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1D THURSDAY DECEMBER 20, 2018
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US home construction rose last month, led by apartments
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON — U.S. developers broke ground on more homes last month, but the increase occurred entirely in apartments. The construction of new singlefamily houses fell. The Commerce Department said Tuesday that housing starts rose 3.2 percent in November from the previous month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate 1.26 million. Despite the increase, that is down 3.6 percent from a year ago. Single-family starts dropped 4.6 percent in November and are down 13.1 percent from a year earlier. Some of the data likely have
been distorted by extreme weather. Home-building jumped 15.1 percent last month in the South in the aftermath of Hurricanes Florence and Michael. And home construction fell 14.2 percent in the West, possibly because of wildfires in California. Singlefamily homebuilding fell in the West by the most since February 2009. Still, rising mortgage rates have dragged down home sales in the past year, discouraging many builders and causing a slump in the overall housing market. Sales of new and existing homes are dropping and home price gains are slowing. The unemployment rate is at a
In this Nov. 7 photo, a construction crane is perched on the site of Court Square City View Tower in Long Island City in the Queens borough of New York. U.S. developers broke ground on more homes for November, but the increase occurred entirely in apartments. The construction of new single-family houses fell. (AP photo) five-decade low and incomes are rising more quickly, but many would-be buyers struggle to find homes they can afford. Developers say that rising labor and materials costs make it harder for them
to build more affordable properties. "Rising home prices and mortgage rates have created high hurdles for homebuyers, while cost increases have made it difficult for
builders to deliver homes at the most in-demand price points," said Danielle Hale, chief economist at realtor.com. Sales of new homes plummeted nearly 9 percent in October and the number of newly built, unsold homes sitting on the market has climbed to its highest level since 2009. And an index of home builders' confidence has fallen sharply over the last two months. On Monday, the National Association of Home Builders said the index dropped last month to its lowest level in 3 years. Mortgage rates shot up to nearly See Build p. 2D
STOCKING STUFFERS
In the Garden
Christmas trees and decorations have evolved
In the story of St. Boniface, a Thunder Oak decorated with lit candles and gilded apples was glowing in the dark forest one Christmas day in 8th century Germany. The pagan god Thor was to be appeased with a human sacrifice. But Wynfred, an English Christian missionary later to be known as St. Boniface, split the giant oak into four parts with one stroke of an ax, revealing a small fir tree nearby ... the first Christmas tree, perhaps. SOME ARBOREAL HISTORY The exact origin of the Christmas tree isn’t known, but for centuries, people have had the urge to decorate trees at this time of year. In ancient Rome, decorated trees were part of the festival of Saturn, celebrated beginning Dec. 17. The Paradise Tree of the Middle Ages was a fir tree hung with red apples, a prop used in the Biblical play telling the story of Adam and Eve. That tradition was moved into homes after the “miracle plays” were banned in the 15th century. In Germany, a written record from 1604 deLEE REICH scribes trees decorated with paper roses, apples, and figures of Adam and Eve and a serpent. The custom of decorating trees at Christmas gained popularity in the British Empire in 1841 when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert celebrated the birth of their first son with a decorated tree at Windsor Castle. AND NOW FOR SOME LIGHTS In the late 19th century, gas jets and then electric lights were tried as replacements for candles. According to the National Electrical Contractors Association, the first electric Christmas lights were lit in 1882, three years after the incandescent bulb was in-
This Monday photo shows handmade earrings hanging on a Christmas tree in Hopkinton, N.H., which make for inexpensive stocking stuffers. This pair shown here are made from fringe trim more commonly used on pillows and other home goods. (AP photo)
Turn trendy tassels into inexpensive DIY earrings By HOLLY RAMER Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. — Fringe is in fashion and tassels are trendy, and they’re not just on pillows and clothing. Handmade earrings adorned with embroidery floss make quick, inexpensive holiday gifts, and they’re easy to customize according to the recipient’s favorite color. Browsing aisles of jewel-
ry-making supplies at craft stores can be a bit overwhelming — so many mysterious little pieces and parts. The embroidery aisle is more straightforward, though choosing the perfect colors can take some time. But with each skein of thread costing about 60 cents, you can afford to get a few extras for backups. Even figuring out which tutorials to test was a bit of
