The two new living room windows are now in, but not trimmed. They are beautiful. They are roughly 105"x60 and 55x60. Now I'm thinking "window treatments."

This is a small room and we have two large dogs. They are well behaved, but go nuts when a squirrel or cat crosses the front yard. Drapes will not survive.

I want light blocking treatments for the hot summer days and to be able to open them completely at other times.

I have a list of "can not use" treatments. Could you suggest something that might work, and be more glamorous (LOL), than the vertical blinds I'm considering.

I do not want to use...

- Bamboo blinds; they hold too much dust

- Roman shades; I don't care for the bulk

- Floor length anything; the boys will rip them up

- Ceiling height anything; I don't like the look for myself

I'd hate to purchase traverse rods and expensive lined drapes to hang in this old house. They'd be covered in dust from the commercial farming and I'm sure even at sill length the dogs would rub against them. They would have to be machine washable.

I love...

* Shear, old fashioned lace panel curtains; but I want night time privacy. I want the treatments to look nice from the street side, too.

* Shutters - but then again I can't have them fully opened. Winter darkness here in North Dakota is a foe to be battled. I have a Purple Martin colony, and a large bird feeding station in my front yard. I want to be able to watch them unobstructed.

* The ease, easy cleaning, and no-worry of vertical blinds.

* I'm not opposed to thick, light blocking, vinyl roller shades either.

Is there any hope for me? What's a girl to do?