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by: Marilyn Pokorney

The black walnut tree manufactures a substance that is a natural insecticide according to experts at the Texas State University in Austin.

American black walnut tress contain a tannic acid chemists call juglone. The reddish yellow substance leaches from leaves, and some believe exudes from roots, or transfers from branches and foliage to the roots. Tree physiologists agree that roots of other plants that come in contact with those black walnut tree roots die--

by: Marilyn Pokorney

Fleas have plagued dogs, cats, and their owners since time began so ways to kill or repel them has been a constant search. Today, with the shake of a can, the spray of a bottle, or a flea dip fleas are more easily controlled. But before these controls were available, pet owners were constantly on the lookout for a better way to free their pets of these disease carrying insects.

The flea can cause many illnesses including anemia, tapeworms, typhus, and skin infe

by: Linda Paquette

The geranium that brightens your landscape with its brightly colored flowers may be one of two different species. If you successfully over-wintered your geranium, chances are it is an herbaceous perennial from the genus Geranium. However, most often the geraniums that delight us with their profuse blooms are from the genus Pelargonium.

The geranium, which originated in South Africa, made its entrance to the European continent in the 1600s and has been propagated an

by: Nick Smith

Unless youve recently moved from Alaska to Texas and youre feeling a little homesick, chances are that the last thing you want to see when you turn on your TV is snow. Combine a snowy screen with that loud, obnoxious static sound, and youve got a problem on your hands. Fortunately you dont have to be techie to fix your cable box " just follow these simple troubleshooting steps to get picture back in no time.

Cable Box Basics

Make sure your cable box is plugged in.

by: Teddy L.Cc

Want to know more about United States satellite TV business despite getting those ‘free‘ satellite TV deals?

As you all may already known, satellite TV business in United States are mainly dominated by two companies, Dish Network and DirecTV. If you would like to have a satellite TV in your home, your choices are mostly limited to the free satellite TV packages that offered by either one Dish Network or DirecTV.

Here‘s some quick view on United S

by: Lesley Dietschy

Visualize watching a bright green hummingbird in your garden moving from flower to flower in search of the tasty nectar within. These beautiful and tiny birds weigh about 2 to 20 grams and are found in a wide variety of environments from the high Andes to lowlands, and from dry desert areas to rainforests. They have slender beaks, extensible tongues, ten primary feathers, and tiny feet suitable for perching but not walking.

Hummingbirds can fly straight up, st

by: M J Plaster

If you‘d like to try your hand at candle making, set aside two hours one day next weekend, and start with an easy project, using your old candles to test the waters. If it‘s instant gratification you crave, you‘ll see the fruits of your labor in just a couple of hours with a minimum expenditure for supplies.

People often speak of candle making and soap making in the same sentence as if they are similar experiences. The process is not the same. If yo

by: Johann Erickson

Most might think that fishing dcor is only for little cabins in the woods, but this style of decorating can actually work well in any home. For the avid fisherman who also enjoys a bit of nostalgia, this is the perfect dcor for a den or a game room. Some items may be stock full of memories of fishing days gone by, while others are local flea market finds! If youre thinking about redecorating his special room in this vein, you might actually get him interested in visit

by: Lesley Dietschy

Have you ever had the pleasure of strolling through a forest covered with fragrant pine needles? Can you imagine those pine needles being crafted into a basket, tray, or sculpture? In this article, you will discover the brief history of pine needle baskets and how to use these beautiful and fragrant works of art in your home decor.

Pine needle basketry has most likely existed for as long as pine trees and people have shared the earth. Historical references do n

by: Martin Smith

Pre-drawn house plans are those that are drawn by architects or home designers and then offered for sale, unlike those that are drawn for an individual, with input from the customer. While this method may be a great idea, there are definite benefits to purchasing pre-drawn house plans. Architects and home designers that do custom home designing also do a lot of their own designs, and it is these plans that are offered for sale They are adept at making plans that utilize

by: Martin Smith

You have finally found the perfect lot, in the neighborhood of your choice, and at a price you can afford. Now you have to decide what type of house you want built. In fact you may even know the house you want, be it a big rambling farmhouse, with a wrap-a-round porch reminiscent of your grandmothers home, a rustic log cabin or a more modern luxurious home. Whatever you choose, the first thing you will need is a set of house plans.