a chore: I found instructions for earrings sporting tiered tassels, multiple mini-tassels arranged along hoops and a variety of other DIY dangles. But with only a few days left until Christmas, time wasn’t on my side so I quickly narrowed my list down to three options. Two featured embroidery floss while the third used pre-made fringe to form the tassel. In all three cases, I
found combing the finished tassels with a fine-tooth comb really helped separate the strands of floss and fluff them out a bit. Here’s what I found, with each method rated from 1 to 10, with 10 indicating the least expensive, easiest and best results: CAPPED FRINGE: First up was a tutorial on a See Tassels p. 2D
See Garden p. 2D
These photos show handmade earrings hanging on a Christmas tree in Hopkinton, N.H. A few jewelry findings and two skeins of embroidery thread are all you need to create these colorful handmade earrings. (AP photo)
RIGHT AT HOME: Scene-setting home fragrance names
This undated photo shows a holiday tree in New Paltz, N,Y. Lights, cookies, strings of popcorn and other colorful decorations combine to brighten up this holiday season. (AP photo)
By KIM COOK Associated Press The home-fragrance market has long been dominated by relatively simple iterations of popular aromas: vanilla, cinnamon, evergreen and citrus scents. But that marketplace of diffusers, candles and room sprays is full of fun, evocative names to distinguish the scents — names meant to pique our imaginations and bring home not just a sense of smell but of story. Perhaps lighting a jar of “Poet’s Garret” will inspire your sonnet-writing. A whiff of “Spring Party” might just
ramp up the festivities. “Scent grabs us in a way that no other sense can,” connecting to parts of the brain that process emotion and memory, says New York-based marketing strategist Alexander Jutkowitz. The names of home fragrances are meant to create a visual in your head first, and then the designers follow through with the fragrance blend. San Francisco letter-press designer Kimberly Austin has a line of jar candles, Sanctum for Austin Press . She’s given each concoction not only a cool name, but a little back story on the la-
bel. “Cowboy’s Camp,” for instance, is a mix of wood-smoke essence, tobacco, pine and horsehair. The story involves a cowboy setting up camp under the stars with his horse at his side. For “Dancer’s Dormer,” Austin sets the scene of a performer climbing the stairs to her attic apartment, walking on the ebony wood floor, and seeing a bouquet of geranium and juniper. Tangerine, vetiver and balsam characterize “Bear’s Cave,” with the story cenSee Fragrance p. 2D
2D The Mining Journal
Thursday, December 20, 2018
House to Home Mortgage Index 30-YEAR Rate-Fee/Pts.
15-YEAR Rate-Fee/Pt.
High rate
4.875
1
4.250
1
Low rate
4.750
1
4.125
1
Average rate
4.781
1
4.208
1
Tassels from 1D
blog called Charleston Crafted , written by a couple remodeling their first home. This method looked like the simplest one I found, because it didn’t involve fussy cutting or tying embroider thread. Instead, fringe trim that can be purchased by the yard (though you’ll need only a few inches) is rolled up and glued into a little metal cap that attaches to an earring wire. But I couldn’t find the “jewelry end caps” called for in the instructions — the closest I could find was a “toggle clasp kit” that appeared to be similar. I think my caps were smaller, and the top of my fringe was thicker, which meant it was a bit tricky to roll it tightly and then glue it in place. Still, this was a pretty easy process. While I used probably less than 50 cents worth of fringe, the lever-back earrings were more expensive than the other options, and there was only one set of caps in the clasp kit, making this the most expensive option. And while there were maybe half a dozen colors of fringe to choose from at my local fabric store, that was far fewer than the options for the other methods that use embroidery floss for the tassels. COST: 5 EASE: 7 RESULTS: 6
Fragrance from 1D tering on a hibernating bear’s environment and the advent of spring. “I wanted them to be like vintage apothecary jars with samples of places and people,” says Austin. “I created the theme by thinking of both interior and exterior space, then coming up with characters that would be associated with them. All of the environments are meant to be special places offering calm, inspiration and peace. Our dream spots, so to speak.” At Aera, intriguing scents come in capsules you load into a diffuser that can be operated with an app. The collection, created by master perfumers and
Garden from 1D
vented. Edward Johnson, a friend and partner of Thomas Edison, handwired 80 “patriotic” red, white and blue bulbs and wound them around a rotating evergreen tree in his home. In subsequent years, publicity (such as Grover Cleveland lighting the White House tree with electric lights) and electrification in rural areas made electric Christmas tree lights more popular. THE TREE The “technology” of the tree itself has also ad-
In this Aug. 16 file photo a child holds his Amazon Echo Dot in Kennesaw, Ga. Technology companies are pushing the “smart home,” selling appliances and gadgets that offer internet-connected conveniences you didn’t know you needed. (AP photo)
This graphic represents a Tuesday survey of regional lending institutions. Figures are based on rates at Range Bank, mBank, First Bank of Upper Michigan and Marquette Community Federal Credit Union.
