Saturday, September 23, 2017 An advertising feature of The Topeka Capital-Journal
home.cjonline.com Real estate
Safety first
Realtors take precautions when showing homes page 6 n Watch for harvesting signs, page 2 n Drying flowers for later use, page 5 n Get creative with workspace, page 7
keith horinek/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL
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Watch garden for harvesting signals; you’ll be rewarded With your fall vegetable garden well under way, an important component is the harvest. Your vegetables will be sending all the signals to time your harvest just right. All you have to do is pay attention. ■■ Cucumbers: Cucumbers should be harvested before they reach 10 inches in length and when the skin is still dark green. Harvesting regularly results in higher plant yields. Older, soft fruit will have hard seeds and poor flavor. ■■ Cabbage: To determine cabbage ripeness, press the head to feel for firmness. If the head is full and firm, it’s ready to harvest. If you wait too long to harvest, the head may split. ■■ Broccoli: Broccoli should be harvested before the flower starts to open or the yellow centers show. Timing for this crop is crucial, because even a delay of a day can cause a reduction in quality and nutritional value. Hot days will increase the ripening time dramatically. Along with the head, 4 to 5 inches of stem below is also tender and can be eaten. ■■ Cauliflower: Heads of cauliflower should be cut when they are fully formed and before the curds develop a rough, spiny appearance. You may see a slight purple during cooler weather; this is normal. ■■ Brussels sprouts: When Brussels sprouts are an inch in diameter,
Ariel Whitely
arielw@ksu.edu
snap or cut them from the stem. New sprouts will develop on the stem above. Don’t underestimate this fall vegetable. Cold-tolerant sprouts may continue into December. ■■ Summer squash: Summer squash should be harvested during immaturity, before the skin and seeds have toughened. Preferable length is 6 to 10 inches. Check your squash regularly, because they are fast growers. ■■ Leafy greens: If harvesting the heading types of lettuce, cut the heads slightly above ground level and remove the damaged, dirty or excess leaves. For leaf lettuce, remove only the full-sized leaves so the plant will continue to produce. ■■ Beets: Beet harvest depends on personal preference. Although beets with a diameter larger than 2 inches can be tough, smaller beets can be harvested for a variety of uses. If canning, beets should be harvested smaller, while harvest for other uses can be allowed to grow larger. Beet tops also can be harvested and eaten
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
“Pumpkins — Preparation and Preservation” will be presented at 1 p.m. Oct. 11 at the Shawnee County Extension Office, 1740 S.W. Western Ave. The class, which is open to the public, will focus on carving and preserving a Halloween jack-o’-lantern. Participants will walk away with their creations, pumpkin seeds and a recipe for roasting the seeds. Enrollment is topped at 10; reservations are required. Price for the class is $10, payable upon reservation. Information: (785) 232-0062. as a salad green. ■■ Carrots: Dig or pull the roots when they are the diameter you want for your uses. Carrot tops can be eaten. ■■ Beans: Bean pods should be crisp at harvest, but the seeds shouldn’t be significantly enlarged. Harvest should be done when the beans are dry, not wet from dew because that will increase the spread of bacterial blight. Remember: When production drops, especially for squash, cleaning up the plants is helpful to discourage pests overwintering. Protecting leafy greens can prolong their harvest and may allow them to overwinter completely, depending on temperatures and the plant itself. Ariel Whitely is the horticulture agent for Shawnee County Research and Extension.