An architect can draw up plans to y

by: Wally Conway

Homebuyers are an interesting study. Watching people make their home buying decisions has brought me to the conclusion that every decision that every one of us makes is based in emotion. You heard me, it‘s all about the emotion. Before you deny what I am describing to you, let me begin with me.

Painful as the revelation is for me, even I as a Naval Academy graduate, retired Navy pilot, and home inspector extraordinaire, make decisions based on emotion. It took

by: Wally Conway

Home inspections conducted prior to a home being placed on the market is one of the wisest moves a seller can make. The initial response from sellers when approached with the idea of an inspection done as the home is about to be put up for sale is most always the same - "What?!"

Let‘s review a few of the most common concerns about Pre-Listing Home Inspections.

1. "The buyer will not accept an inspection done for the seller."

That is correct! The inspect

by: James Ellison

Organic gardeners all know compost is fantastic stuff. But now, there‘s something even better and that‘s compost tea. If you start with a good compost you‘ll have a versatile elixir for all your garden needs. Compost tea helps prevent foliage diseases and at the same time increase the nutrients to the plant and shutdown the toxins hurting the plants. It will improve the taste/flavor of your vegetables. So why not give this tea a try either by buying it

by: Wally Conway

Homebuyers are a curious lot. They routinely ask thought-provoking questions. A common question is, "If I get a home inspection, should I still get a home warranty?" Then there‘s always this question, "If I get a home warranty, do I still need a home inspection?"

The choice between having a home inspection and purchasing a home warranty is a question that I frankly do not understand. Each is intended to serve a separate purpose and ideally work together to prot

by: Wally Conway

Amazing as it may seem, homes inspected prior to going on the market have two very significant attributes:

1. They sell faster than homes not inspected until the buyer has made an offer.

2. They sell closer to the asking price than homes not inspected until the buyer has made an offer.

Why the heck does that happen?

When the buyer makes an offer, there is an assumption made by the buyer, reasonable or not, that there is nothing wrong with the home! If the

by: Wally Conway

Few times in the life of a homeowner can be more challenging than when significant repairs are needed. The number of issues, options and decisions seems endless, the most daunting of which is contractor selection.

When choosing a contractor for a repair or renovation the most fundamental of screening techniques is the assurance that the contractor is properly licensed. The tales of tragedy brought about by the illegal actions of unlicensed contactors are enough to sc

by: Wally Conway

Frequently, we get the request in our office for a "partial" inspection. This is another of those things that truly escapes my logic. While I am sure that the basis for this request is the desire to reduce the expense of the inspection, partial inspections are often a high-risk event for everyone concerned. Let me explain by way of example.

The most common partial inspection request is the roof inspection. This is due primarily to the high replacement cost of the roo

by: Wally Conway

Happy New Year!

Here I sit on the first workday of the year. The office is not yet open and the phone has not yet rung. I love this time of year. Nothing yet accomplished, and no mistakes yet made. It is a wonderful time to reflect on the year that was, and look ahead toward the year that is yet to be.

The idea that comes to mind is that it will be a fantastic year if we can inspect another 3000 homes and do it without a single complaint! A lofty goal indeed, but

by: Wally Conway

Deal Killers, Contract Assassins, Home Inspectors! Call them what you will, but the most important thing you can know is WHO to call. But how do we know who call, and how do we judge their expertise?

Home inspectors are quite simply the eyes and ears of the home being examined. They are the objective voice of the home. The mantra of the home inspectors should be "if the home could speak, what would it say". It is critical that the inspector can speak in a manner that

by: Wally Conway

Ho, Ho, Ho, Holiday greetings to you!

