Benson Roll-off

Homeowners often choose to save money and learn valuable skills by doing their own home improvement projects. These minor or major renovations are made much more successful by having the right tools for the job. Investing in good tools can be smart, but those tools are only effective if they are accessible and in good repair. Homeowners who emphasize taking care of their tools can make DIY projects that much easier and more rewarding.

COLD WEATHER WILDLIFE IN HOMES BOOSTS DISEASE AND PROPERTY DAMAGE RISKS

Many people may practice the “love thy neighbor” creed, but when it comes to four-legged wildlife such as raccoons,squirrels,and opossum that often seek refuge in yards and homes when outdoor temperatures dip and food sources become scarce, they are best kept at an arm’s length. As community development has thinned natural habitats and forced these critters into residential areas and lessened their fears of people, the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) has found that many areas of the country continue to report increased encounters with nuisance wildlife.

“While it can be a unique experience to spot wildlife in neighborhoods, these animals should be discouraged from taking up residence,” advises Missy Henriksen,vice president of public affairs for the NPMA.“Not only can they damage property,many are vectors of disease,most notably rabies.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 40,000 people are exposed to rabies each year, a viral infection passed through the bite and saliva of an infected mammal. Raccoons, foxes, skunks, coyotes and bats are the most commonly reported animals infected with rabies.Because of the risks associated with these pests,homeowners should take extra precautions to protect against them.

AprilFool,n. TheMarchfoolwith anothermonthaddedtohisfolly.

~Ambrose Bierce, The Cynic’s Word Book, 1906 (entries 1881–1906)

NOW HERE’S A TIP

By JoAnn Derson

* If you have a plastic-bristle broom that is starting to get really ragged and it’s time to replace it, don’t get rid of it. Turn it into a scrub broom. Trim the bristles down to about an inch. You can even cut them at an angle. Then you can use this broom to scrub stubborn spots. The bristles are nice and tight when they are so short.

* Check your windshield wiper blades. Are they smeary? Before you replace them, use a paper towel and rubbing alcohol to clean the blades. They might have life left in them yet!

* Still fire season in your neck of the woods? Most of us know not to burn magazine inserts or anything plastic, but did you know that you CAN add some spice to your fire? Save the peel from your citrus fruits (oranges, tangerines, grapefruit -- even lemons and limes) to add to your fire. They burn well, and they smell great!

10, yard Containers

The Duke Company

in Rochester, Ithaca, Auburn and Dansville

Refresh Your Home for Spring

Get rid of grime in Minnesota

* “We had a piece of linoleum left over when we replaced the kitchen flooring. It was almost a perfect size to put over our picnic table. We use it for crafts and whenever we don’t want anything to fall through the boards. It stores neatly against the wall behind our outdoor shelves when we aren’t using it!” -- R.

* If you have a light bulb that has broken off in the socket and you need to get it out to replace it, use needlenose pliers to grab the metal ring and unscrew it. Be sure to turn the light off first! If that doesn’t work, you might be able to use a bar of soap to grab any glass shards sticking out, and unscrew it that way.

* “When I put on my stockings, I put on my dish gloves first. It sounds silly, but I do not have any snags in my stockings, and the grip of the gloves makes them easy to pull up and adjust for a perfect fit.” -- W.M. in New York

Does Your Family Have a Fire Escape Plan? (Family Features) When a home fire occurs, you have very little time to get out. A working smoke alarm doubles your chances of survival, yet more than twenty percent of American homes are without them. Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs teamed up to address this problem by providing vital fire safety information to families. Make a Plan Installing smoke alarms on every level of the home and developing a plan of escape can give your family precious minutes to get out and get to safety. Draw a floor plan of your home and sketch exit routes out of every room. Make sure you have a fire escape ladder long enough to reach the ground from upstairs rooms. Assign an outside meeting place, so you can quickly locate each other

General Contracting

I used to visit and revisit it a dozen times a day, and stand in deep contemplation over my vegetable progeny with a love that nobody could share or conceive of who had never taken part in the process of creation. It was one of the most bewitching sights in the world to observe a hill of beans thrusting aside the soil, or a rose of early peas just peeping forth sufficiently to trace a line of delicate green.

~Nathaniel