At Home Living 100816

TOPEKA SYMPHONY FUNDRAISER

Frugal House debuts

Saturday, October 8, 2016 An advertising feature of The Topeka Capital-Journal

Designers decorate Jackson Street Lofts with for-sale items, page 6 n Jamie Kidd on successful weed control, page 2 n Q&A: Topeka home development sags, page 4 n Tips for harvesting and storing fruits, page 5 n Benches are more than extra seating, page 10

homes.cjonline.com REX WOLF/SPECIAL TO THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

2 | Saturday, October 8, 2016 | The Topeka Capital-Journal | homes.cjonline.com

Eradicate those ‘bully’ weeds from your lawn Weeds are bullies. Yes siree, Bob. Some lie in wait for an opportune moment, while others erupt seemingly overnight. I have been strong-armed by more weeds than I care to say.

“Weeds are nothing more than plants out of place,” says some gardening philosopher. I say that philosopher has never met my weeds.

They are rude, crude thugs that intimidate my lawn and flowers. A plant out of place, my foot!

Early November is an excellent time to control those pesky cool-season weeds and get a head start on the weeds in spring. Dandelions are more easily controlled now than in spring, because the plants are actively moving materials from their tops to their roots.

Jamie KiDD

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Shawnee County Extension Master Gardeners will present “Bulb Planting for Spring,” a program about what bulbs to select and how to plant them for a spring show of color, at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 S.W. 10th Ave. Free.

jamiehan@ksu.edu

Herbicides will translocate to the roots as well and kill the plant from the roots up. Treating perennial broadleaf weeds, such as dandelions, chickweed and henbit, now while they are young also will allow the turf to fill in the open spots and make spring weed germination more difficult.

What works

Herbicides such as 2,4-D, or combination products

like Trimec, Weed-B-Gon and Weed-Out that contain 2,4-D, methylchlorophenoxypropionic acid (MCPP) and dicamba, can take the guess work out of weed control.

Broadleaf weeds that aren’t controlled by 2,4-D usually are controlled by another herbicide. For example, 2,4-D provides excellent control of dandelion and plantain, but it provides poor control of white clover or red sorrel. Dicamba, on the other hand, provides excellent control

of white clover and red sorrel and only fair control of dandelion or plantain. By applying a combination of these two, all four weeds will be controlled.

Combination products don’t necessarily control all broadleaf weeds in your yard. It’s possible to choose the wrong combination of herbicides (i.e., 2,4-D+MCPP instead of 2 ,4 -D+MCPP+d ica mba) and some weeds are just naturally hard to control.

This is why it’s important to identify the weeds be-

fore purchasing products to eradicate them.

Here are some other tips: n Don’t apply broadleaf herbicides within four to six weeks of seeding and not until the new grass has been mowed at least twice. n Choose a day that is 50 degrees or higher to apply herbicides. n With liquid or soluble broadleaf herbicides, don’t mow for several days before and after the application to allow for maximum uptake and translocation of the herbicide. n Don’t add grass clippings that have been treated with a herbicide to the compost pile. Residuals can kill good plants in your garden in spring. n Don’t water for at least

24 hours after application, and don’t treat if rain is expected within 24 hours. n Always read and follow the herbicide label instructions carefully to maximize the efficiency of your application. Remember, more is not always better. It’s possible to make weed infestation worse.

Weed Free Zone — also sold under the name Speed Zone — is a relatively new herbicide, according to Ward Upham, a Kansas State University horticulture specialist, and contains the three active ingredients mentioned above plus carfentrazone. Upham says carfentrazone gives a quicker response than the other products mentioned

KIDD continues on 3

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Check household items Kidd: November for expiration dates perfect for fertilizer

By Kelsey Clark Domaine

Milk, cheese and other fridgedwelling food items are stamped with expiration dates that, should you choose to ignore them, will make themselves known via smell.

But your house is actually peppered with items that require regular replenishment — many of which are outside of the kitchen, according to Brightside. From knickknacks on your dresser to the staples in your pantry, your house is chock-full of items that can go bad. Here are a few of the most surprising: n Hydrogen peroxide.

