Keeping birdfeed rodent free

Birdfeeding, when done properly, should not attract rodents. Mice and rats are attracted to a certain location, not because of birdfeeding, but due to conditions that they prefer. These include easy access to garbage, pet food, debris and improperly maintained waste storage areas.
Follow these simple steps to help keep feeding areas rodent free:
1. PUT FOOD IN A FEEDER.
Food scattered directly on the ground can be attractive to rodents.
2. DON’T OVERFEED.
Put out only as much food as the birds will eat in a day.
3. AVOID DISCOUNT SEED BLENDS.
They may contain large amounts of cereal grain fillers, which the birds don’t like to eat and usually end up on the ground. Instead, feed good seeds such as black oil sunflower, striped sunflower, safflower, sunflower chips, peanuts and good millet. Ground-feeding birds should be offered good seed in a tray or platform feeder.
4. ADDING A TRAY OR SCREEN below feeders to catch falling seed can help eliminate ground spillage.
5. USE BAFFLES TO ELIMINATE EASY ACCESS.
Hang baffles above the feeder to protect against roof rats and squirrels. Pole and post baffles help keep rodents from climbing up into the feeder.
6. KEEP FEEDING AREAS TIDY.
Sweep, rake, or clean-up spilled seed and seed husks at least once a week.
7. STORE SEED PROPERLY in a metal or heavy plastic container: not inside your screened lanai but in a closed shed or garage.
It has been said that feeding the birds is “nature’s therapy.” With today’s hectic, high-tech lifestyles, there are few activities that all ages can enjoy that are as calming as watching the antics of wild birds.
Feeding the birds is relaxing, entertaining and educational. It’s a great way to bring people and nature together.
www.floridapetpages.com

Keep ladder safety in mind when decorating for Christmas

November has become the month of preference for outdoor holiday decorating.
There are two reasons. If you live where winter is cold, it’s not as cold in November as in December. No matter where you live, decorating when you aren’t rushed is easier and safer.
Second, Thanksgiving Day is the new most-popular day to light decorations. Guests for Thanksgiving like to see your outdoor lights go on for the first time.
Whether you’re decorating a big evergreen outside or placing a topper on a tall indoor tree, you will need a ladder. The first order of the day is: Don’t climb alone. Have someone there to steady the ladder or help if you lose your balance.
The Home Safety Council gives these further instructions for safety:
* Check the ladder for loose screws or rungs before taking it outside.
* Don’t place your ladder on ground that is uneven or very soft. Put boards on the ground for a solid ladder base.
* Stay in the center of the steps when you climb and don’t lean too far in either direction.
* Never step on the top of the ladder, or the rung below it, because your center of gravity will be too high. Get a taller ladder if you need one.
* Avoid carrying too much up the ladder at one time. A study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that half of ladder accidents occur because people carry too much when going up or down.
* Always hold on to the side rails.
* Skip the beer and cocktails. Drinking before climbing increases the likelihood that you will lose your balance and fall.
A survey by the council and Werner Ladders shows that many people don’t use ladders safely, especially for Christmas decorating.
Of 1,000 people interviewed, 52 percent say they have worked on uneven ground; 47 percent admitted reaching farther than they should; 38 percent said they hang decorations outside after dark; 36 percent said they use the top two steps of the ladder.
About 20 percent admitted to drinking while climbing.

Keep the home fires burning

Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful! That crackling, cheerful dancing fire in the fireplace is sure to kindle deep appreciation from family and guests on chilly winter days.
Throughout the ages, the home hearth has been the center of cheer on dreary days.
For some, keeping the home fires burning, is virtually a sacred tradition. Mary-Anne Robb resident of the stately Cothay Manor in Somerset, England keeps the fire burning in her Great Hall from October until Easter. “Old houses,” she says, “should smell of beeswax and wood smoke.”
Perhaps with the rising costs of fuel, more homes will rekindle the tradition of a merry fire. If you are considering building a holiday fire, one if the first things you have to do choose wood. Of course different woods smell differently and burn for different periods. Dense hard wood such as oak and ash are slow, lazy burners. Spruce or cedar smell lovely but burn quickly. If you cut your own wood, cut your logs to size immediately then let them season a year.
A fire can take an hour or so to warm up a room, so plan ahead if you want to have one as a backdrop for dinner.
Robb recommends keeping a good layer of ash in the often-used fireplace, since it holds heat and cuts down on smoke. Remove some ash every two weeks or so, depending on the size of your fireplace. You can distribute it over your rose beds as a nutrient-rich mulch.
The editors at County Life UK recommend purchasing a firelighter to start your fire. To lay a proper fire, crisscross a layer of extremely dry kindling. Above that put two small, very dry logs balanced against each other as an arch. Start the kindling and logs with your firelighter. When the flames are high and going well, add coal or larger logs.