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Fall lawn care minimizes time spent in spring By Mike LaFollette Angie’s List
From mowing to seeding, fall maintenance sets up your lawn to emerge healthy and hardy the next spring. However, many homeowners stop paying attention to their lawns once cool weather sets in. That’s a mistake. Not only does late-season yard care play an important role in overall lawn health, but it also minimizes the amount of time you’ll spend on maintenance once spring arrives. How should you mow in the fall? Continue mowing as long as new growth appears. Cut the grass to a height of 3 inches. Don’t assume mowing short will reduce time spent on lawn care. That’s because in the fall,
lawns focus more energy on root growth than blade growth. Scalping the turf stresses the roots, making it hard for lawns to resist weeds and pests, not to mention survive the winter. As leaves drop, mulch them into the lawn along with grass clippings. Though many homeowners debate this practice, studies consistently show that mulching leaves causes no negative effects on lawns, turf or soil pH. Just don’t let the leaves pile up. Mow each weekend, and it shouldn’t be a problem. How, and how often, should you fertilize? Several fertilizer applications throughout fall should help your lawn recover from summer stress; improve color, root structure and density; and help it spring back after winter. The No. 1 rule when applying fertilizer: Always follow the
instructions, including when and how much to use. Fertilizer misuse can harm the environment, and even destroy a lawn. Also, buy fertilizer specifically blended for lawns. Of the three main nutrients in fertilizer — nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), potassium (K) — nitrogen is the most important for grass, so the first number in the ratio on the bag should be the largest. How much fertilizer should you use? Typically, you should apply 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn. To calculate how many pounds of nitrogen to apply per thousand square feet of lawn: Take 100 and divide it by the first number in the fertilizer ratio. So, if your lawn is 1,000 square feet and you have a bag of 25-0-5 fertilizer, you’d want
LAWN CARE continues on 8
Darrell Youngquest
Caring for your lawn properly in the fall leads to healthy grass in the spring with little effort.
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Winter decor
Maureen Gilmer/Tribune News Service
Flowers from the late-summer garden can be easily dried for winter decor.
Dry late-summer flowers for winter home decor use
By Maureen Gilmer Tribune News Service
Drying late-summer leaves and flowers for winter use was a skill used by rural women all over America. Before refrigerated florists, getting any flowers in winter was impossible. The way they got around it was to dry all they could in late summer. Knowing what to pick and what colors share greatest longevity were timelearned skills passed down from mother to daughter. Herbs, both perennial and annual, have lots of growth, so there are opportunities to add fragrance and flavoring to your flower drying efforts as well. Flowers that bloom in the late summer with thick flower petals are among the best choices for drying. Thin gossamer petals shrivel too much and don’t hold their color. Marigolds, zinnias, asters, chrysanthemum and goldenrod are the traditional choices. However, annuals and perennials promptly deadheaded in early summer may bloom modestly a second time in the fall. These blooms are ideal for drying because of their smaller size. Another factor that influences what you dry is flower color. Drying causes some to fade or darken unexpectedly. For example,
red and magenta tend to turn brownish when dried. Better choices are white, light blue, pink, gold and orange. The first time around, dry every color you want to, then determine which ones work best for your taste. One of the most common ways folks fail with their flower drying is bugs. What typically happens is small caterpillars show up on the drying plants and proceed to consume them rapidly. By the time they are discovered, the damage is done. This is because the leaves, stems and flowers you cut from the garden likely will contain eggs of a variety of insects. Many are too small to see, but you’ll be shocked at the results after they hatch. To make sure you don’t import bugs into your dried plants and flowers, give them a thorough water spray and inspection. The kitchen sink sprayer works well to hose off the plants with pressure that detaches many of the eggs and kills others. This also eliminates aphids and other tiny bugs, too. Spray wash followed by air drying each stem on a towel also removes spores of mildew and other fungi that too often FLOWERS continues on 9
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Realtor safety month
‘Safety,’ ‘vigilance’ are real estate watchwords in job that carries risks By Shanna Sloyer
Special to The Capital-Journal
September is Realtor Safety Month, and area Realtors are taking pause to review their safety practices when meeting with potential buyers during open houses and showings. Sunflower Association of Realtors president Jamie Sauder says safety is always a concern for Realtors in northeast Kansas and across the country. “I think from the standpoint of the way people search for real estate online now, there’s less of a relationship now than even 10 years ago when (buyers) would drive around and look at signs and build a relationship with a Realtor,” Sauder said. “Ninety percent of real estate searches are online.” After an agent in Arkansas was assaulted and murdered a few years ago while showing a house, as well as a more recent case of a Realtor in Texas who went missing while keeping real estate appointments, Realtor safety is a legitimate concern in a profession where meeting with strangers in unfamiliar locations at various times of day and night is a regular occurrence. “Generally speaking, it’s very safe,” Sauder said. “The biggest concern is not knowing the person or having the time to establish a relationship. We always have to be wary and on guard and be prepared for someone who has bad
SAFETY FIRST
Jamie Sauder, president of the Sunflower Association of Realtors, said the association encourages its Realtors to use the following safety practices when showing houses or conducting open houses: n Notify someone else in the office about where you are going and what you are showing. n Be aware of the neighborhood you’re showing in. n Take someone else along to showings. n Set up a face-to-face meeting with customers prior to showing them houses to get acquainted and find out who they are. n Don’t carry cash or wear expensive jewelry. n Keep your phone close at hand for emergencies. n Position yourself near doors and other exits. n Consider taking a self-defense class and/or carrying self-defense items. n Above all, be prepared.