Expires in: two months.

Why: Hydrogen peroxide, the versatile topical antiseptic used to prevent infection in cuts, scrapes

and minor burns, actually turns into water just two months after opening. An unopened bottle should be thrown out after a year. n Kitchen spices.

Expires in: One to three years.

Why: Household kitchen spices, like cinnamon, cumin and basil, reportedly begin losing their luster after just one year — both in terms of taste and smell. Brightside also claims that ground spices should be thrown out after just six months. n Mosquito repellents.

Expires in: Three years.

Why: Mosquito repellents are essentially useless after just two years, according to Brightside.

You can usually tell if a bug repellent has expired by the smell — if one spray doesn’t emit the pungent odor you’ve grown used to, it’s time to throw it out.

Continued from 2

and will work better when temperatures approach 50 degrees.

Fertilizer application

November is a good time to apply fertilizer to your lawn. Top growth of cool-season turf has nearly stopped, but rhizomes — the underground runners — and roots are continuing to increase. Apply a quickrelease, high-nitrogen fertilizer like 27-3-3, 295-4, 16-0-0 nitrate of soda, 49-0-0 urea or something similar.

Several of these fertilizers also contain herbicides.

Granular herbicides can

decrease your labor time when addressing broadleaf weed issues, but you’re more likely to gain better control with liquid spray herbicides. And, generally, the sprays are less expensive than the granular herbicides based on the amount of actual active ingredient.

Anything that will promote proper turf grass growth ultimately will minimize weed populations.

Note: If you have a good thick lawn, you may only need to treat for weeds along the edges of walks and drives.

Jamie Kidd is a horticulturist with K-State Research and Extension in Shawnee County.

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CEO: Red tape restricting development in Topeka

By Liz Montano

Special to The Capital-Journal

Not so long ago, new neighborhoods were springing up around Topeka.

The areas of new home construction dotting the city’s landscape were plentiful.

Weichert Now, not so much. Small clusters of two or three homes stand out in the barrenness of fields where development took on life a few years ago. But as quickly as the development started, it died.

What happened?

Ivan Weichert, president and CEO of the Topeka Home Builders As-

TOPEKA HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION Address: 1505 S.W. Fairlawn Road Information about membership or upcoming events: Visit www.thba. com; email thba@thba.com; or call (785) 273-1260. sociation, weighs in on the current lack of home development in the capital city.

Q: What’s behind the recent sluggishness in new home development?

Weichert: There are a couple of factors. One, I don’t think it was intended to be red tape on the city and county level restricting developers, but that’s how it’s played out.

The city’s been hit hard by a couple of developers in recent years that hurt all of us.

Q: Example?

Weichert: Lauren’s Bay

Estates. Glenn Janni (the developer) came in and started the development near (S.W.) 45th and Wanamaker (Road).

He built a few homes, then up and left, leaving the city with millions of dollars of infrastructure costs. So, the city has pulled back, especially for development outside the city.

The planning department has made it clear it doesn’t want to grow if it requires new infrastructure. They want the developer to front the cost of improvements. That’s a big lift. It’s quite a deterrent.

Q: The second factor?

Weichert: The Waters of the U.S. Act — the federal regulation we talked about last month (http:// bit.ly/2dldOnH) that can hold up permit applications for two or three years if there’s any water on the land they want to develop. Then, after years of waiting, they could have their petition to develop the land denied.

The National Association of Home Builders is still fighting that regulation.

There’s also the lack of a strong buying market.

It takes a lot of money to get a new development up and running, and builders are far more likely to take on the cost of a new development if they know there are willing buyers for the properties.

But since there’s a reluctance to approve development where there isn’t already infrastructure — and not that many $300-thousand homebuyers want a home built on an infill lot within the city where there are already streets, sewer, etc., in place — it’s slowed the market.

And, you know, when all is said and done, there’s always a cycle to things.

Part of the new housing development slowdown may simply be cyclical.

Q: What can be done to improve the situation or speed up the cycle? Is there, perhaps, some kind of magical formula?