Every year at this time I can‘t help but notice the beautiful holiday lighting and adornment. It‘s great to see that even homes with a "For Sale" sign on the front lawn have been bedazzled with lights! But this good deed seldom goes without also decking the halls with many holiday hazards.

You may be feeling happy for the holidays, but you‘ll be roasting more than chestnuts if you lose respect for the danger

by: Wally Conway

Spring has sprung! Even more important than buds, birds, and bees, spring brings buyers! When buyers are looking for a place to nest, they would really rather not see problems. As it turns out, nearly every home inspected has problems or imperfections of some sort or size. Most issues are very minor and simple to correct. Almost all are a result of deferred maintenance.

Most of these simple deferred maintenance problems, when discovered during the home inspection, c

by: Wally Conway

Waterfront living is among the most desirable of locations in our area. The views and vistas are fantastic, not to mention the ability to walk out one‘s door to drop a line to fish or untie a line to enjoy boating. However, all this joy is not without some special concerns.

The most common fear heard from waterfront homebuyers is their concern that the river may rise and roll into their home. While it is not an impossible scenario, it is truly rare. More often

by: Wally Conway

In a previous life I was a Navy Pilot. Great life, great people to be around. People who were all doing great things around the world flying off great big aircraft carriers. In an environment that complex and dangerous, you need to have teams of people working as one, or bad things begin to happen in large quantities.

The people onboard aircraft carriers are divided into two groups, those that make the ship float and those that make the planes fly. Those that make th

by: Wally Conway

Mold has taken hold! Not that the microbes have reached out and grabbed us, but rather they have captured our attention. A rash of recent high profile media stories have petrified many people with concerns for both their health and finances. While it is true in some situations that variations and concentrations of mold can kill us both physically and financially, in the vast majority of cases mold problems can be remedied simply and economically.

Molds exist naturall

by: Marilyn Pokorney

Damping off is the single term used to describe underground, soil line, or crown rots of seedlings due to unknown causes. The term actually covers several soil borne diseases of plants and seed borne fungi. The fungi which cause root rot are species of Phyium, Phytophthora, Rhizoctonia and Fusarium.

There are two types of damping off: pre-emergence and post- emergence. In pre-emergence damping-off, seeds may rot and seedlings may decay before they emerge.

by: Judy Leiser

Mosquitoes have always been pesty visitors when it comes to summer enjoyment, but because of the West Nile virus, it has become critical that we do whatever we can to reduce the number of mosquitoes paying visits to our yards.

Paradox Productions has come up with a list of strategies to minimize the attack of the mosquitoes this summer. Most are based on reducing the number of mosquitoes or reducing the desire of the mosquito to attack your tasty family members.

by: Christian Krohn

Making the decision to purchase an electric plunge router is an easy one. There is no other tool as flexible as a router. You can use a router for drilling, straight or grooved routing, profiling, edge forming, and lettering. The difficult part you will discover is finding just one that is right for you.

There are various types of routers available with numerous features, tempting you to purchase a router with the most features. This is a great idea if you are an

by: Christian Krohn

On your next project, will you be using the right hammer for the job? Save yourself some time and be sure to use the right one.

Hammers come in many different shapes and forms. Using the wrong hammer can make a project go sour real quick. It‘s a good idea to know what hammers are available and when to use them.

Sledgehammer: One of the big daddy‘s of the hammer family. This hammer is probably the biggest hammer you‘ll use. This hammer is mai

by: Mandy Nemenko

So you know the benefits of purifying your drinking water and have already installed a filter for your kitchen tap. But what happens when you get thirsty upstairs and the closest water faucet is in the bathroom? This is where a whole house water filter system will benefit you.

A whole house water filter produces purified water for all water sources in your house. Because it is a point-of-entry system, you will have purifed wter for every faucet, bathtub, even toile