuse they dish out trying to get in. Also the ones that close off when weight is applied work nicely as well though they are really difficult to clean.

Don't put in any feeder unless you are willing to clean it properly. Finches in our town were dying of an eye infection they picked up at feeders. A really excellent information campaign that got people to pull their feeders or commit to cleaning them regularly has solved the problem. I didn't have the red-backed in my yard for a few years and started seeing them again last year.

If you put in a hummingbird feeder, don't bother with the packaged feed. Look up a recipe for sugar water and use that.

I live alone and didn't use my dishwasher for years. Then I read a report about how much water you save [and energy since you are heating the water] using a dish washer. Now I use the dishwasher for the dishes and glassware. I still hand wash knives, pots and pans and the things I use to bring lunch to work. It took me a while to balance it all out. I would forget that the blender carafe could go in when it was close to full to complete a load. Thinking about it has also made me more efficient about how I use water when I am hand washing.

Maintenance is not equity building. It is maintaining the expected condition and your house won't be worth more because you maintain it. Even renovations aren't necessarily equity building. Look at the charts on how much you can expect to get for a particular renovation. Also, the only way any of these is tax deductible is if you finance and you are still paying interest. Maintenance should never be financed and renovations should only be financed if you plan to stay long enough to make it worth it. As the other poster said, this is why people end up cash poor - because they don't plan for the expenses of home ownership.

When my first dog took to scratching carpet, I asked a trainer and she suggested clove oil.Worked like a charm. I would not use jute or sisal with a dog because they are impossible to clean after an accident. I have had much better luck with wool. Look at places like pier 1 and World Market for cost effective option.