Although I had quite a number of real Koi (Carp), most of my fish were Shubunkins. Even my "Butterfly Koi" were actually Shubunkins, not Koi. From: http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Pond,%20Shubunkin.htm "Origin. Goldfish originally came from China. Fanciers took them to Japan and then to England where they developed a calico version called the shubunkin (or poor manÂs koi). Many U.S.-grown shubunkins get shipped to the U.K. -- at least the best ones go there. Shubunkin Types. Standard shubunkins look like regular goldfish with a calico overlay. "Calico" involves a mixture of blue, white, black, red, and orange colors in willy-nilly splotches. Butterfly shubunkins develop a tail often as long as their body (like what the comet is supposed to look like). Bristol shubunkins grow a much more developed tail with rounded lobes. We never see these here. We get the long torpedo-shaped guys." There are some people who raise all the varieties, however, so that article is not completely correct. Nonetherless, I loved my Poor Man's Koi, especially my Butterfly Koi. They were like beautiful orange angels flowing through the water - some had calico colors and patterns. Two had dorsal fins and tails that were all black. The Shubunkins were much better behaved in the pond. They didn't churn up the bottom and devour all the plants like the real Koi tend to do. I had two huge "Ghost Koi", and boy were they monsters. Huge ugly charcoal grey Koi bred in England by breeding common carp with Koi. They looked like prehistoric fish. Just hideous things. They really churned up the bottom. They never swam, they tore through the water constantly at a terrific speed. And BTW. I found out what the Scarecrow gismo is that you were talking about CD3. Pardon my mistake. No, I had never seen those before, but after having looked at them on the internet, I'm sure I wouldn't want one, but thanks just the same. That was very thoughtful of you to suggest a possible predator remedy. I now have a dog that is an Irish Wolfhound-Border Collie mix. He keeps the racoons away pretty good. We shall see how that goes anyhow. ~SweetAnnie4u

If you are that freaked out by mice and can afford it, hire an exterminator. If you can't afford it, set some humane traps. NOT A STICKY TRAP. The sticky traps are horrible. They severely torture the trapped mice, and also torture the human that put them out, via guilt. No matter how much you hate mice, if you have never seen a mouse or other creature on a sticky trap, believe me, you don't want to. They are stuck to the glue, and are absolutely frantic, trying to escape. They end up tearing their own skin off and breaking bones in the process, adding to the agony. They finally give up out of exhaustion, dehydration, and injury, and death comes slowly and painfully. I hate rodents, and certainly would FREAK if they were inside my house, but I would never subject any creature to a death like that. By humane traps, I mean one of two options: A snap trap that will kill them quickly, or a trap that will allow them to crawl inside but not be able to escape. Then you have to take them somewhere and release them. Probably not high on your list ;) An exterminator will do this for you. But again, there is a cost associated. The advice given about finding the spots where they are entering is very good. Mice can get inside via a hole as little as 1/2" wide. Here is a link that might be useful: Google: glue trap death

I understand the interest in cheery and fun but I also think beyond cabinet colour or wall colour there isn’t much to do in a utilitarian space. Our mudroom is also laundry room. We will have one wall with sink, washer, dryer. Extra fridge. Then the other wall will be cabinetry for coats and bags. We will be using the ikea pax system. I’m not settled on door colour yet. On the wall, where a window could go but I don’t want one, there will be hooks and trays for wet boots. My life with three kids has taught me that boot trays are necessary!

I think I will eliminate the upper on the right. I am pretty tall 5’ 10” so it’s not terrible but I don’t know if I would be able to reach around and over the w/d. My height is also why I wanted them up off the floor and didn’t want them stacked. I keep overthinking this and try to look at this picture of the farmhouse kitchen I used for years. It was cooked in for 50+ years by my in laws and know when I look back at it I think how was it? I think I’m losing my mind after all it’s just a laundry room....