intentions instead of wanting to look at a house. We want our agents to be prepared.” Erica Lichtenauer, a Realtor with Countrywide Realty Inc., has firsthand experience with situations that have made her and other Realtors uncomfortable on the job. “We report anything that happens to our board of Realtors, and they are quick to get information out to just us that allows all agents to know what’s going on,” she said. “We support each other’s safety.” Lichtenauer and her fellow Realtors have safety measures and preventive strategies in place for ensuring their personal safety, including checking in with someone when they arrive and leave showings, pairing up with another Realtor when showing homes or hosting open houses, and screening potential clients and buyers
by asking questions before agreeing to meet with them. Some have even taken concealed-carry courses and are licensed to carry a gun. She said the board of Realtors is appreciative of the support provided by local law enforcement officials. Still, things can go wrong, and when they do, Lichtenauer urges Realtors to have an exit plan. “If I was ever in a situation where I didn’t feel comfortable, I would leave,” Lichtenauer said. Sauder urges Realtors to listen to their instincts when meeting up with clients and potential buyers who are strangers to them. “If it doesn’t pass the smell test, it’s OK to assume that if something seems funny it is funny and take someone with you,” Sauder said. “Take the approach (that it’s) better to be safe than sorry.”
Keith Horinek/The Capital-Journal
Erica Lichtenauer opens a house that she will show to potential buyers as Capitol Police officers Crystal Golightley and Terry Golightley stand by. Realtor safety is a concern in a profession where meeting strangers in unfamiliar locations is part of the job. Both Sauder and Lichtenauer ask for understanding from the general public when working with a Realtor with whom you haven’t yet established a working relationship. “I would encourage anyone to create a relationship with an agent and stay with that agent if (they) are taking good care of them,” Sauder said. “We don’t go into a situation assuming something bad is going to happen.” Sauder also encourages prospective buyers to
complete initial financial paperwork and seek preapproval for a loan prior to contacting a Realtor to look at homes. This helps establish a sense of trust between agent and buyer that they are serious in their search. “The more educated the buyer is before creating the relationship, the smoother that relationship goes,” Sauder said. Lichtenauer echoes the value of establishing a relationship for both the Realtor and the client.
“If an agent isn’t willing to just show up at a house having never met you or talked to you before, then it might be for safety reasons,” Lichtenauer said. “Please try to understand that if you are serious about buying, we would like to meet with you prior to just showing you several homes. We all want to show houses and do it safely.” Shanna Sloyer is a freelance writer from Topeka. You can reach her at ssloyer@yahoo.com.
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Transform home office into creative ‘sweet spot’
lows more freedom to create and it just allows you to feel, well, free.
By Lisa A. Flam
The Associated Press
Desha Peacock believes everyone should have their own space at home where they can do the work that brings them joy. The author of “Create the Style You Crave on a Budget You Can Afford: The Sweet Spot Guide to Home Decor” (Skyhorse Publishing, 2014) is out with a new book that focuses on creative workspaces. “It’s really important when you’re doing creative work that you have a beautiful place … so that can enhance the work that you’re meant to do,” said Peacock, 42, who offers lifestyle and small-business coaching through her company, Sweet Spot Style. Her new book is “Your Creative Work Space, The Sweet Spot Style Guide to Home Office+Studio Decor” (Skyhorse). To offer inspiration, she profiles creative women about the work they do and where they do it. The book is organized into chapters that include the home office, the studio, working in tiny spaces and working from anywhere. “It takes kind of a spiritual twist to home decor, and how your space can really influence your life and your creative work,” said Peacock, who works at home in Brattleboro, Vt., where she lives with her husband and 10-year-old daughter. Edited excerpts from AP’s interview with Peacock: AP: How do physical surroundings affect our work and creative output? Peacock: It’s about being very conscious about what you’re putting into
AP: What are the most important ingredients of a home office or studio? Peacock: The main thing for everybody, regardless of what you’re doing, is light. Sunlight is really important. If you can’t have natural lighting, then use good lights that aren’t fluorescent, and lights that can actually enhance your mood, and mirrors because mirrors reflect light.
