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Sure to capture the heart (and imagination) of any child who sees it, this cottage-style playhouse project will become a place where memories are made. It features an inviting porch, a Dutch door, flower boxes and decorative architectural details that make it irresistible to kids of all ages. All straight cuts and full-size patterns for the angles make the project easy enough for most woodworkers. It's also inexpensive — the walls are T111 plywood (which gives the appearance of vertical siding) over sturdy 2-by-2 framing. Comparable prefabricated playhouse kits start around $1,500, so do-it-yourselfers enjoy big savings.

Moving from an apartment on the South Hill to a three-level home in West Hills last autumn was a big step for Keith and Kerri Mires. Especially to a home with a highly industrial motif. But they wouldn't have it any other way. "We like that we're close to downtown, yet we really like mountain biking and the outdoors, so it's a great area," says Kerri. "We can go right across the road and ride our bikes along the river."

Dear Collector, When I was given this item, I was told it was pre-Civil War and was used to give a drink to someone in bed. There are no markings on the bottom. Please tell me if that's what it was used for?

Since Spokane is the "Lilac City," it only makes sense to grow one. But if you have limited space, a 12-foot lilac shrub might be too big.

One of the first things we did when we moved to Spokane was to go to Art Fest in Browne's Addition. On our way to the Museum of Arts and Culture, we enjoyed looking at the grand old homes and ornate cottages in the neighborhood.

Now that summer temperatures have arrived, it's a good time to think about some of the hazards our pets face in the hot weather and how to prevent them. Heat stroke

"He's kind of overprotective," Terri Jones says of her boyfriend, Will Parks, who worries that her plan to leave the South Hill for Spokane's urban jungle is a mistake. At first blush, Parks' concern for the petite blond 40-something seems plausible: Jones has her heart set on a loft unit in the new Edge, a sleek, ultra-modern development going up in a less-than-gentrified area east of downtown.

Living on the Edge Spokane woman ready to give up her cozy South Hill home for downtown life.

Everything about artist Kay O'Rourke revolves around the land. "My creative process is totally intertwined with my garden, the soil and the earth," says O'Rourke, known for her colorful and fanciful art.

When I was very young, I remember how much my mother disliked Mondays. Whether by Presidential decree, habit or tradition, Monday was laundry day in Spokane. If you doubted that, all you had to do was take a walk around our north side neighborhood and count the overburdened clotheslines. Having graduated from a washboard just a few years after my birth, my mother possessed a wringer washer during most of my early years. I was going to say an "old" wringer washer, but I don't know if it was or not. Possibly, my mother owned the last of the dinosaurs; perhaps everyone had one then.

Home Birdwalk - Join Marion Frobe for a walk around the Pines Lakes area to see the ducks in their spring colors and look and listen to returning songbirds. No experience is necessary in identifying birds. Bring binoculars, camera, water and a lunch if you want to extend the day; Saturday, 8 a.m.-noon., Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, Cheney. (509) 328-0621 for reservations.

It's been a pretty good year for our region. I'm hearing more upbeat comments about people doing well at work, a thriving real estate market and more opportunities all around. But not everyone is benefiting from the boom. There are still people struggling to find work, pay bills, put food on the table and buy gasoline out of the same small pot of money.

I have a wisteria I planted six years ago and cannot get it to bloom. It has been pruned back as directed but no blooms. Diane Nebel, Spokane

Dear Collector, My grandmother gave this gun to my husband years ago. She thought it was from the Spanish-American War. On one side of the revolver, above the trigger, it has "Starr Arms, New York." We would appreciate any information, including its value?

What do you do to keep worms from apple trees and when do you do it?