claybabe, I would say go for a stacking FL set. If you are willing to change a few laundry habits and learn how to use a FL, you won't have any problems getting clothes clean. The fact that you are reading and posting here shows that you are open to suggestions and tipps, so I think you are a great candidate to make the switch. I grew up in Germany where TL with agitators don't even exist. When I moved here, I had the "privilege" to use a TL for a few years. The only thing I liked about them is how fast they finished a load. But that was about it...they just didn't clean well, tore several strings out of pants and shirts, ruined some bras...and I just hated the amount of water and detergents/additives needed to do a load of laundry. A typical load with my FL takes about an hour. The clothes come out clean and without any nasty odors. An extra rinse would add about 15 minutes, but is hardly ever needed/used. Some posters say that an extra rinse negates any water savings, but that is far from the truth. It takes about 4 gallons which adds up to a total of 18 gallons per load. A TL uses almost 25 gallons per fill which is 50 gallons if you do just one rinse! I think the mixed reviews for FLs are mainly due to user errors. Using too much detergent and liquid fabric softener is probably the most common mistake which leads to nasty buildup and musty smells. My washer is 18 months old now and doesn't have the slightest hint of mold. I don't do clean washer cycles or any extra maintenance. I just leave the door open and use hot cycles about once a week. Couldn't be happier with it. Our water usage in the winter is between 2000 and 3000 gallons per month for a household of three. That equals the city's minimum usage! Sorry for the long post. I hope it helps!

One of the things I'm doing this year is interplanting basil with melons and squash. The melon and squash vines just grow all around the basil, which grows well above them, but the roots don't really share any soil. So while the basil produces just a smidgen of shade on the vines below, it's otherwise wholly independent. I can load up N fertilizer on the basil without overloading the melons and squash. This is in a bed that gets 100% sun, so a bit of shade is no bother. I never bother planting new basil. I just continually harvest from individual plants, and they just keep churning out more. But I'd better stop talking about basil in a tomato thread.

I’ve had that happen, just cut the brown parts off & put the plant outside for a while, out of direct sun. It will probably grow new shoots off the cut stems, mine did.

1. Remove everything from the tops of the cabinets. These are not display shelves or storage areas. Design-wise, a room feels more comfortable and looks better when the eye stays at the lower level where people live. It is not good to draw the eye up to the ceiling and then back down again as you look around the room. For the same reason, find a lower place for the word art if you want to keep it. 2. I would concentrate the wall art pieces around the dining area, and remove anything else from the walls. You want to focus the eye on that area as an attractive place to eat, and leave other walls blank so they do not distract from it. So I would remove the wine bottles from the short wall and just put 2 pieces of wall art on either wall above the built-in. The wine bottle picture is very bright and orange and doesn't complement any of the other colours you have in your room. I doubt you want to add more orange accents to your room, so I would find another place for the picture. Maybe the dining room? The sconces are just visual clutter on that wall and should be removed. 3. If you are not changing the floor now, consider a warmer colour for the walls, that goes with your floor. 4. If you look at the "wow" photos of kitchens, they don't have items on the counters that are not necessary. They're either in the cabinets, or in decorative containers such as baskets. For example, if you need to keep things on top of the refrigerator out of reach, put them in one a basket that looks attractive. Is there a better place for your spices or are there only a few that you really use that you can put in a handy drawer or cupboard, and the rest can go in a less-accessible cupboard for occasional use? Same with the oil and vinegar bottles on the left side of the sink. Also, if you keep your dish soap out on the counter then decant it into an attractive opaque pump bottle e.g. those meant for hand soap. 5. Your rolling island would be much more useful if the microwave was not sitting on it. Install a shelf so the microwave can sit on the wall, freeing up the counter space. Also safer because you have a good landing space for hot things below the microwave. Could your toaster oven also sit on the same shelf? That would give you such nice clear working space around your stove. 6. Agree that curtains would not add anything here, either on the door or the window. Looks great that you removed the black paint from the door - that must have been quite a job!