Skyhorse Publishing/The Associated Press
In “Your Creative Work Space,” author Desha Peacock profiles creative women about the work they do. that space and how you’re designing it so it helps you. … Your space is a direct reflection of what’s going on in your mind. If your space is just complete mess and clutter, it’s going to be hard for you to focus. But if you have literal space, not full of stuff, then that should clear away some space in your mind so that you can concentrate and allow the creative energy to come. AP: Is this for any kind of work — even a field that isn’t traditionally seen as creative, like, say, accounting? Peacock: This book is really geared toward the creative, but I think the principles apply. If you really dig down deep, I think that creative is a very broad term. You could make an argument that accounting could
be creative. It’s really kind of what you’re interested in and what your passion is, and paying attention to that. AP: What is a “sweet spot” and what is a “sweet spot space”? Peacock: It’s what lights you up. My sweet spot is doing creative work that I love and getting paid very well for it. The sweet spot space is creating a space that allows you to be fully who you are. AP: Does everybody need a space of their own? Peacock: Everybody in a household needs to have a sweet spot nook or some little place in their house that’s theirs, whether it’s a whole room or whether it’s a corner or whether it’s just a little piece of a wall. It al-
AP: Before the ease of working remotely, a home office may have conjured images of traditional office furniture. What should people think about nowadays when they are creating their athome work space? Peacock: More open and airy office furniture and prettier office furniture. Back in the day, typically, offices were geared toward men. You think about big, dark mahogany desks. It wasn’t very pretty. Now there’s so many women in the workforce and so many women working virtually, we really can design more beautiful office spaces and creative work spaces that are just prettier. Instead of going to Staples and buying a gray filing cabinet, why not go to the Container Store or go to the thrift store or the flea market and just see what calls you? AP: You don’t like the word “office.” Why not? Peacock: The word “office” implies work and drudgery, and so for me, I would like to change the concept of work as being hard to work as being fun.
Kohler
With a quality glass sink, you can add artistic shape, strength, color and texture to any bathroom.
Glass sink can help brighten bathroom By Ed Del Grande Tribune News Service
Q: Dear Ed: I’m planning a very special guest bathroom (powder room) for our home. Since it is a small space, I want it to appear open and bright. I’m looking to install a glass sink with backlighting. Can you give me some of your famous Ed tips for choosing a glass sink? — Kim, Illinois A: With a quality glass sink, you can add artistic shape, strength, color and texture to any bathroom. But, with all the glass sink choices out there, it can get a little confusing. So, first decide on the style of glass sink that will best fit your bathroom. Three popular choices are: vessel/above counter sinks, countertop/drop-in
sinks and under-mounted glass sinks. Once you decide on the style, then see what type of glass is available, and choose the glass-type you want for your sink. Cast glass can be thick and heavy; spun glass can look hand-crafted; and pressed glass can be found in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Finally, choose your desired color, or in some cases you may find that no color at all can be your clear choice. Master contractor/plumber Ed Del Grande is known internationally as the author of the book “Ed Del Grande’s House Call,” the host of TV and Internet shows, and a LEED green associate. Visit eddelgrande. com or write eadelg@cs.com. Always consult local contractors and codes.
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Lawn care: Seed lawn in early fall Continued from 3
to use 4 pounds of product per application. One last note about fertilizer: If you’re using granular fertilizer, use a broadcast spreader to ensure even application. Too much fertilizer in one area will burn and potentially kill the grass. What’s the best way to tackle weeds? For large infestations, consider a broadleaf herbicide, which comes in selective and non-selective forms. Selective herbicides only attack specific plants (dandelions, clover, etc.);
nonselective herbicides kill everything they touch. For weeds within the lawn, use a selective herbicide, otherwise you’ll kill the grass. If you’d rather not use a herbicide, you can always dig out weeds by hand, just make sure you pull out the root system or they’ll return the following spring. This method isn’t always practical for large areas covered in weeds. Can you seed a lawn in the fall? Yes. Some pros even recommend it. Cool temperatures and warm soil conditions make late-summer to
early fall an optimal time to sow grass seed. Just don’t wait until too long, or the grass won’t establish by the time temperatures drop. As for repairing dead patches, remove the grass down to the bare soil, use a rake to rough up the soil and then add seed. Germination usually takes around 10 to 15 days. It’s important to keep the soil moist but not drenched during this period. After it starts to grow, you should continue to water on a daily basis to encourage root growth and to prevent it from drying out. homes.cjonline.com | The Topeka Capital-Journal | Saturday, July 29, 2017 | 9
Service Directory
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Clean your space in 20 minutes By Kelsey Clark Domaine
Maureen Gilmer/Tribune News Service
Both early and late hydrangeas are ideal for drying indoors for winter accents.