Accident numbers grow, whether you’re walking or driving on ice and snow

Accident numbers grow, whether you’re walking or riding on ice and snow
In wintery driving conditions, keep this keyword in mind: SLOW.
It means slower speed, slower acceleration, slower steering and slower braking. Slow means it will take longer to get where you’re going, so be patient and leave with time to spare.
A few things to remember
* Your headlights should be on.
* Four-wheel drive won’t help you stop any faster.
* Abrupt action while steering, braking or accelerating could make you lose control of the vehicle.
* Make your own driving decisions. Cruise control  can’t see ahead or judge the condition of the road.
Dealing with snowplows
* Washington State DOT cautions you never to crowd a snowplow. The front of the plow extends several feet and may cross the centerline or shoulder.
* Give plows plenty of room. They turn and exit frequently. Stay back about 15 car lengths.
* Snowplows can throw up a cloud of snow. Never drive into a snow cloud. There could be a plow inside.
* If you are behind a plow, stay there or use extreme caution when passing.
Safer walking
* If you are forced to walk in the street because there is deep snow on the sidewalk, wear bright colors so cars can easily see you.
* Wear shoes or boots that have traction, or wear ice-traction slip-ons over your shoes (about $10 at Target).
* Pay attention to where you are walking. Don’t be on a cellphone.
* Avoid carrying things, especially larger packages, which could throw you off balance.

Do you compost?

Table scraps, shredded newspaper, egg shells, coffee grinds, you name it! Did you know that you do not have to throw this into your garbage can?
A few years ago, the King County Garbage and Recycling system began a program that incorporated two different bins for recycling, one for garbage and one for compost!
I’ve been keeping a sly eye on it for a while through asking my parents what they think of handling their garbage and recyclables in this manner.
“We really like the system”, said Tom Reich, my dad and King County resident.
Why are we stuffing our landfills with garbage that can be successfully composted in organic matter? The stuff that people pay upwards of $5-$10 per BAG for each spring and fall?
It got my mind spinning with different thoughts, especially those that took the longer view in considering what would happen if everybody recycled their compostable waste.
After following that rabbit trail, I dove online and found out some rather interesting facts about you and I – “Us Americans” and our waste.
Composting is basically nature’s perfect method of recycling decomposed organic materials into a rich soil – compost! Otherwise known as “Black Gold” or “Brown Gold”.
This nutrient rich soil deposits essential minerals and “goodies” into whatever part of your yard you deem worthy. Some people even spread it lightly over their grass in the spring and fall as their “feeding”, instead of using commercial fertilizers, which contain nitrogen that actually depletes the carbon in the soil, not enrich.
In America over 30% of our “waste” is in the form of yard and food. If we were to compost that, we could help divert that waste from landfills, waterways and water treatment facilities.
Another benefit is you can reduce your pest problems and need for pest control, as well as improving the soil’s water retention ability.
Sandy soil? Clay filled? Not a problem when you add compost. The compost provides a balanced, slow-release source of nutrients that helps the soil hold nutrients long enough for plants to use them.
Another fantastic reason is the savings in your pocketbook. You won’t have to buy soil conditioners or expensive bags of manure or mulch. Just use your compost.
And one of the best reasons, which ties for a first place with eco-responsibility for me, is that you will be eating vegetables that are superior in nutrient quality. Plants grown in healthy composted soil have a much higher nutrient content.
Hopefully I have inspired you to do some research about composting. Anybody can do it, and materials and knowledge are abundant online and at the library, as well as your own friends. Ask around – you might be surprised!
As for me, I am happily tumbling my own compost in a wonderful tumbler that I found online on Craigslist from Woodland. Special thanks to Josh for listing it, so that I could bring my backyard compost pile up to a whole new level! But maybe the explanation of a “tumbling composter” is best left for another day…

Sudoku

How to solve sudoku puzzles
To solve a sudoku, you only need logic and patience. No math is required.
Simply make sure that each 3×3 square region has a number 1 through 9 with only one occurrence of each number.  Each column and row of the large grid must have only one instance of the numbers 1 through 9. The difficulty rating on this puzzle is easy. Answer same page.

Word Search: “Going Green”

Sudoku Answer – December 2010

Sudoku Challenge – December 2010

Holiday Time Crossword – December 2010

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