Dear Monty: We recently read an article urging homeowners to update their homes before putting them on the market. According to the writer, the rationale for doing so is that homebuyers are attracted to up-to-date homes. The writer states that these homes bring more buyers, so the competition between buyers is likely to get a…
Use Woodworking Tools to Cut Perfect Curves
Dear James: Our house has unique room shapes and carpeting. We are installing hardwood flooring in one room with a curved wall. How can we make a nice curved edge on some hardwood pieces? —Anthony R. Dear Anthony: Carefully remove the old carpeting that fits along that curved wall. This will be a good template…
Pets Transfer Poison Ivy Oil to People
Q: We discovered poison ivy in our woods. If our cats and dogs touch it, can it cause them problems? What if they rub up against us humans? A: Neither cats nor dogs suffer from poison ivy rash, but their coats easily transfer the oil in poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac to humans….
7 Ways to Wage War Against Mosquitoes—and Win!
Mosquitoes are nasty creatures. They bite; they transmit terrible diseases to people and pets; and from what I read, they have no redeeming value in the ecosystem. Malaria infected some 212 million people worldwide in 2016 and killed an estimated 429,000. Mosquitoes spread yellow fever, dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, Rift Valley fever, Chikungunya virus, and…
A Cradle of Civilization: The Home
We Americans have long celebrated the idea of home. Think of Dorothy clicking her heels together in “The Wizard of Oz” while saying the magic incantation that will return her to Kansas: “There’s no place like home! There’s no place like home!” Remember that line from the song “Home, Sweet Home”: “Be it ever so…
4 Most Common Problems When Children Inherit the Family Home
September 5, 2021
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Dear Monty: My husband and I are in our 70s. We are thinking about leaving our home to our kids when we are both departed. We are a close family, and they all enjoy coming home with their kids. We have received advice from our friends. Some think it is a beautiful idea, and others…
With No Tourist Handouts, Hungry Bali Monkeys Raid Homes
SANGEH, Indonesia—Deprived of their preferred food source—the bananas, peanuts and other goodies brought in by tourists now kept away by the coronavirus—hungry monkeys on the resort island of Bali have taken to raiding villagers’ homes in their search for something tasty. Villagers in Sangeh say the gray long-tailed macaques have been venturing out from a…
How to Maintain and Prevent Damage on Brick Walls
Dear James: I am using recycled brick over a wood-framed wall for my new house. Should my builder take any special precautions to ensure the old bricks do not crack over time? —Rosie H. Dear Rosie: There are not many solid brick houses built today, so if some bricks do crack, the house will not…
Frozen Assets, Stand-Up Chicken, and More Great Reader Tips
I am always entertained and often educated by the tips readers mail in. Today is no exception. I’m pretty sure you will agree with me. Safely Frozen I am on a waiting list to get a safe deposit box at my bank. While I wait, I am keeping my important papers in a heavy freezer…
Protecting Cypress Trees From Canker Diseases
Q: I lost all 12 of my Leyland cypress trees to seiridium canker. I was told by an arborist that the disease spread via the ground, and that there wasn’t anything I could have done to prevent it in the first place. He explained that once they were infected, there was nothing I could have…
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