PREPARE NOW, GET FEWER PESTS LATER

Establish winter habitats for backyard animals

When animals struggle to find adequate shelter and food over the winter, there’s a better likelihood that they’ll take up residence inside a human home, becoming pests in the process.

Bats, field mice and even opossums and raccoons may move indoors into attics or basements, leaving behind waste and damage if they can’t find what they need outdoors.

Homeowners concerned about potential pest infestations can take steps to ensure animals have places to bed down and escape the cold in their yards this winter. These tips also help local wildlife when the temperatures dip. ► Leave parts of the yard wild. Animals can make a nest in leaves or piles of brushwood. Just make sure piles left out are away from the home so curious critters don’t try to get inside. Leave the task of tidying up shrubs and garden borders until spring, as shrubs can be dense areas to hide for both insects and animals. ► Consider planting animal food sources prior to winter. Plants like elderberry, holly, mulberry, sumac, and crabapple

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will grow in colder months and animals can enjoy them as a vital food staple. ► Don’t forget water sources. Provide access to fresh water and replace as needed if the water freezes. For homeowners with fish ponds in their backyards, use a hot pot to melt a hole in the top of the pond and allow gases that have accumulated underneath to escape. This allows oxygen to reach fish and frogs in the pond. ► Leave bird, squirrel or bat houses in the yard. These provide safe places for local wildlife to shelter in winter.

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GazebOH! Grain bin transformed into cool outdoor lounge area

Rebecca Mitchell / Summer Home

David Snyder, left, and Brad Cantleberry have largely finished converting Cantleberry's grain bin into a gazebo, where outdoor enjoyment will ensue.

BY REBECCA MITCHELL Summer Home

“‘You know what? We should turn that into a gazebo. What are you doing tomorrow?’”

Brad Cantleberry recalls his friend and neighbor, David Snyder, asking him that one day this past May. The next day, their grain bin transformation project began.

A longtime fixture of Cantleberry’s farm property in Deer Creek, the grain bin was lacking a purpose, but not a history. Cantleberry is unsure exactly when the grain bin was built, but the farm’s deed goes back to 1887, and original buildings are still on the property.

Repurposing the grain bin, he said, is both a tribune to the property’s past as well as a useful benefit for the future.

“It’s something that was a part of the history of this farm, and now, instead of just walking by it and not really appreciating it … it’s something we can use and enjoy,” Cantleberry said. “ It really changes the landscape of the yard, too. It really makes you look at it a little differently.”

Cantleberry said the grain bin’s cement flooring was and still is in good condition, and that, along with its front yard location and smaller size, made it a perfect candidate for the grain bin gazebo trend. Grain bins are often positioned behind pastures or other work areas, which is

Photo courtesy of Dana Cantleberry

The grain bin, as it appeared before the redo.

Photo courtesy of Dana Cantleberry

Snyder, left, and Cantleberry remove metal pieces that surrounded the grain bin.

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less ideal, according to Snyder and Cantleberry.

“We have a couple (grain bins) in our yard and I’ve always thought about doing it, and Brad and Dana just have a picturesque place to do it,” Snyder said. “When we were sitting here, it looked like the ticket.”

Since buying the property from Brent and Jenny Roller in 2015, Brad and Dana Cantleberry had considered a variety of fun projects for their grain bin. Sunday, May 17, was the day a plan finally took shape, after a socially distanced visit from David and Julia Snyder the day prior.

David and Brad brought their tools together the next morning, early, to remove the metal pieces around the bin.

“It’s fun helping neighbors,” Snyder said.

The Cenex logo on top of the grain bin, as well as repurposed metal pipes that originally brought water to the barn and now support the gazebo’s roof, give a nod to the farming community history of the structure.

Cantleberry said one of their biggest concerns with the remodel was whether the structure would withstand strong winds: “The wind we’ve had lately has put it to the test and it’s still standing,” he said. “It’s solid and it’s comfortable.”

For the remainder of the summer, Snyder expects the Cantleberry family to continue soaking in their yard time. Cantleberry, too, knows the space will be well used.

“I know Brad and Dana will probably enjoy it,” Snyder said. “They enjoy their yard time, and Brad’s awesome at barbecuing. I can just see him using it and getting some enjoyment out of it.”

The project will come to a close soon, after dark-tinted screens and a door — maybe painted barn red — are added by the pair.

“With all the stuff that’s going on in this crazy world right now, it’s certainly a highlight for us, and just fun to have people that … want to come over and help,” Cantleberry said.

Photo courtesy of Dana Cantleberry

The Cenex logo stands as a reminder of the farming history of the Cantleberry property.

It’s something that was a part of the history of this farm, and now, instead of just walking by it and not really appreciating it … it’s something we can use and enjoy. -Brad Cantleberry

Rebecca Mitchell / Summer Home

The front yard gazebo boasts a tree-lined view from a shaded area.