didn’t require pliers or glue. And it offers the most opportunity for customization. I used three shades of the same color for an ombre effect, but using all one color or mixing it up would be just as good. COST: 8 EASE: 8 RESULTS: 8
OMBRE HOOPS: A blog called “Style & Forks” promised “The Easiest Tassel Earring Tutorial,” and while it was indeed the easiest of the three I tried, it wasn’t quite as easy as it looked. This method involves simply tying embroidery floss onto hoop earrings — no glue, no fiddly jewelry findings. So far, so good. But the instructions also call for wrapping the thread around two fingers — without saying how many times — and I found that resulted in short lengths of floss that were difficult to tie. Instead, I wrapped the thread around four fingers six times, which gave me enough to work with. The tutorial also doesn’t explain HOW to tie the embroidery thread to the hoop. I found better instructions and photos on a website for Darice , a company that makes craft supplies. Essentially, you fold the threads in half in a Ushape, hold it under the earring and pull the ends through the loop. I improvised an even easier way by putting a bit of tape on the ends to hold them together, which made poking them through the loop and tying the knot smoother. And then the tape is cut off when the tassel is trimmed. Once I got the hang of it, this method was quick, even though it involved adding multiple tassels to each hoop. This method was inexpensive, because it
DANGLING HOOPS: My final attempt was based on a tutorial on the website Made in a Day . This method uses an entire skein of embroidery floss per earring, which makes for a chunkier tassel and also means no measuring. The floss is looped over an oval jump ring and tied to create the tassel, which was a bit harder than I expected. The instructions say to use glue, but not exactly where, and I ended up with some hot glue squirting out the side of my tassel top. Wrapping another jump ring around the tied portion also was not particularly easy. From there, however, it’s just a matter of trimming the tassel, slipping the jump ring onto a hooped earring and attaching the hoop to an earring wire. This method required the most pieces, and might be the most difficult if you’re not used to working with tiny jump rings and pliers. But once proficient, you could whip up many pairs because the packages of supplies contain enough for dozens. COST: 7 EASE: 5 RESULTS: 6
scent designers, includes evocative names like “Poetry” (vetiver, eucalyptus and guaiac, an oil from the South American palo santo tree), “Moondance” (bergamot, iris, amber) and “Kith & Kin” (orange zest, spice, soft wood). At Green Valley Aromatherapy in Courtenay, British Columbia, founder Barbara Greenwood offers essential oil mixtures like “Transitions,” with black pepper, rosemary, lemon and geranium. “Black pepper stimulates blood flow to help with lethargy and fatigue. Geranium is considered in aromatherapy to be a balancing oil and was added to help offer the warm hand of comfort. Lemon is a great oil to uplift and im-
prove focus. Rosemary is considered to be a mental stimulant,” she says. Those seeking comfort might consider her “Solace,” a soothing blend of bergamot, marjoram and sandalwood. Or generate a festive air with “Spring Party,” a zingy mix of orange, peppermint and ylang ylang. At interior design firm Haus Interior , cotton wax candles include “Summer Haus,” a seasonally reminiscent blend of coconut and tonka bean, a legume with a vanilla-caramel taste and aroma. “Dock Haus” is a mixture of summer-cottagey birch and cypress essences, while “Winter Haus” combines warm fig with the smoky notes of a wood fire.
