ande2994's Profile

Very timely article for me! Thank you!

My current complex recently tried to start charging people mid-lease for extra storage, which had previously been free. It was handled very poorly, residents nearly rioted, management responded with vindictive complex-wide letters, etc. They finally settled on making that change as people's leases expired. When my lease came due, I didn't trust that they wouldn't change other things mid-lease. I said I would only renew if they would state, in writing, that they would continue to include the utilities that were included when I signed, for the duration of my lease. They refused. So now I'm scrambling to find a new place to live.

I had the same question as lynell... is there a rope running up the wall to an outlet somewhere? That'd take it from clever to college-tacky.

I agree that I'd have no use for a large number of these: Starbucks, iTunes, ornaments, stationery...

I would LOVE if someone brought me a growler of good beer, but that's really not a universal gift.

I've had squirrels eat pumpkins (and plants) before. This year, in early spring, I sprinkled cayenne pepper, chili powder and Sriracha sauce around the perimeter of my porch, and repeated once or twice after rain. I did it once more before setting out my pumpkin, for good measure. I can't PROVE that's what did it, but to the best of my knowledge, I've been squirrel free all year.

That said, I covered a jack-o-lantern in every spice in my cabinet two years ago to no avail -- I just hope I gave the critters the worst indigestion of their lives.

I love the thin, unfinished wooden decorations at craft stores. I paint them and hang them in my patio door. I have something up year-round. I just took down my flowers and put up a new wooden jack-o-lantern wreath and wooden skeleton. I have two new yet-unpainted Thanksgiving decorations to put up after that, then Christmas, then snowflakes, then Lent, then back to the flowers unless I find something for Easter by then. It's subtle, takes almost no space to hang or to store, and it's me.

I can appreciate deer antlers in the home of someone who hunts. But I'd rather not see the whole head -- there's something very creepy about feeling like something is staring at you. I am especially disturbed by heads of rare or exotic animals -- then it feels much more like killing for the joy of killing. Deer are beautiful, but I'd rather they die in a humane way and get eaten than get hit by a car.

I'm surprised how many of the comments have been about the debt aspect of the post and not the format of the sale. Do you think that seeing stuff in its natural habitat (on a wall, on a table, etc.) would make the stuff seem more appealing, and therefore go for a price premium? Or do you think people would psychologically feel like they were taking what's yours and be hesitant to buy?

My parents have been in the same house since I was in Kindergarten. My mom's parents were still in her childhood home when they passed away. My dad's mother moved out of his childhood home about five years before she passed away. So in the past ten years, my parents home has been filled with furniture and other items from their parents' homes.

My parents encourage me to take something from my old room each time I visit. But I'll soon be down to sentimental things that I don't want or have room for in my apartment but somehow can't bear to get rid of. What have others done with porcelain dolls and figurines from long-ago special occasions?

The last photo -- you have it listed as a sculpture. Does that mean you can't lounge in those beautiful hammocks?? What a shame.

I'm curious how regular folk might try to evoke that sense of peace and nature by incorporating camping into their decor. Because, sorry to say, we can't all park a camper in our living rooms! Would escaping to a bedroom with lanterns and mosquito netting help you unwind? Could a fireplace be made to seem more like a campfire? Should I bust out the glow star stickers like I did as a teenager?