Go here and scroll down to Trees and Shrubs. Colorado Trees and Shrubs I don't know much, but I know where to look. Nell

Wow! Thanks for all the great advice! It's wonderful to have so many suggestions. I did pick up some liriope today, but I didn't have any luck finding turk's cap or wax myrtle, so that'll have to be another trip. debndal: landscape mix was what I actually bought (before reading your post) which was purely a lucky guess because I have no clue which soil mixes are "heavy" and which are "light." I'm a little confused by your comment about not using too much on the roots. If I'm doing a raised bed, wouldn't it be uniform thickness everywhere? Or do you mean that I shouldn't let the bed extend out too far from the trunk? bossjim: thanks for the nursery recommendations. Sounds like it's time to pay a visit to Seabrook. Just out of curiosity, when you built your raised bed, what material did you use for the sides? txgardenlady: I do have some vine by the back fence that looks like it might be poison oak, but the vast majority of the ground vine is something else. Whatever it is, it is very, very invasive -- all over trees, fencing and ground. Pulling it up is quite empowering; it feels like "freeing" the ground from the evil vine :)

OK, Haley said it well. Get dressed. If you don't have the money to move, will you have the money to pay for the damage? What about having money to move if you're evicted? If other neighbors smell it coming from your place they'll complain about you. If you don't report defects in the apartment IMMEDIATELY, most leases will hold YOU responsible for it. Nobody's mentioned this that I've seen. I had a big hassle at my very first apartment. I told my roommate that we should go around and document every hole in the wall and everything that doesn't work and give it to the manager. Well, it didn't get done and what happened at moving time? "You didn't fill out a 'pink slip' so you're responsible for all defects." I was irate. I never received a "pink slip" and demanded that she prove she gave us one. She couldn't of course but it was a battle and essentially we compromised on the damages. My next apartment I knew to report the broken thermostat, and they tried to charge me for it (it was on a hot water system and quite expensive). I'm guessing because it was sticking out from the baseboard heat unit and probably broke from soeone tripping or moving furniture, but all I know is I wasn't about to pay for it. You need to report this and no apologies. Simply state facts. At this point you need to cover your butt for non-action in the past, so your statement needs to be that this has been there since you moved in. You tried things to mitigate the problem but it's still there. It seems to come from this wall, etc. You don't have to be confrontational. And it's best you not be, but you *do* need to be assertive and proactive. Otherwise, start putting aside some cash because you'll wind up with a pretty good bill to pay. Normally, I might suggest dealing with the neighbor, but especially now, you need to deal with the landlord/management. That goes without saying. And if the neighbor harasses you, then call the police. Again, you are the one who has to stand up for yourself. Your neighbor will not do it and your landlord/manager can't and won't do anything if they don't know there's a problem. They don't carry a crystal ball in their briefcase. I guess you don't *have* to speak for yourself. You could hire a lawyer or other representative to speak on your behalf, but that will be an expense too. And I doubt they'll be too conducive to working with you should you hire someone. A similar situation: I have a friend who went through eviction because of his dog and the smell. Neighbors complained, he says it was the neighbor's apartment. The one time I was there, I didn't smell anything but it could be an issue, especially knowing the dog he had. You need to realize that your having a cat is going to complicate things. Sad but true. And if you choose to procrastinate, there's a very, very good chance it's going to cost you, whether eviction (and in many places that can count against you to try to rent elsewhere - it does around here!) or being charged for damage. Moving is often a dreaded experience but if you could, I would. I just have a bad feeling that this is going to be a bad outcome. But if you're set on staying then stand up for yourself or you can expect to face the consequences. There's an old saying, every action has a reaction. Keep in mind that inaction is also a form of action. Calling authorities should be a last resort. That can often get you into trouble with the landlord. They don't like people going over their heads. I fully understand your hesitance to do something. Most of us would just like to be able to live and let live. But there's times when you're not given a lot of good choices so you have to decide what you're going to do, and/or NOT do and see what happens then. Good luck. Give your furry friend a scratch under the chin for me and pet him/her a bit. It can be very calming in stressful times.

I would fix it and move on, but I am seriously concerned that you're being taken in $200 increments. You need to get something from them that when this is fixed there are no further issues so that you can move on rather than fix this problem and have them come back with yet one more. That being said I can't imagine putting a cast-iron sink into a cabinet where the material split and not being nervous. The last time I looked at one of Kohler's manuals there were several ways to hold that sink in the cabinet. Rather than be a little nervous about it, you should make sure that the sink is supported properly. It will be much much more costly for you if after you have the granite countertop installed the sink separates from the countertop and begins to fall downwards.