vanced over the years, mostly to adapt to warmer and drier homes. Firs, spruces and some pines were found to be the best evergreens at holding onto their leaves under these conditions, both for looks and to reduce the fire hazard from dry leaves indoors. Another way to offset the effects of today’s drier homes is to put the tree in the coolest spot, or at least not right where an air duct spills hot air out into the room. Spraying the tree with an anti-transpirant such as Wilt-Pruf also helps. Keeping the base of
the tree in water — after making a clean cut — allows water to enter the base to replace moisture lost through the needles. A couple of tablespoons of bleach in the water inhibits bacterial growth which clogs the stems. Still, Christmas trees — and Christmas — don’t last forever. You may be heartened to know that the residents of Christmas, Florida, live up to their name by maintaining a year-round Christmas tree. http://www.leereich.com/ blog http://leereich.com
How to plan your smart home — and weigh privacy risks By ANICK JESDANUN AP Technology Writer NEW YORK — You might have heard of lights that turn off with an app or voice command. Or window shades that magically rise every morning. Technology companies are pushing the “smart home” hard, selling appliances and gadgets that offer internet-connected conveniences you didn’t know you needed. But before you succumb to the temptation — for yourself or others — consider that these devices might also give companies and hackers a key to your homes. Here’s how to get started on your smart home and what to worry about along the way. STARTING THAT SMART HOME A smart home can encompass features as simple as remote-controlled lamps and as sophisticated as thermostats that know when you’re home and turn up the heat automatically. Down the line, you may want to mix and match these tasks into routines, such as a wake-up ritual that automatically starts the coffee maker, lifts the window shades and plays the news. With the right tools, you can check remotely whether you remembered to lock the doors — and lock them if you forgot. Some systems can also create temporary digital keys for guests and contractors. Many people start thinking about a smart home when they get a voice-activated speaker such as Amazon’s Echo or Google Home, although such gadgets aren’t strictly necessary. Nor do you even need actual smart lights and appliances, as you can buy smart plugs, adapters that control existing lights or whatever you plug into them. If you catch the smart-home bug, you can add appliances with the smarts already built in as you replace your existing ones. Major remodels also offer an opportunity to make bigger smart-home plans. You probably wouldn’t want to get new window shades now only to replace them with smart ones a year later. THE RISKS There are some concerns to keep in mind. Many devices are constantly listening for commands and connect to corporate servers to carry them out. Not everyone is going to be comfortable with live microphones in their homes (though your phone may already be doing the same thing, if you had enabled assistive features such as “Hey Siri” and “OK Google”). For the most part, recordings will leave home only when you trigger the device, such as by speaking a command phrase like “OK Google” or pressing a button to get the device’s attention. But an Amazon device mistakenly recorded and sent a family’s private conversation to an acquaintance after the device mistakenly thought it heard the trigger word followed by a “send message” request. Check what safeguards a device offers be-
Build from 1D 5 percent in early November, the highest level in seven years. The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage has fallen back since then and hit 4.6 percent last week. Still, that is up from an average of 3.9 percent a year earlier. The construction of apartment buildings has soared in the past year, rising 20 percent nationwide. That could