Weichert: The city of Lawrence had the right idea with the new thor-

oughfare. When you improve infrastructure, development follows. New businesses spring up; higher-paying jobs attract new people to the area.

When you have more people wanting new homes, it attracts new development.

What is good to see is the effort the city’s putting forward to revitalize downtown. It’s also good to see events that draw people to downtown, like the Chocolate Festival a couple weeks ago.

If downtown’s thriving, businesses are doing better — everybody’s doing better.

Liz Montano is a freelance writer from Topeka. She can be reached at (785) 230-3907 or newsbizliz@ gmail.com.

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Luscious fruits come from timely harvest, good storage

By Lee Reich

The Associated Press

“Ripe” is a term that’s used much too freely when it comes to fruits.

A plum isn’t supposed to taste sour like a lemon; that lemon-y plum is not ripe. Nor — and this is important — will it ever be.

Ripening can begin in a fruit’s “mature” stage, and when the fruit reaches the “ripe” stage, it’s best for eating. As it ripens, its color changes, the flesh softens, sugars increase and distinctive flavors develop. Apples, pears, kiwis, bananas, persimmons and quinces are some fruits that can ripen on or off the plant, but to do so they must be mature before being harvested.

Whether a fruit can become delicious when

ripened off the plant depends on the variety. For instance, summer apples generally taste best when picked dead ripe, but some “winter” apples (harvested late in the season), such as Idared and Newtown Pippin, taste best when they are picked mature and then ripened for a few months in storage.

A few fruits must be harvested when mature and then ripened off the plants. European pears, except for Seckel, are at their gustatory best only if ripened after harvest.

Left to fully ripen on the plant, European pears turn mushy and brown inside.

Avocados also must be harvested under-ripe. Left to fully ripen on the tree, they develop off-flavors.

Now the important

point: Many fruits don’t ripen at all after being picked, so they must be picked fully ripe to taste their best. Plums are in this group, as are grapes, figs, melons, cherries, peaches and more. Picked under-ripe, these fruits will still soften, and some of their complex carbohydrates may break down to sugars. But those changes are more akin to the first stages of rotting than the flavor changes associated with true ripening.

Late summer and fall bring on such an abundance of fruit that eating can’t keep pace with harvesting, so storage is necessary. Most fruits store best when kept cool and in high humidity. Cool temperatures slow the ripening of mature fruits, the aging of already ripe

fruits, and the growth of decay-causing microorganisms. High humidity, as well as cool temperatures, slows water loss from fruits, preventing shriveling.

For most fruits (bananas and avocados are notable exceptions), optimum storage temperatures are near freezing, with relative humidity about 90 percent. The temperature in most refrigerators is between 35 and 40 degrees, and the relative humidity in a frost-free refrigerator is 40 percent on the shelves and 70 percent in the crisper. That’s a bit too warm and dry, but it’s a convenient place to store a small quantity of fruit.

An old-fashioned root cellar provides almost ideal low temperatures and high humidity.

LEE REICH VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS

Grapes, picked dead ripe, and apples, picked mature to finish ripening indoors, are part of autumn’s bounty.

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Designers create unique furnishings for Jackson Street Lofts’ Frugal House

By Jan Biles

FRUGAL HOUSE AT JACKSON STREET LOFTS

What: Refurbished and upcycled furniture and accessories will be for sale in two units at the Jackson Street Lofts, with proceeds benefitting the Topeka Symphony Orchestra and its youth ensembles. A boutique will be stocked with other items.

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 15 and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 16. A patron party is from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 14.

Where: S.W. 8th Ave. and S.W. Jackson Admission: $8 in advance and $10 at the door on Saturday and Sunday; $40 per person for patron party Ticket outlets: Dillons stores, Hy-Vee, Eagle Auto Wash and Detailing, Hazel Hill Chocolate, Prairie Glass Studio, 4 Girls’ Garage, and frugalhouse.brownpapertickets.com Information: topekasymphony.org, (785) 2322032 or (785) 272-5850

jan.biles@cjonline.com

Jill Beam, co-owner of Bedsprings and Burlap, has been making something out of nothing for quite a while.

