Home and Garden
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How to change the way you make coffee to improve your life — forever
Feb 18, 2026 5:06 am - Coffee needs a Buy It For Life makeover. We’re wasting good money, and beans, on shoddy equipment. That new $50 drip coffee maker on your counter? Destined for the landfill after a few years of dispensing mediocre coffee. Here’s a guide to affordable, repairable coffee equipment that’s designed to last decades.
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Home & garden calendar, Feb. 18-28Feb 17, 2026 6:19 pm - Upcoming gardening club meetings and events in the Chicago suburbs, covering topics like resilient landscapes, native pollinators, warblers, and more.
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A kaleidoscope of oddball tomatoes to try as seed-starting season nears
Feb 17, 2026 4:55 pm - Seed-starting time is right around the corner, and that means it’s time to think about tomatoes. There’s a whole kaleidoscope of tomatoes you can grow in your garden.
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Your home is too boring. Let’s get a little weird.
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Tips on composting to improve garden soil and starting seeds for annualsFeb 17, 2026 2:21 pm - Chicago Botanic Garden director Tim Johnson shares tips on composting to improve garden soil and starting seeds for slow-growing annuals.
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Refunds from negligent home inspectorsFeb 17, 2026 2:08 pm - After we bought our home, multiple problems were discovered. None were reported by our home inspector. When we called to complain, he said his liability is limited to a refund of his inspection fee.
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How to handle condo owner who pounds on ceiling when hearing neighbor’s noiseFeb 11, 2026 11:40 am - The owners of a unit in our condo building are harassing the owners above them for everyday noise and retaliating by pounding on the walls and ceilings. What can the board do?
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How to choose and care for cut flowersFeb 10, 2026 4:07 pm - Valentine’s Day is coming, and cut flowers make a great gift for your special person.
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Homeowner concerned about foundationFeb 10, 2026 4:00 pm - I found a house that I really like, but the home inspection report says there may be foundation problems. How can I determine the cost to fix the foundation, and if in it actually needs to be fixed?
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‘Everyone’s tired of winter’: Chicago Botanic Garden’s annual orchid show offers a colorful escape