Thanks for all the prompt replies. I just look out there at those 2 stricken Tiaras and feel like an ax murderer, knowing their days are quite numbered and their new home, the garbage can, awaits. What if I put a heuchera or two in the 2 vacated spaces of the Tiaras, but sink the heucheras in their retail container, to be pulled out and moved to that spot in front of my mini rose raised bed next year? Would that work, or do heucheras need to be planted out of their containers promptly? Under the ornamental plum tree where the hostas are, it is semi-shady. The plum tree itself is partially under the arms of a large oak tree by the curb. I've read that many heucheras can do with partial shade. Is that true, and which varieties? I must admit that the heucheras which catch my eye are the ones that look like tapestries, with purple, green, etc. all mixed together.

Thanks, Jessy. I have just spent the last 20 minutes watching various cats and Roombas! I did enjoy the polka music and the cute blond cat, but that kitty wasn't really into the Roomba and it was kind of boring :) The others were more fun!

It may be a cultural thing (UK born but lived here for 25+ years) but closed. I'm not nuts about house tours either unless it is family or very close friends. To me bedrooms are private space, however nicely decorated. :-) Sue36, I'd have been livid in your place and that relative would never have been invited back! I do leave the guest room and the upstairs bathroom door open if we are having enough guests to need the coat space and upstairs bathroom. That is to make them easy to find and to discourage people from barging into the other bedrooms and linen closet. For smaller numbers, people use the powder room (door always kept closed*) and coat closet downstairs. * FYI, most Europeans have locks on bathroom doors, use them, and prefer to keep them closed. I'm not sure whether this is a germ control or a privacy thing. I still find it disconcerting if I'm not to be able to lock myself in the loo during those private moments, and to rely solely on the US closed door convention, LOL.

That brick isn't bad; there's just an huge amount of it. Sweet-Tea: +1 If you paint it than it should be towards minimizing the effect, not towards just hiding the brick. You may like the new look enough to not obliterate the brick texture. From that pic I can see wanting to cover it up, but maybe "covering it up" and "reducing the visual impact" are two separate things. In other words, painting now and living with it for a short while may be cheaper, simpler, less disruptive, and enough. There are a gazillion ways to cover brick, but every single one of them is just-about-permanent because it's hard to undo such work. Drywall mud skim coating will be permanent and reliable if you have uncracked brick and mortar. Gluing on Sheetrock works, and, in fact, you can use drywall mud as an adhesive as it can be removed (messy!) with a pressure washer in the future. Using furring strips will do probably the least amount of damage to the original work. I don't mean to harp on "undoing", but such possibilities can pay off in the future as a possible new owner option if you ever want to sell. Even paint can be undone, but it's a bear...