Celebrating ALL MOMS

Shop Smart for Mother’s Day

Avoid “final sale” items. It can be tempting to peruse the deep-discount rack at Mom’s favorite store when retailers cut prices on items in anticipation of a new season. However, these sales may come with restrictions on returns or exchanges. Unless you know Mom will like what you pick out, avoid the “final sale” racks in favor of items that can be returned or exchanged.

SUNDAY, MAY 14TH 2023

Unique gifts ideas for Mother’s Day

Concert tickets: Many adults recall the days of their youth when Mom would relax while listening to some of her favorite music on a lazy summer afternoon. Why not take a stroll down Memory Lane and take Mom to see one of her favorite acts in concert? Even if you have outgrown Mom’s musical tastes, she will still appreciate the chance to spend an evening out on the town with her kids and some good music.

Opening for the Season on Saturday, May 6th!

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* Make children’s pills easier to swallow by crushing them and putting them in a bit of jelly or applesauce. Make sure, especially if it’s a prescription medicine, that it can be crushed. -- U.L. in Minnesota

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We grow everything in our own greenhouses! Thousands of plants & flowers. 1487 Rush Scottsville Rd. • Rush, NY 533-1396 flowers come Mother’s Day. Roses are symbolic of love and make the perfect floral gift for mothers who like traditional flowers. If you want to spice things up, order a bouquet made up of roses of various colors.

Eating Out on Mother’s Day

Expect to wait. Even with a reservation, you’re bound to spend some time waiting at the restaurant. Other families may be lingering at their tables, as no one wants to rush Mom out of the door. Plan accordingly for a potentially long wait time. This means having a snack before you leave. Don’t arrive famished, as no one wants the dining party to be hungry and cranky, which is not a good way to celebrate Mom. Have plenty of snacks and drinks on hand for young children, as well as activities to keep them entertained.

Statistics Show Just How Big Small Business Is

The U.S. Small Business Administration notes that small businesses make up 99.7 percent of all employers in the United States. Percentages are similar in Canada, where BDC, a bank devoted exclusively to entrepreneurs, notes that 99.8 percent of businesses employ fewer than 499 workers.

* To keep kids from running into a closed sliding-glass door, cut out a small picture of something that’s brightly colored, “laminate” it by taping it across both sides, then tape it to the door at children’s eye level. -- E.R. in New York

* Painting season is in full swing at my house, and here are my two favorite painting tips: One is to lightly soap the windows (glass only) and let it dry. Any paint splatters will land on the soap, which can be easily wiped away when the paint is all dry. The other is to give locks, hinges and doorknobs a light coat of petroleum jelly. It works the same way, and when polished away, it leaves a nice shine to hardware.

* Here’s a great spring facial: Split an avocado, mash half of it and use it as a mask. Let sit for up to five minutes, then rinse away with warm water.

* Cleaning windows? Use a nylon net scrubbie from the kitchen to get rid of bugs from screens. It also works really well to scrub bugs off the car grille or car window.

* Here’s a great tip you can use when parallel parking in front of a storefront. Check the reflection to see if it looks like there’s room when backing in or pulling forward. -- O.W. in California

When should I prune raspberries to ensure a good harvest this year? Did I miss that timing? What other plants should be tended to in spring to ensure successful production this season?

Raspberries should be pruned in late winter or early spring (February - April). We recommend leaving 4 - 6 canes per square foot at this time. For the ease of picking, a raspberry patch will be between 1 - 3 feet wide; if the patch is wider, consider cutting back or pulling out canes that widen the patch too much. When pruning out canes, cut them at the base. First, remove canes that have bulges in them-- these are usually caused by cane borers, and the internal damage causes the canes to collapse once they become heavy with fruit. Second, remove all canes that have pale, dried-out looking bark, as those have fruited and will not yield fruit again. Next, remove the thinnest canes. Ideally you will be left with 4-6 thick, sturdy canes. If those canes have little remnants of fruit on their tips, you may cut the tips back to encourage more branching.

Elderberry is another berry crop that can be pruned in the same time period. Cut out canes that are 3 years old and over. Inspect the bark on the remaining canes, removing areas with cankers (sunken, discolored lesions) and canes that have holes in them. When cutting back diseased canes such as these, look into the cross-section of the pruning cut. If you observe browning or uneven tissue in the pruning cut, continue cutting back until it is uniform.

Berry plants that should be pruned before their leaves emerge include: blueberry, currant and gooseberry, seaberry, and pawpaw.

Design A Garden For All Senses

Aesthetic appeal is one of the most sought-after benefits of gardening. However, many homeowners put in so much effort planting for one particular season that they may not give thought to ensuring the garden looks vibrant no matter the time of year.

Gardeners can research planting zones to find plants that will blossom at different times of the year so they can enjoy impressive, aesthetically appealing gardens year-round. Spring bulbs can bloom early on, while annual and perennial summer favorites will thrive under the summer sun. Beautyberry and caryopteris will fill out in the autumn, while holly or mahonia can look lovely in the winter.

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Retail credit cards: Many retailers offer their own credit cards. Consumers may be enticed to sign up for such cards by the opportunity for instant, and often significant, savings. For example, a home improvement store may offer an immediate 25 percent discount to customers who sign up for a store credit card and use the card to make a purchase.As enticing as such savings can be, consumers should recognize that a recent study by CreditCards.com found that the average retail credit card APR is 25.9 percent. That’s more than 6 percent higher than a general purpose credit card. Consumers who cannot pay balances in full each month could end up paying much more in interest if they use retail credit cards instead of general purpose cards.

DID YOU KNOW? When remodeling a home with the ultimate goal of making it more attractive to prospective buyers, homeowners can benefit from taking stock of current trends, including the style of home that’s most popular. According to a 2020 Homes.com survey of more than 5,000 adults across the United States, modern farmhouse is the most favored house style. The survey asked participants to choose from a selection of styles, including mid-century modern ranch, Spanish colonial/ southwest, bohemian craftsman, Italianate, French chateau, and Tudor. The modern farmhouse style was the most popular choice in 42 of the 50 states,proving that home style preference is not beholden to geography. Respondents gave a host of reasons for favoring the modern farmhouse look, including that the style is “aesthetically appealing but not boring” and that it looks “simple, cozy, and not too busy.”