We are a limited-equity housing cooperative (LEHC) of 32 adults and 1 child (not including one renter and their roommate) in our 24 mostly one-bedroom units in two three-story buildings near the University of California, Berkeley. We have no shared kitchen and dining area, but each fourth floor has a large common room with laundry facilities and a large deck that overlooks the bay. Outside, ivy and asphalt have given way to garden plots with edible plants, flowers, berry, grape and kiwi vines, and 15 bearing fruit trees. We hold a potluck supper/business meeting and several committee meetings each month. Parties and public meetings occur regularly throughout the year. The mention of "piano" or "cat" is guaranteed to generate controversy. Self-managed, we are less concerned than we used to be about failures to reach consensus -- but we do try for that, or for a reasonable compromise, before going to a vote. One renter from our pre-cooperative days still lives in one of our units and has added a roommate, and not all members participate -- both situations pose challenges. The summer of 2004 saw the co-op agree by consensus to four months of successful but contentious decisions to re-paint the exterior stucco along with three trim colors, following numerous surveys, ad hoc subcommittee meetings, and special and regular board meetings. The buildings are eye-catching, and the salmon color complements our fire escape vines and other greenery. We accomplished a miraculous feat of participatory democracy, including all the harangues that Congress typically experiences. (We are all still friendly.) When a vacancy occurs, we try to select people who want to get involved. Useful skills, concern about the environment, and socially responsible activities and interests don't hurt. The state law for an LEHC limits the selling price for a unit when the owner moves out, which keeps our housing affordable. Our units are now well below market rate for the San Francisco Bay area. We welcome visitors to our monthly potluck meetings but ask that you contact a member first.