Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/102007
Saturday, January 5, 2013 – Daily News 3B Country Life garden & home Winter treats for visiting birds By Kathy Van Mullekom Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) (MCT) The birds at our house thrive on a gourmet diet — pretty much yearround. There's a meal worm feeder for bluebirds, nut feeder for woodpeckers, thistle feeder for finches, safflower feeder for cardinals and black oil sunflower seed feeder for everyone. Overripe blueberries, chopped apples, orange wedges and banana slices are placed in a fly-through feeder, and nut- and fruitenhanced suet goes out when the temperatures drop into the 30s. All feeders are caged or baffled to prevent rude raiders like squirrels and raccoons. This time of year, the birds depend on the feeders because most natural seeds, berries and insects are gone. Mealworms, which used to be icky to handle and keep because they were alive, now come in easy-use, freeze-dried form. Mix mealworms in with seed to provide extra protein. Mealworms are available at wildlife and garden specialty centers, as well as Lowe's stores. "With a little preparation and the right blend of food, water and shelter, you can fill your back yard with the bright colors and welcome song of birds all season — and give your feathered friends the help they need to thrive throughout the year," says Elaine Cole, owner of Cole's wild bird products, sold nationwide, www.coleswild- Two useful techniques for keeping a door open By Alan J. Heavens The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT) MCT photo Materials for a pine cone bird feeder include: seed in shallow container like a disposable aluminum pan, peanut butter, twine, pine cone and knife. bird.com. For extras during winter, create decorative edibles for the birds. Large pine cones can be smothered in peanut butter, rolled in birdseed and then hung via twine on evergreens at the edge of your deck or yard. Suet mixed with raisins and seed can be stuffed into pine cones and hung. You can see a tutorial of this on the new mobile app TutoriALL, available free for download at app stores. Stale bread and bagel halves can be done the same way. Toast the bread, smear on peanut butter, spoon on birdseed and add a ribbon, yarn or twine hanger. Cookie cutters can be Water is staining countertops By Alan J. Heavens The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT) Q: We recently installed new granite tile countertops and backsplash in our kitchen. We are noticing that if we place a wet object on the countertop, the granite is stained in that area. Most of the time it fades in a few days, but lately, we are noticing the dark stains staying longer. Is there any way to remove these or to prevent them in the first place? A: We have granite countertops and don't have this problem, so I can only tell you what other readers tell me. Most water stains are only a temporary problem. The granite may darken or lighten in color when the water is absorbed into the stone. However, once the water evaporates, the color of the stone should return to normal. You need to seal the surface regularly with a high-quality sealant, which prevents water absorption. I seal ours once a year. If you have hard water making the stains, they can be removed with vinegar. ——— Q: Two years ago, we had a four-inch plastic corrugated drain pipe installed under the edges of the basement floor, about one foot from the bottom of the foundation, with rock surrounding it and weep holes in the bottom of the walls so groundwater that drained down through the wall would leak into the pipe area and drain to the sump. Works pretty well so far, especially last year with Irene, and more recently with Sandy dumping lots of rain on our area. However, about two months after the pipe was installed, we started seeing little black drain flies — not too many, but somewhat noticeable in the basement. Didn't know where they were coming from, and it wasn't a significant problem. The last two winters, they disappeared. This summer they were worse than last, and they began coming upstairs. They appear to be breeding in the little bit of water that stays in the bottom of the corrugated pipe when water isn't flowing much. I tried pouring a bleach-water mixture into the pipe at the cleanout, and into the sump, but that seems to have only minor effects. The company that installed the pipe said that shouldn't happen, and came over and poured a gallon of something called Mediquat down the pipe. It smelled good, and seemed to clean everything out for about three to four days. Then the smell returned and we saw the flies again. Can we solve the problem permanently? A: You have the same setup that I have in my basement. While I assume there must be some dampness in the perimeter drains all the time, I don't think uncontaminated water will cause flies to breed. What I've seen online is that the breeding typically occurs when there is bacteria present. I run the dehumidifier into the sump from March to October. There is something other than just water facilitating the breeding of the flies. You need to find out what it is, have the source of the leak repaired and the area cleaned. used to make special shapes such as hearts, stars and such. Or, smear an empty toilet paper roll with peanut butter, roll it in birdseed and slip it onto a tree branch for birds to enjoy. "You really keep it simple when you use toppings of wild bird seed on medium-sized scoops of chunky peanut butter and place them outdoors on tree trunks and branches," says Cole. Suet bags for birds can be made from pieces of suet from the butcher; slip them into a red mesh onion bag, or place a suet cake in the bag and hang with red ribbon. A cardboard egg carton can be transformed into a feeder, according to the National Wildlife Federations — nwf.org/Kids/FamilyFun/crafts/homemadesuet-feeder.aspx "This suet feeder is fun for kids to make," says federation spokeswoman Mary Burnett. "If you didn't want to go with an egg carton, you can probably just make a big ball of the suet, tie a string around it and hang in your backyard. "I've also seen homemade suet feeders where they stuff the suet into a half of a hollowed-out orange or grapefruit skin. Put a hole in it and hang with string in your backyard. Stand back and watch the birds come. Q: Years ago you explained how and