Gardening Calendar Perfect Christmas Gift
Yes, it’s time already to be thinking Christmas gifts. And for those gardeners on your list, the Master Gardener program already has a perfect present: a 1997 calendar.
But this isn’t just another day-by-day planner. The cumulative knowledge about gardening in the Inland Northwest was gathered in a spiral-bound, 166-page book containing articles, tips, monthly to-do planners, charts and gardening records. There are places to record your own gardening plans and accomplishments and to keep a gardening journal.
Seed money to produce the first version of the calendar/journal was a memorial gift honoring master gardener Elmer Williams.
The proceeds benefit Master Garden programs in Spokane. The calendar is $12.50 and will be available at the Friends of Manito plant sale Sept. 7-8, at the Interstate Fair and at the County Extension office, 222 N. Havana, weekdays during business hours. It’s also available by phone (add $2 for shipping) by calling 533-2048.
Tour our Web page
Those plugged into the Web should take some time to tour The Spokesman-Review’s Web page for gardeners. The Gardeners Guide is included in the newspaper’s on-line publication, Virtually Northwest.
The gardening component includes a calendar of upcoming events of special interest to gardeners, gardening tips, and guides to garden clubs, area garden centers and gardening mail-order businesses. To get there: www.VirtuallyNW.com or go directly to the garden page at www.VirtuallyNW.com/vnw/sections/ gardenin/cover.htm.
Cut stress of moving
Who needs more stress? Especially if there’s a move in the works. Mayflower Transit found moving is the third most stressful event in life, behind death of a family member or a divorce. To help people reduce stress while selling a house or moving, MetLife is offering free brochures. To get “About Selling a Home” or “About Moving,” call (800) 638-5433 or access the brochures at www.lifeadvice.com.
Timer switch appears random
Routine is the friend of burglars, so vacationers leaving timers that switch lights on and off automatically may be defeating the purpose, that being the appearance they are home evenings. A new mechanical timer will switch lights on and off seemingly randomly but actually the sequence is programmed by the homeowner.
IntelliTimer functions as a standard wall switch with a security timer. It has battery backup. Cost is about $30 and it’s available through Home Base and Home Depot stores.
What bugs us
Apparently no one likes bugs; at least that’s what a survey by Orkin Pest Control says. But that doesn’t mean we let them run rampant in our houses and yards. Someone has to do the deed when spiders and roaches are spotted, and the survey says 65 percent of us kill bugs on sight.
That’s not surprising, but this might be: A quarter of the men surveyed prefer to return the bug to nature (only 15 percent of the women go this route).
What bugs are we most afraid of? In order: bees/wasps, spiders, ticks, roaches, termites.
Orkin is offering a free Pest Identification Guide; it’s a bit unnerving to read but it’s well-done. Call (800) 800-ORKIN for a copy or check out the company’s home page: http://www.orkin.com.
, DataTimes