Dip Into Magazine About Ponds
Those pondering the how-to’s of installing a pond in their yards can subscribe to a magazine with plenty of information about all types of water features.
Pondscape Magazine comes free with a membership in the National Pond Society. Membership is $24 (10 issues of Pondscape); subjects covered in the magazine include aquatic plants, koi, aeration, products and wildlife. For information: (800) 742-4701.
A few kitchen mishaps
People responding to a Jenn-Air survey spend 41 percent of their time in the living room, 25 percent in the kitchen and 18 percent in the family room. What’s more interesting, though, are the responses to a question about unusual events that happened in kitchens. Here’s a sample:
“We were cooking crabs and they got out of the pot and began crawling all over the floor while we scrambled to catch them.”
“Our stove exploded.”
“Caught my sons drowning a cat in the sink.”
And several respondents reported animals - baby calves, an opossum, a rabbit and a horse - in their kitchens under a variety of circumstances.
On the Web
The tool company Black & Decker has gone into cyberspace. Its new home page address: http:/ /www.blackanddecker.com.
Staying warm and safe
Now that we’re in the thick of wood heating season, the Hand Tools Institute offers up these guidelines for safety during woodsplitting:
Wear safety goggles at all times.
The flat striking face of axes aren’t intended for driving wedges into wood; instead, use a woodchopper’s maul or a double-faced sledge.
Rest frequently, as fatigue can result in miscalculated swings.
A sample for those in love
The Rosemary Co., based in Michigan, creates memorial packets and wedding sachets, but there’s more than just the fragrant herb rosemary inside.
The wedding sachets are scented lily-of-the-valley with rosemary only for symbolism. Samples of the wedding sachets are available to engaged couples. Just call (517) 265-3891.
Test your yule knowledge
Here’s a bit of trivia to toss out during the Christmas dinner banter at your house: Who was the first president to have a Christmas tree in the White House: John Adams, Abraham Lincoln or Franklin Pierce?
If you answered Pierce, you’re ready to pull your chair up to the dinner table and hold your own in the conversation. Pierce trimmed the first Christmas tree with strings of popcorn and cranberries in the White House in 1856. It was illuminated with hundreds of white candles.
Clean up that mess
The holidays haven’t even happened and already we’re talking cleaning. But plan for spills for easier cleanup later.
Spills are easier to remove if you spray your tablecloth with either spray starch or fabric protector.
For spills on carpeting, blot up as much liquid as possible and then pour club soda on the spot, wait a few seconds and blot again.
To remove food stuck on casserole dishes, add boiling water and 2 tablespoons of baking soda and let it soak.
, DataTimes