Summer is a glorious gardening season, full of days drenched in life-giving sunshine. Alas, sometimes our garden gets a little too much of a good thing and the plants we love become stressed. That’s when I remind myself of the three W’s.
Water Wisely
When watering, long and slow is the best policy. Water tends to spread [...]

I’ve become addicted to those 5-pound, 99-cent bags of overripe bananas at the grocery store. I’ve been pureeing bananas in smoothies, baking them in brownies, and slicing them onto cereal. Why am I so infatuated with bananas? Partly, it’s the price. But the real reason I’m sold on these discounted fruits is what they do [...]

Every year about mid-June, I scout garden centers for delphiniums. At that point, I can usually find them on discount, and snap up a few to add to the garden. Delphiniums are one of those short-lived bloomers that take a year to come into their own. The old delphinium saying goes like this: “First year [...]

Did you know that California Proposition 8 allows for a temporary reduction when a property’s market value on January 1st is below the prior year’s assessed value?  Most people who have owned their homes for many years will not qualify for a tax reduction, even if their home is worth less than it was last [...]

Well its that time of year again…driving around this weekend it appeared that there was a garage sale on every corner.  If you are thinking of hosting one soon, click here to see a video on how to make sure that YOUR garage sale is the first one people will want to go to!  You’ll [...]

I used to spend an inordinate amount of time cleaning house.  I was certain I would receive a visitor at any moment that would pass judgment over the general filth and disarray in my home.  I’m over that.  I’m older and somewhat wiser with three large dogs and two cats living with me.  The mysterious [...]

TO HOME WARRANTY OR NOT?
In today’s strained economy homebuyers are looking for ways to save money when it comes to their real estate transaction.  While it may seem as if purchasing a Home Warranty may be a “luxury” for your real estate purchase, it is more like insurance against many costly repairs that could be [...]

Harvesting basil is the sweet summertime payoff after growing it. I love to gather armfuls of this spicy herb for use indoors. If you’ve got basil growing in your plot, here are four quick tips to maximize your harvest.
Wait until the plant has reached at least ten inches high before making your first cut. For [...]

This month I’ll be preparing my Fort Worth garden for the onslaught of a Texas summer. Time to settle things in with a little extra mulch and make sure the water systems are working.
 
With temperatures rising my herbs are also preparing for hot weather. As the thermometer goes up, so does the central flower stalk [...]

 
While my college friends were surfing the beach and boys over Spring Break way back when, I was stuck in rural, land-locked Pennsylvania doing things like, oh, having my wisdom teeth extracted or painting my bedroom mauve (showing my age, huh?). Obviously priming and rolling wasn’t as much fun as sinking my toes in Ocean [...]