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Rooftop and patio dining are staples of the American urban experience, but they're a bit of a rarity in Spokane, despite the city's ongoing love affair with urban renewal. William Webster, chef and owner of Isabella's Restaurant and Gin Joint in downtown's east end, hopes to change that next month when he unveils a rooftop dining area at his new eatery, along with sidewalk seating on Main Avenue and courtyard dining at the back.

Dear Collector, Is this German one mark bill worth anything? I think my grandfather got it when visiting Germany before WWII.

Deniece Schofield, nationally known speaker and author of four books on home organization, has a confession to make. "I wasn't born organized," she said.

Any garden worth its dirt has tulips. The bright cups of color scream spring, no mistake about it.

An annual favorite for warm-weather relaxation, this two-bench lawn glider swing is a do-it-yourself classic. The project instantly transforms any shady spot into a summertime oasis perfect for swinging, chatting or just catching the breeze. Although it's a fairly large-scale project, the glider is relatively easy and inexpensive to build. An average do-it-yourselfer should be able to finish the project in only a weekend or two.

When Depression-era American housewives bought a jar of soft cheese spread from Kraft, they got more than just the cheese. The decorative containers known as Swanky Swig glasses were decorated with colorful images. After they were emptied, they were still attractive and useful.

One of the most common and frustrating behavior disorders in dogs is separation anxiety. Most dogs experience some stress or anxiety when we leave them to go to work or school. After all, they are pack animals, so being left alone all day does not come naturally to them. Despite this, most dogs adapt to our absence, spend a good deal of their day sleeping, and then are overjoyed to see us when we return. A dog with separation anxiety exhibits signs of fear during the owner's preparations for leaving the house. He may pace, drool, whine, or follow his owner all over the house. After the owner is gone, the dog may be destructive (possibly trying to escape the area in which he's confined in order to find his owner), he may urinate or defecate in the house, he may bark or howl excessively or he may do all three of these things.

Art form: "Euro Whimsical" art dolls. Best known for: Attention to detail. "I think attention to detail is what makes art interesting," says Bailey, "that you can look at a piece and keep finding more than you did the first or second or tenth time you viewed it."

Is a lawn part of a garden? Definitely! And, if so, my garden is in some serious trouble, and it has been from day one. A few years ago in April, we moved into this house. It was a new construction, and the yard was a golden sand pile front and back. The children were very young then. They loved it and rolled in it. In a hurry to minimize dirt in the house, we immediately threw down some grass seeds without any planning or thinking of any thought. "But you need a sprinkler system first!" Someone warned us. What was he talking about? Why would anybody need a sprinkler system when it rained for a month straight since we had been here? Twelve years in Alaska we had never heard of sprinkler systems. What happened to hand watering?

While the rest of us are impatiently waiting to plant our vegetable gardens, Vicki Cahill, a market gardener near Newport, Wash., is eagerly awaiting her first harvest. Cahill grows asparagus. By the middle of April she will be feasting on the tasty, pale green spears. In its native habitat in Europe, people foraged for asparagus along stream banks and wet areas every spring. It was a welcome treat after a long winter of eating stored potatoes and canned vegetables.

During her college years, Beth Viren fell in love with a fellow student. She also fell in love with a house. Beth sighed nearly every time she and her then-boyfriend Paul passed by the striking Tudor home sitting on a small hill across from the main entrance to Whitworth College.

Dear Tim: My bathroom remodeling project is about to happen. I am in desperate need of some bathroom remodeling ideas. Since I only have one bathroom in my home, I am at a loss as to how I will survive without a bathroom during the job. Moving out of my home to stay with friends is not an option. Surely I am not the first person to have this dilemma. – Julie P., Punxsutawney, Pa. Dear Julie: Remodeling a bathroom is indeed a traumatic experience. Perhaps this is why my childhood home never had its bathroom remodeled. I lived in a two-bedroom home with one bathroom, and I can only imagine how my mom, dad, sister and I would have coped. Bathroom remodeling plans in situations like yours must be thought out and executed with deft precision.

Dallas, Texas, sizzles all year long. "It's one long, endlessly hot summer," says Rebecca Ker. "It's crazy heat."

Dear Collector, I have in my possession a 1950s Chatty Cathy doll in her original outfit with wardrobe. At one time she would say something when the string in the back of her neck was pulled, but now she doesn't talk. I am wondering what you can tell me about her value.

Scientists tend to be a curious lot, and South Hill resident Eileen Starr is no exception. The retired earth scientist started experimenting with natural dyes a few years ago. "I was curious about what color dyes different plant materials would make," she said. "The cheapest way for me to experiment was to use eggs."