Unity works

By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall. ~ John Dickinson - The Liberty Song

Interest rates 5-28-08

Rates are higher again today. Durable goods orders were down .5% in April; excluding transportation orders were actually up 2.5%. Both figures beat economist’s expectations.

LOAN PROGRAM RATE FEE

30 Yr Fixed (Conforming) 6.250% 0.125

Conforming/Jumbo Fixed 6.500% 0.000

15 Yr Fixed (Conforming) 5.875% 0.000

Second 8.750% 0.000

Six ways to thwart those slugs and snails!

Adapted from Yankee Magazine's Panty Hose, Hot Peppers, Tea Bags, and more for the Garden: 1,001 Ingenious Ways to Use Common Household Items to Control Weeds, Beat Pests, Cook Compost, Solve Problems, Make Tricky Jobs Easy, and Save Time (Yankee Books, 2005). Slugs and snails are a huge problem in many gardens, especially those with tender-leafed plants that have lots of folds or large sheltering leaves low to the ground, such as lettuce, hostas and tender seedlings. Luckily, there are many ways to stop these critters.

1. Ammonia and water. Mix equal parts non-sudsing ammonia and water in a spray bottle. Visit the garden on a rainy morning or cool evening and spray the slugs as they feed. This technique is most effective on baby slugs, which thrive in the crowns of hostas and daylilies. As an added bonus, the ammonia converts to nitrogen and acts as a foliar food for the plants. (Note: Some ferns and seedlings may suffer leaf burn from this spray. Test on a single leaf first.)

2. Vinegar and water. Mix two parts vinegar and one part water in a spray bottle. Spray the mixture directly on slugs you see or as you find them under boards or in the crevices of rock gardens. Be careful not to let the spray come in contact with plant foliage.

3. Wood ashes. A ring of wood ashes from your fireplace will discourage slugs from climbing up the stems of plants. Sprinkle the ashes in a band a few inches wide, but don’t let them actually touch the stem of the plant. Caution: If your soil is alkaline, as it is in many parts of the West and Southwest, avoid putting ashes on your soil or in your compost heap. They can raise the pH even higher.

4. A window screen. Cut an old window screen into long strips at least 6 inches wide. Sink the strips 3 inches into the soil so that a fence surrounds your most vulnerable plants.

5. Clay pots. Lure slugs away from your plants to where you can find and destroy them. Set out small clay flowerpots turned upside down and propped up on one side with a flat rock. These traps are attractive enough to use in container plantings.

6. Damp cardboard, rolled-up newspaper, grapefruit rinds or damp burlap. Position these materials around your garden to collect slugs. Gather the items each morning and destroy the slugs. Or move the slugs, “hotels” and all, to your compost pile.

Welcome to the new Green Living newsletter!

Try making these small changes to your spring cleaning routine:

Install compact fluorescent light bulbs. They cost a few bucks more than traditional bulbs, but they can last ten times longer and use up to 75% less energy!

Open your windows rather than use toxic air fresheners. Phthalates (often listed as "fragrance" on ingredient labels) are found in many air fresheners and have been linked to asthma and allergies. Americans spend more time in their homes than ever before, so fresh air is important.

Make your own all purpose cleaner by mixing equal parts white vinegar and water. There will be no toxic chemicals to pollute your home and vinegar is a natural deodorizer (that leaves no odor behind once it dries).

Buy recycled paper towels that haven't been bleached with chlorine. Better yet, switch to reusable polyester or microfiber cloths that you can toss in the washing machine.

If you have a Green Living tip that you'd like to share, please email it to: robbin.stedman@gmail.com.

Exhausted and weighing in at about 1,000 pounds!

This is how I feel! Exhausted! After last week I have had my share of overwhelming stress. Some things have been coming to a head and it is wiping me out.

Then this last weekend Mike went out of town for a "guys" weekend in Chelan with 14-15 other guys. Hanging out, eatng pizza, playing poker, fishing, riding, lounging at the pool and golfing! I am glad that he had the opportunity to go and hand out with his friends and that he actually went! I kind of almost had to force him to go!

He always thinks that I up to something and that when he gets home things will somehow look different. What do you have planned already? (Me...I am innocent, this time, and had no plans for fun and games at all!) Or something will be missing. I did give him cause for that last thought. He went out of town a few years ago and I went through his closet and took out 2 GIANT black garbage bags full of stuff! But come on how long do men have to wait to clean out the closet? I had taken some items that he wanted to keep and since then he is wary of going out of town. You would think that he would be pleased to have the space but apparently not.:)

I was home with the kids, early Sat - Mon. night, and Chloe had a friend stay over all weekend. While the kids are not the hard part for me they do take some energy. I did manage to accomplish a great many tasks but I still fell short on energy and spunk. Usually I have a great deal of energy and don't poop out until late in the evening but I have just been feeling like this.

The laundry list of items that needs done around the house are huge this year with the remodel and digging up the ground to do it. The yard work is, I think, insurmountable this summer! It is so time intensive and money hogging also. I just keep picking away a few minutes here and there but by the time I am done weeding one flower bed the others are overgrown and screaming at me to weed them!!!

I absolutely love to garden and weed and plant. I just wish that the amount of time that it took was less or even better...that I had the time to spend on it that I would like to.