fore buying. Smart speakers, for instance, typically have a mute button to disable the microphone completely. Mozilla’s Privacy Not Included project seeks to warn consumers about products with security or privacy problems. A general web search also might turn up complaints. In general, it helps to stick with major brands, as their corporate reputations are at stake if they’re caught taking shortcuts. Bigger companies can also quickly fix security holes that crop up. Gadgets from startups and no-name brands may offer little or no protection; those companies may be more concerned with rushing a product to market. Bigger companies, however, are also more likely to use your data for marketing. So consider the trade-offs. LEAVING A DIGITAL TRAIL Even if a product works as intended, it may be leaving a record that can resurface after hacks, lawsuits or investigations . Manufacturers, for instance, typically store the voice commands their gadget send over the internet and use that data to help them personalize their services — and, potentially, advertisements. These voice snippets may include music or conversations in the background. Reputable brands let you review and delete your voice history; be sure to do so regularly. And think twice about smart locks and their digital keys. In a child-custody dispute, for instance, your ex might subpoena the records to learn that you’ve been staying out late on school nights. If you rent, a landlord might suspect an unauthorized occupant if you create a guest key that’s used daily. CHOOSING A SYSTEM As cable and internet services become commodities, the companies behind them are turning to smart homes for new sources of revenue. AT&T’s Digital Life and Comcast’s Xfinity Home offer cameras, door controls and other smart-home devices. The packages are good for those who prefer one-stop shopping, though you might save money and get more choices by shopping around. For the do-it-yourself approach, consider which company’s services you’re already using heavily. If it’s Amazon, then devices powered by its Alexa digital assistant might work best. There’s a range of Alexa products, including refrigerators and washing machines. You can command an Alexa microwave oven to “reheat one potato” instead of having to look up how many seconds. It’ll also reorder popcorn with a command — from Amazon, of course. Likewise, if you’re a heavy Google user, choose devices that support Google’s Assistant. Apple has products under the umbrella of HomeKit, while Samsung has SmartThings. Some products will work with more than one digital assistant.
help keep rents in check. But single-family home building creates more jobs and economic activity and is closely watched by economists. Their construction requires more labor and yields more purchases of furniture and appliances. Single- family home building plunged 13.1 percent in November from a year earlier. Building permits for single-family homes ticked up 0.1 percent last month, sug-
gesting that construction of those homes will level off in the coming months. Overall permits rose 5 percent last month and 0.4 percent from a year ago.
1900 Presque Isle Ave.
228-7255
FEATURED PROPERTY
“We change the lives of people put in our path.”
Les & Judy Thatcher
OFFICE: 942-7699 • 466 TOWNHALL RD., SKANDIA
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e g o n ta g e a n d is n v e n ie n t to e g a u n e e . 3 ,2 5 0
T B D R id g e S t, M q t T h is is n o t s o m e th in g y o u w ill th e m id d le o f M a r q u e tte o fte n o v e r 2 0 lo ts to ta lin g o v e r 4 a th e r e is s o m u c h p o te n tia l h (1 1 0 8 9 7 7 ) $ 1 4 9 ,9 0 0
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The Mining Journal 3D
Thursday, December 20, 2018
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4D The Mining Journal
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Northern
Michigan
Land Brokers
Information Courtesy of Upper Peninsula Association of Realtors, January 1, 2018 to December 14, 2018
RECENTLY SOLD LAND
44 Acres, County Road 550, Marquette
1890 S Helen Lake Road, Republic
North 40 Acres, Northwestern Road, Big Bay
N3659 16 Mile Lake Road, Munising
106 Military Road, Deerton
40 Acres, County Road CU, Ishpeming
240 Acres, Mastodon Road, Crystal Falls
320 Acres, Moose Drive, Republic
86 Acres, Thomas Lake, Michigamme
TBD Lake Road, Ironwood
Love the Land!
Bob Sullivan
Associate Broker/ Owner Cell: 906-361-4212
Rob Sullivan
Associate Broker, Office Manager Cell: 906-362-3337
Brian Olson
Associate Broker Cell: 906-869-6446
Sue Feldhauser Agent Cell: 906-360-2891
Charles Drury Agent Cell: 906-235-3198
Bob Anderson Agent Cell: 906-362-8388
Don Willson
Agent Cell: 906-202-0457
Toll-free 1-866-231-LAND • www.northernmichiganlandbrokers.com • 2552• 2552 USUS 4141West, Marquette 906-225-LAND (5263) • www.northernmichiganlandbrokers.com • www.premiumupproperties.com West, Marquette