Hunter (German Shepherd)
What a loving-looking dog! Wags and licks to you, Hunter! From Joy (Cantates Brittany Spaniel)
Save Money on Air Conditioning
Using an exhaust fan to pull in the cool night air rather than running AC all night saves money. Thick curtains that are made to reflect heat help also, especially on the east side in the morning and the west in the afternoon. Keeping the outside unit in the...
Planning For A Pamper Party?
Give each guest a 3x5 card and have them write something about your mom that they appreciate. If you want, you can provide colored pens or pencils to write with. You can also have them write about each other, if youre brave. A few loving words are the most...
Effective Homemade Cleaners?
I have been using vinegar on floors, sinks, toilets, bath tiles and tub, in short anything that needs a wet cleaning, for about a year and a half. My house smells fresher and I dont seem to have as many sinus allergies either. As I use up bought cleaners I...
Oolong Tea?
www.oolongtea.org has a huge amount of very interesting information on oolong tea, and links. Just make sure you hit the English button (on the right) to enter. Cantate in Japan
Dealing With Annoying Birds?
Hang old CDs from branches so they move with the wind. The flashing and reflecting movement scares the birds. Or so say the Japanese farmers and gardeners Ive seen doing this. I have also seen farmers tie plastic shopping bags to posts by a string (rattling...
Musty Smelling Bed?
Get rid of the matress and get futon (foam matress pads, Japanese style). You can hang these out to air several times a year and have no problem at all. (I live in Japan and this is how everyone keeps their matresses smelling fresh in this humid country.) Cantate
Getting Animal Feed from the Food Store
My dog loves certain edible weeds (edible by humans as well): goosegrass, chickweed and large grasses. I let them grow for a while, then pull them and give them to her. She chomps them happily down. (I knew there had to be a use for weeds!) http://www.countrylovers...
Growing Cabbage in Containers?
I am, but they havent turned into a head yet. Last year the ants ate them, and the leaf borers got in. This year I surrounded them with marigolds and the leaf borers got them instead. Mine are in separate pots which I made from old wastebaskets. Cantate in...
Getting Rid of Japanese Beetles?
Take a milk jug (narrow neck and big body) and half fill with water. Add a squirt of dish detergent, a tablespoon or so of vinegar and the same of sugar. The beetles will go for the sweet smell, get trapped in the soapy water and die inside the bottle, and...
Foster the Cat
He is certainly fluffy, cute and relaxed! I think you should change his name from Foster to Mine (or Ours as the case may be)! Cantate (plus five cats and a dog)
Cures for a Scratchy Voice?
Im a vocal music teacher and have had experience with this kind of problem, both with myself and with students and fellow teachers. Dont speak in a low voice and dont whisper, as it clashes your tender vocal cords together as much as shouting does, and can...
Removing Newspaper Ink from Dishes?
I dont know for sure, but a thick paste of baking soda and water works for a lot of stains like that. It really gets out tea stains, for example. I just scrub with baking soda, a few drops of water, and finger pressure.
Acclimating a New Cat?
I have four of my own cats and sometimes babysit (for a year at a time) cats belonging to friends who go back to spend a year in the States, so acclimation has to happen fast. I was going to suggest just what the above post said with the addition of gradually...
Other Uses for a Rice Cooker?
You can put some water (maybe about 1/2 inch?) in the bottom and put cut up potatoes or sweet potatoes in and cook them Cantate in Japan
Flooring for Bad Knees?
Bamboo is much more springy so I would think it would be better. You might also consider tatami matting (which is rice straw matting and, in Japan anyway, it is about an inch thick) because it has much more give than wood. I assume you could get it somehow...
Sealing Grout?
Thanks for all this feedback! I was not concerned so much with dirty grout as with the water going through it and getting into the foundation. I am happy to see somebody else uses only hot water and vinegar for cleaning because it works well, and thats what...
Solution for a Very Invasive Weed?
possibilities: cover the ground with cardboard boxes or black plastic to kill off the weed plant mint (its invasive too) or maybe wild strawberries (shade-loving) I also have a fern problem on occasion, but when I pull them up regularly they dont take over...
Getting Rid of Canada Thistle
Never had Canada Thistle, but if youre planning on killing it off with black plastic, you can build a garden bed on top of that (or newspaper). Put newspaper (wet pads of it) over the ground and build up layers of earth, compost, grass clippings, dead leaves...
