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There is no doubt that dogs are safer and less likely to get themselves or their owners into trouble if they are not roaming free. For outdoor dogs, a fenced backyard or a dog-run are two ways of achieving this. Underground fencing offers many advantages over traditional methods of confinement.

Her cabinet is full Grandmother's influence inspires woman to collect more than 1,000 egg cups.

Easter lilies have been a part of Easter festivities since the late 1880s. The majestic trumpet-shaped blooms herald the message of the season. We have an American tourist to thank for that. In the early 1880s, Mrs. Thomas Sergeant fell in love with the majestic plants while on a spring visit to Bermuda. She took a few bulbs back to Philadelphia where a local nurseryman began growing them. They became very popular and by the late 1890s Bermuda was producing most of the bulbs used in the trade, hence an alternative name of Bermuda lily. A virus destroyed the Bermuda production and today most of the bulbs are grown in the coastal areas of northern California and southwest Oregon

Lurking inside almost every woman, whether dressed in sensible heels and a power suit, or tennis shoes and a tracksuit, is a little girl longing who once hosted elaborate tea parties for her stuffed animals. Fortunately, several tea rooms in the area provide the perfect outlet for grown-up girls. One example is the feminine fantasyland known as Mignon's Cottage in Post Falls. Owner Mignon Whitt said, "It's every girl's dream to come in here."

This Easter add a little sunshine to your home with this bright and refreshing arrangement. To make your own jar floral sunshine, place a large bunch of yellow tulips in a clean jar. Next, add the yellow Gerbera daisies to create a nice focal point for the arrangement and frame the flowers with branches of lemon leaves

SANTA ANA, Calif. – If there is one simple way to bring your house into the 21st century, it is with paint. No matter when your house was built, what the architectural style is, what the landscape looks like, color and all its combinations can give your house a current look. House paint is a long-term commitment though. Unlike fashion, what is up to date today will still need to look good later on. So how do you pick a color that won't conflict with your idea of style 10 years too soon?

This do-it-yourself wishing well can make your wish for a refreshing backyard retreat come true. Even though it doesn't hold water, the project creates an instant sanctuary perfect for relaxing. Just set it up in a shady spot, fill it with plants and flowers and add a couple of comfortable seats. What you need

Often, you hear people say they don't collect anything because they don't like to have a lot of clutter around. And it's true that most collections take up valuable space. Bernie Korth, of Spokane, is a collector. But the more than 120 bookmarks he's picked up around the world, fit into a single box. With room to spare.

Dear Collector, This "Garrison's Gorillas" book is from a TV show. All the pages are intact; is it worth money?

It's amazing what a little bit of sunshine can do for gardeners with cabin fever. A few warm, dry days and we are back out there playing in the detritus of winter. Piles of raked leaves, pine needles and garden trimmings are everywhere. Now what do we do with them? The Spokane Regional Solid Waste System has several options to handle your "clean green" yard debris, which can include leaves, weeds, brush, grass clippings, pine needles and pine cones, prunings (woody material up to 3 inches in diameter and 6 feet in length), and sod (under 3 inches thick without rocks).

The thyroid gland, located in the neck, produces thyroid hormone thatregulates metabolism and affects every organ in the body. Millions of Americans must take an oral thyroid supplement each day because of decreased thyroid function. This is thought to be the most common endocrine (hormone) disease in dogs, also. (In cats, hypothyroidism is almost unheard of, whereas increased thyroid function, hyperthyroidism, is extremely common.) "Primary hypothyroidism" means that the problem is in the thyroid gland itself, not in the parts of the body that regulate the thyroid gland. Primary hypothyroidism accounts for about 95 percent of cases in dogs. Either the thyroid gland is damaged by inflammation ("thyroiditis"), or the gland atrophies and is replaced by fat. Only rarely in dogs is there a tumor causing destruction of the gland.

Insurance companies ought to be embarrassed, according to Washington state Rep. Tom Campbell. "Taking homeowner's insurance away because of the dog breed a person happens to have is shameful," he says.

Helleborus orientalis may sound like a botanical mouthful, but this diminutive plant should be cultivated in every Inland Northwest garden. Also known as the Lenten rose, hellebores provide the earliest blooms of the spring and their leathery evergreen foliage keeps landscape beds alive with color year-around.