bamboo spreads fast...
you could be tempted to plant a stand of bamboo between your yard and a neighbors. it grows fast, is environmentally friendly and would give you privacy.
be careful. clumping bamboo is not invasive, but running bamboo spreads relentlessly. its roots are extremely hard, and it is oblivious to herbicides like "roundup". you can shoot it, dig it, poison it, or plow it with a bulldozer, but you may never be able to get rid of it. and it can spread to the neighbors' yards.
running bamboo is beautiful, so people plant it anyway.
at bamboo gardener in seattle, they recommend encasing the planting area with high-density polyethylene sheeting sunk 2 1/2 feet into the ground. it must be 80 mil, about half an inch thick, so bamboo can't pierce it.
horticulturists at the university of maryland say the applying of weed killer at precise times can kill bamboo, but their advice is not to plant it. one person at the university claims that if you cut it down close to the ground, let it grow back up and cut it down again three times, it might not come back.
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more uninsured cars...
the insurance research council is urging all vehicle owners to be sure their auto insurance policy covers damage by uninsured drivers.
even in good economic times, they say, 15 percent of drivers are not insured.
more drivers than ever are letting their car insurance lapse because of the sour economy.
data from the council's recent study shows that a single percentage point increase in the unemployment rate is associated with a half-point increase in the percentage of uninsured drivers.
only about 20 states require drivers to buy coverage for uninsured or underinsured motorists. uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage adds about 7 percent to a policy premium, according to state farm auto insurance.
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why boys need to help with housework...
there are probably good reasons why there has been a 25 percent drop in the amount of housework kids do today as compared with 30 years ago.
kids spend more time on schoolwork, youth groups and athletics. and parents do less of it themselves because of modern appliances and hiring help to do it for them.
in any case, parents are more likely to assign household chores to girls. but studies at the university of maryland show that girls hoped to share housework and child care with spouses when they marry. and studies reported in the american journal of sociology show that marriages are more stable when domestic duties are shared.
wWhat else can you tell your son about doing chores? remind him that he will probably have his own apartment in a few years. he should know how to care for his own place.
at the university of massachusetts amherst, sociologists say housework helps to develop the habit of serving others. stocking the bathroom, cleaning up, and mowing the lawn help boys learn that the world is not all about them.
teach your son about cooking and nutrition, both helpful skills for family life.
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making a simple wiring guide...
when installing a light switch or doing other minor electrical repairs, you will need to know which breaker to turn off. so make a simple wiring guide. turn on all the lights in the house. using your cell phone, have someone tell you which ones go off when you flip a breaker. for ease of use, they can use a small lamp to plug into outlets in order to see which ones are active...
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best time to sell...
new jobs, retirement, and maybe just a taste for change, these are some of the life circumstances that make you want to sell your home.
here's the good news: there are buyers out there, and if you want to snag one, you have to start with the beginner steps and move on to the advanced ones.
traditional selling tips still apply, including:
start now. spring is usually the best time to sell, but there will be no other timing advantages. fix up and clean up. don't do expensive renovations, but paint it and make it completely clean.
declutter. all of it. keep only enough furniture to make the house livable and put the rest in storage. that includes knickknacks, family photos, and more.
clean out your drawers and closets. you want your closets and cabinets to be spacious. it can't be if it is filled with stuff.
more advanced steps include:
* set a realistic price. the housing market changes naturally over time. a good price involves many factors including knowing recent sales prices in the neighborhood and understanding what features of your home increase its value. a good real estate agent can set the price and make it attractive enough to attract serious buyers to your property.
* promote your property. the agent pays the usual marketing costs, such as newspaper want ads, but you should offer to pay for more expensive promotions if you feel they are valuable.
* look for local blogs. if you know local bloggers who are read by people in your area, consider offering the blogger a fee to put an ad on his blog. the fee need not be much for the blogger to accept your offer.
* look for local web sites. remember, a huge number of individuals in your area have blogs and Web sites that attract local people. find them and advertise in them if possible.
* be sure your house is shown on real estate web sites. trulia, zillow, cyberhomes, eppraisal and realtor.com are some of the best ones.
* accept a reasonable offer. a house is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.
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