To her, items headed to the landfill were opportunities for repurposing, repairing and upcycling.

So, when she and her business partner, Sharon Nolde, were asked to take part in the upcoming Frugal House at Jackson Street Lofts, they couldn’t refuse.

“Frugal House is right up our alley,” she said.

Frugal House at Jackson Street Lofts is a fundraiser for Topeka Symphony Orchestra and its youth ensembles.

The Topeka Capital-Journal is among the fundraiser’s sponsors.

During the event, two units at the Jackson Street Lofts, S.W. 8th Ave. and S.W. Jackson, will showcase donated furniture and accessories that have been refurbished and repurposed by local designers and offered for sale. A third loft will be transformed into the Frugal

Boutique, which will sell additional items.

Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 15 and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 16. A patron party, with appetizers by Blue Moose Bar & Grill, will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 14.

Purchased items from the decorated rooms can be picked up from 4 to 6 p.m.

Oct. 16 or 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 17, while items bought at the boutique can be taken home after purchase.

Trella Anderson, a Topeka Symphony supporter who is helping coordinate the Frugal House, said she hopes the event raises $10,000, which will be used for music and performance hall rental fees, printing of tickets and programs, and salaries of conductors and orchestra members.

Designers’ visions

Renee Herrera, owner of Fabtastic Furniture, and Kymm Ledbetter, owner of Prairie Glass Studio, joined Beam and Nolde in decorating a bi-level unit at Jackson Street Lofts. All of the de-

PHOTOGRAPHS BY REX WOLF/SPECIAL TO THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Jill Beam and Sharon Nolde, co-owners of Bedsprings and Burlap, adopted an educational theme for the items they refurbished or repurposed for the Frugal House at Jackson Street Lofts fundraiser.

A Ball Mason jar has been repurposed into a vase.

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Collaborative effort

Above: A lamp with a shade made of rolled-up sheets of music sits on a music stand that has been repurposed into a table in this music-themed display.

Right: Kymm Ledbetter, owner of Prairie Glass Studio, and Renee Herrera, owner of Fabtastic Furniture, have created several items for the fundraiser, including a lamp stand made from an old suitcase, a foot stool made from a sewing basket and repurposed picture frames. signers selected furniture and accessories donated to the fundraiser to refurbish, repurpose or upcycle. They also supplemented items from their own stores.

Beam, instructional technology coach at Farley and Wanamaker elementary schools in Auburn-Washburn Unified School District 437, and Nolde, a retired Farley Elementary third-grade teacher, adopted an educational theme for the unit’s upstairs bedroom, bath and laundry room. For example,

a globe became a light fixture and an old student’s desk was transformed into a laundry room stand.

Herrera and Ledbetter decorated the downstairs kitchen, living room, entryway and bathroom, and an upstairs bedroom and hallway.

“We’re furnishing it in mid-modern-century style,” Herrera said.

Repurposed items include an old suitcase that has been turned into a lamp stand, a dresser that has become a

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Source: www.goodhousekeeping.com

TV stand and a sewing basket that is now a foot stool.

“We have all sorts of fun things,” Herrera said.

Ledbetter said Herrera likes to paint old furniture and change its feel while she likes to use bright pops of color and incorporate glass and beads into her designs, which include refurbished picture frames and an ottoman made from a drawer and magazine rack.

“The things we do — it’s unexpected, but still (useful) in a functional way,” Ledbet-

ter said.

Judy and Kenton Graber, co-owners of Shadden’s End in Berryton, and Carol Ingenthron, Debbie Geist and Sandy Martin, co-owners of 4 Girls’ Garage, 837 N. Kansas Ave., decorated a basement garden loft that has two bedrooms, a living room, bath, kitchen and laundry room.

Some of the repurposed items created by the Grabers include a toilet paper hanger fashioned from an ashtray stand and a lamp/side table

created from a hall tree and checkerboard. A colander has become an overhead light, and leather belts are woven into a chair seat to give it a unique look. Slides taken in 1965 in Colorado form a lamp shade.

The designers said they’re excited about sharing their creative ideas and helping the Topeka Symphony.