where to place a piece of cardboard to keep a door from closing. It worked like a charm and has kept my master-bedroom door open, except when I closed it, for years. Recently, however, someone removed my magic piece of cardboard, and I have not been able to figure out where to put it back to achieve the same result. I would be grateful for any help you can give me. A: It doesn't seem to have been that long ago, but time flies, and it was 2009. I used my own advice on our firstfloor bathroom door about a year ago. There are two ways to do this without removing the door. One is to loosen the screws holding the bottom hinge to the door frame just enough to slide a cardboard shim underneath the hinge. (Any flexible piece of cardboard will be sufficient.) Tighten the screws. If there is some, but not enough, improvement, loosen the screws again and fold the cardboard to increase the thickness of the shim. You can finetune the shim until the door stays open. The second technique requires that you remove the door pin from the bottom hinge. Then bend the pin slightly by striking its head gently with a hammer on a hard surface such as concrete. Then tap the pin back into the hinge. The bent pin supposedly creates enough resistance to keep the door from closing by itself. ——— From Frank: "I read your column concerning the person who had a window in their shower. "We have a window in our shower, and you are absolutely correct — nothing seems to protect the wood. "However, after the second time the wood rotted, I located a composite material, available at Lowes, that looks like wood trim and can be milled to any shape. I used that to trim out the window. "We love the window, by the way, as it gives excellent light and incredible ventilation in the shower area." Good advice, even though I am wary about using composite material in any high-moisture area. For many years, I was hearing from readers who saw spots develop on the composite. It appeared to be mold and mildew and proved difficult to remove through traditional methods. Since this is a high-moisture area, I'd be careful. ——— Q: How does one know if a furnace should be replaced? We have a 17-year-old gas model. We had a minor air-conditioning repair done in August and were told it was in good shape and working well. We will be selling the home in three years, and it will be a 20-year-old system by then, which might be a deal breaker for a potential buyer, especially in this market. Is there a website for calculating when to replace a given model or one that would give me more information to help make this decision? A: I'd start with www.energystar.gov and then follow the directions. Good luck. Home-based resolutions By Mary Beth Breckenridge Akron Beacon Journal (MCT) I'm not big on New Year's resolutions. It's not that I couldn't stand some self-improvement. It's just that it takes more than a calendar page to spur me on to meaningful change. Still, once the bustle of the holidays is past, I often find myself indulging in a little dreaming about how I might make my home better. A new paint color for the laundry room? New tile in the sun porch? The possibilities are delicious. So maybe my resolutions this year will be about improving my surroundings. Maybe I'll resolve to finally paint over the Cleveland Indians colors in my son's bedroom or update the guest bathroom with the awful cabbagerose border. How about you? Your home-improvement resolutions don't need to be big projects. Sometimes little changes can make a big difference, and the satisfaction you get just might encourage you to keep going. Here are a few ideas to get you started: —Edit. Most of us have too much stuff. We accumulate things little by little, but we never seem to take anything away. Before you know it, our rooms are cluttered, physically or visually or both. The cure for a bloated room is editing, and it's a project you can tackle in just a few hours. Empty the room of everything except the big pieces of furniture, MCT photo For small mirrors, decorative wall fixtures placed on each side of the mirror will provide the even, shadow-free facial illumination that is necessary for your daily grooming tasks in the bathroom. and then put back only the things you really like or need. You might be surprised at how many possessions you can easily do without, and how much better the room looks without them. —Explore. When you live in a home long enough, you stop seeing it the way visitors do. You no longer notice the nicks in the woodwork or the rust on the registers. Once in a while, it's helpful to walk around your house and look for all the little things that need to be painted, replaced or otherwise attended to. Take a notebook or recorder with you to take note of what needs doing, then make a to-do list that you can tackle one chore at a time. —Pin. If you haven't yet discovered Pinterest, check it out. The social media site www.pinterest.com is a virtual bulletin board where users "pin" all sorts of ideas. It's not just about home decorating, but that's what I like it for most. I love poring over the pictures, and I almost always come away inspired. When you find something you like, you pin it to a board you've created. I have boards full of ideas for individual rooms in my house, fireplace mantel decorations, craft projects, organizing tips and even one I've labeled "bookshelf porn." No, it's not smut. I just really, really, really love bookshelves. Spend an hour on Pinterest, and I guarantee you'll come away with at least one idea to make your home better — if you can tear yourself away long enough to actually accomplish it. —File. Creating a design file is sort of the manual version of Pinterest. A design file is just a place to gather photos and information that inspire you. I use a plain old file folder, but a binder or shoebox would work just as well. When you come across something you like — a picture in a magazine, a paint chip, a swatch of fabric — put it in the file. It doesn't even have to relate to a project you have planned. It's just a place for gathering stuff you like. Then periodically look through the file. You might be surprised to discover something that's just what you're looking for at that moment. —Paint. It's been said that paint is one of the cheapest ways to change your surroundings. A gallon or two of paint and a weekend's worth of work can transform a room.