Flowers: Keep plants in dark to preserve color Continued from 5
discolor plant material during the drying period. Once clean and dried, it’s time to bundle your plants by their stems. A thick rubber band gradually tightens as the stems dry and shrink, making sure they hold together tightly the whole time. While plants dry, keep them in the dark to preserve color. Make sure there is good air circulation to speed the process, particularly in humid areas. Where there is further insect concern during drying, just cover each bundle in fine petticoat netting until dry. For all the bits and pieces left over from your garden, wash and dry these on a salvaged window screen. Put it in the rafters to stay out of the wind and out of the way for the short time these take to dry. This brings all your plants and flowers into your own personal tea and potpourri gifts made from a “salad” of dried materials accented with a few drops of essential oil. If you love this late-season drying of your declining garden flowers, consider planting everlasting annual statice and strawflowers next year. Both grow easily from seed and are widely available. These are the traditional dried flowers used in so many kinds of arrangements you buy at the store. Tip: Put whole bay leaves into your packages of dried plants to keep pantry moths away. Maureen Gilmer is an author, horticulturist and landscape designer. Learn more at MoPlants.com. Contact her at mogilmer@yahoo.com or P.O. Box 891, Morongo Valley, Calif. 92256.
Like clockwork, the turn of the season always has us thinking about our homes and how we can best refresh our spaces for the coming months. While the Chinese practice of feng shui or the Marie Kondo method are great tools, basic cleaning and organization obviously take precedence. But for those of us who balk at the idea of taking on a sixhour cleaning project on a Saturday, there’s Rachel Hoffman’s book, subtitled “You’re Better Than Your Mess,” which Business Insider says is “just as much about selfempowerment as it is about taking care of your home.” Below, read up on Hoffman’s realistic cleaning tips that will leave your home sparkling in just 20 to 30 minutes.
Dreamstime
Use the 20/10 when cleaning your home: Clean for 20 minutes, rest for 10 to prevent boredom, fatigue. n The 20/10 rule. This simply means cleaning for 20 minutes and resting for 10 minutes. This is Hoffman’s go-to strategy for avoiding what she calls “marathon cleaning,” or when a deepcleaning binge makes your apartment messier (and more overwhelming) than when you started. It helps when you break
cleaning up into “a series of smaller chunks of time” so that each task has a “definite beginning and a definite end.” n Gamify cleaning. “Look around. Find 10 things that aren’t where they belong. Put them away,” suggests Hoffman. Or, “take 10 minutes and reset as much as you can back to clean. Put items away, throw trash out, and hang up or put away your clothes until the timer goes off.” n Embrace your own version of minimalism. Remember that those glossy home shots on Pinterest or Instagram aren’t always realistic; you don’t need to get rid of all your stuff to have a stylish space. She suggests thinking about “what a realistic and attainable amount of stuff to have is,” and remember, “if something’s very presence in your home stresses you out, why are you keeping it?”
Tip of the week: Lavender and insects
Lavender can help repel bugs. Here are a few suggestions: n For a bug-free room, put a couple of drops of lavender or peppermint essential oil on a cool light bulb. Or place several drops of oil of lavender or peppermint on a cotton ball or two. Then, put them into a small jar or margarine container, and poke a few holes in the lid or cover before placing them around the room. n For a natural insect repellent, mix 2 drops of oil of peppermint or lavender with 2 teaspoons of almond or sweet oil and dab on the skin. n For a pest-free picnic, add 5 drops of lavender essential oil to 32 ounces of water. Pour into a spray bottle; spray and wipe down table and chairs. Source: heloise.com
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