“I thought it would be a great chance to give back to the community and get our name out there,” Herrera said.

Anderson said the idea for the fundraiser came from TSO conductor Kyle Wiley Pickett, who indicated the North State Symphony in Chico, Calif., had successfully raised money through a similar project involving homes. Pickett was conductor of the California symphony from 2001 to 2014.

When the board heard the old Assumption School had been purchased and was being renovated into loft apartments by Topeka developer Mark Burenheide and his partners and Treanor Architects had been tapped to assist with design, Anderson reached out to Burenheide to ask if the lofts could be used as the setting for the fundraiser.

“The timing was just right,” Burenheide said.

“We’ll be wrapping up construction at the same time of the event.”

Tenants began moving into one- and two-bedroom units at Jackson Street Lofts on Sept. 1. Burenheide said all of the apartments — which retain the school’s chalkboards, original window frames, built-in shelves and other unique features — are expected to be done by the end of the year.

Ledbetter said the work of the Frugal House designers — taking something old and making it new again — is much like what Buren-

FRUGAL continues on 9

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Frugal: Lofts, fundraiser ways to attract people to downtown Continued from 7

Judy and Kenton Graber, co-owners of Shadden’s End in Berryton, have constructed a lamp shade of photo slides that were taken in Colorado in 1965. A framed map with a heart embroidered around Topeka decorates the wall.

and his partners have done with the lofts.

Their investment has turned the old school into “something that’s useful.”

She also pointed out the loft apartments and the fundraiser are ways to attract people to the downtown business district. “(It’s about) getting more people downtown and to think of downtown in a different way,” Ledbetter said.

Contact niche editor Jan Biles at (785) 295-1292.

rex wolf/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Service Directory

10 | Saturday, October 8, 2016 | The Topeka Capital-Journal | homes.cjonline.com

Benches, ottomans provide comfort, storage

By Mary Carol Garrity Tribune News Service

In the sports world, being benched is a bad thing, I know.

But for me, after a day of sprinting around up and down the stairs a jillion times, the thought of melting into a soft chair with my feet up on a bench or ottoman sounds pretty darn amazing. Add a glass of wine and a good book, and I’m in paradise.

Once the right bench or ottoman enters your life, you will never, ever want to be without it again. Often, they can be used interchangeably and are right at home in lots of spots in your home, helping out in myriad ways, from giving you a place to display your treasures, rest your feet and welcome more guests.

Here are a few of my favorite ways to use benches and ottomans:

TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

You can find ottomans made from just about any material, from seagrass to hides and wood to metal. n Add a splash of style.

When we design rooms for customers, you can bet your bot-

tom dollar there will be at least one ottoman or bench in the floor plan. My favorite use is to place an

interesting ottoman in the center of a conversation grouping, a hub for a well-put-together room. But don’t stop there. A short bench makes an interesting side table in your living room, and offers extra seating in a pinch. Put a narrow bench in your hallway to break up all that wall space.

Because they are so small, you can cover an ottoman or bench with a splashy fabric that you might not otherwise dare to use on a bigger, costlier piece of furniture. If you can’t make up your mind on what fabric to use, create a custom, reversible slip cover.

Rug-covered ottomans are some of our most popular sellers.

But you aren’t limited to upholstered ottomans or benches with fabric seats or cushions. You can find them made from just about any material, from seagrass to hides and wood to metal. n A bit of storage.

Benches and ottomans were just made to have stuff tossed on top of them. I love the luxurious look of beds finished off with rows of accent pillows. Place a bench or ottoman at the foot of your bed. They do a lovely job of finishing off the look of a great bedding ensemble, and, at night, they are the perfect place to pile up your accent pillows. n A little extra seating.

To get more friends around your dining table, add a bench or two to the sides of your tables.

Add small benches to the head and foot of the table so two can sit there instead of one. Depending upon the size of your bench or ottoman, you can slide them under a sofa table or in front of your hearth for extra seating.

This column was adapted from Mary Carol Garrity’s blog at www.nellhills.com. She can be reached at marycarol@nellhills.com.

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