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Dear Tony: We had a dreaded flood in our building caused by a defective washing machine where the pump switch failed to turn off. The tenant had started a load of laundry and left to get groceries.

The moment Kristen Lundgren and husband Louis Poulain saw the architect-designed mid-century-modern house in Duncan, they knew they had to have it 鈥� even if it meant giving up their 鈥減erfect鈥� oceanview house, which was a lot closer to work.

Gleeful notes continue to arrive in the daily rounds of emails.

Dear Helen: We have an apple tree that has not been pruned for around eight years. It has many, now woody, upright water sprouts. When is the best time to prune, and how much of the excess growth can safely be pruned away at one time? M.P.

I鈥檓 sensing gleeful anticipation all around 鈥� in people I meet, in the mail. A recent email from a gardener expressed it well: 鈥淚t鈥檚 March. Spring is coming.

Dear Tony: Our recent annual general meeting held electronically had 17 resolutions on the agenda for upgrades and repairs to our buildings. Our meeting dragged on for almost five hours and in the end, every resolution passed.

Dear Tony: Three years ago, my washing machine hose ruptured, causing a flood in my unit and the two units below me.

Zigzag windows and diamond-shaped skylights, Japanese-style alcoves, inner courtyards, jutting rooflines and high ceilings are just some of the details that make Joan McNeely鈥檚 home in Gordon Head a work of art.

I鈥檓 not much given to navel- gazing angst, but I must admit that the bout of cold, snowy weather last month reminded me how much I rely on time in the garden to maintain a sense of mental and physical well-being.

Dear Helen: You often write about pansies and violas. Do you prefer one over the other? P.L.