Cyber Space Play

On farms there are lots of animals in the garden, or in the paddock so to speak. There’s sheep, cows, horses, all of which would be a nightmare in a city garden, but perfectly acceptable on a farm. Pigs would probably be the worst animal to try and keep in the city, imagine the squealing and grunting it would produce all day long. Your neighbours would probably have it removed from your garden quick smart. How about a tiger though? Have you seen the show Lion Man? A complete nutcase who lives with lions and tigers in his house. He actually lets them sleep in his bed! Why would anyone do that? What if one night one of the animals woke up and thought, I’m hungry, let’s eat Lion Man. Jeez that wouldn’t be good, it would be the end of his career. There’d be no more Lion Man but at least the lion wouldn’t be hungry anymore. Maybe someone should go and rescue him. Take him out of the loony bin and bring him back to reality. I’m sure he loves what he does, but one day it’s going to come back and bite him on the backside. Literally.

Hundreds of species of ticks are found across the world. The deer tick is a species of tick that is small and dark legged. It is also known as the seed tick or bear tick and feeds primarily on mice, deer, cattle, and humans.

In the United States, deer ticks are commonly found in Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Deer ticks await their potential host in paths and trails along woods and grasslands. They are also found in the den of smaller animals like white-footed mice, skunks, and raccoons.

Deer ticks complete their life cycle in about two years. However, in the absence of hosts, this cycle may take longer to be completed. Adult ticks feed in winter, and their preferred host is the white-tailed deer. Adult ticks mate while feeding on the deer. The male tick dies soon after mating, while the female tick remains attached to the host until spring. Then, she drops off and lays eggs.

Deer tick larvae emerge after several weeks from the eggs and generally feed on white-footed mice. These mice contain bacteria that cause Lyme disease. The larvae are infected when they feed on mice; however, they cannot transmit the disease. It is at the nymph stage that the disease is passed on to people and animals. Nymphs are very active between May and July. Therefore, people living in tick-prone regions need to be on high alert during this period to protect themselves and their pets from tick bites. They need to mow lawn grass regularly, prune shrubs, and remove weeds and dry leaves. Pets and their environments must be treated with tick-killing pesticides, while people should use repellent on their clothes before wearing them. Tick drags should also be undertaken routinely. This involves dragging a long, light-colored cloth over the tick-prone property.

Ticks do not fly or jump. They crawl onto the body of the host from shrubs and grass. In humans, deer ticks often target the back of the neck for feeding. They need to be attached for at least six to eight hours to transmit Lyme disease. Therefore, the disease can be prevented by removing a tick immediately after it has attached itself to a host.

To conclude, deer tick bites can cause the dangerous Lyme disease, which may affect the heart or the nervous system and lead to other complications. Therefore, it is essential to take adequate precautions to prevent tick bites.

Ticks provides detailed information on Ticks, Tick Bites, Deer Ticks, Dog Ticks and more. Ticks is affiliated with Mosquito Magnets.

The metabolism of koi and goldfish is controlled primarily by water temperature. As the water cools, pond fish require less protein in their diet. When koi and goldfish are fed high-protein food in cool water, the excess protein is excreted as ammonia from the gills. The microscopic organisms that make up the biological filter (and consume ammonia) also slow down in cooler water.

Improper seasonal feeding can lead to a build-up of toxic ammonia, which stresses fish and reduces their winter survivability. When the water temperature drops to approximately 65 F, start feeding with Spring & Autumn Pond Food. This type of fish food is better suited for the dietary requirements of pond fish in cool water and won’t pollute the water with excess ammonia. Some water gardeners continue to feed their fish until they no longer come to the surface. I stop feeding my pond fish when the water falls below 42 F.

There is no need to worry about “frozen fish” if a section of the pond is at least 18 inches deep. Pond fish will seek the deepest part of the pond and over-winter there until the water warms in the spring. If your pond is less than 18 inches deep, the fish may freeze during a harsh winter. Check with your local pond supplier if you live in an area with harsh winters.

Some water gardeners with shallow ponds attempt to keep their koi and goldfish in kiddie pools or aquariums set up in a cool basement or garage. This is not recommended because of the extra stress involved in netting, transporting, and re-acclimating the fish to the new environment.

However, if you dont have a choice, and need to bring your fish inside for the winter, be sure to have an aquarium air pump or small fountain to provide oxygenation. The fish should be fed infrequently, if at all, depending on the water temperature. pH, ammonia and nitrite, which should be monitored weekly and especially if the fish are fed.

Small water changes (20%) each month will keep the water in good shape until spring. Koi are “jumpers”-so be sure to cover the pool with bird netting!

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Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several pond-related websites including macarthurwatergardens.com and pond-filters-online.com. He also publishes a free monthly newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over 6,000 pond owners. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive a complimentary ‘New Pond Owners Guide’ for joining, just visit MacArthur Water Gardens>

When it comes to decorating a child’s room, your approach should be much different from decorating an adult bedroom.

For kids, their bedroom is where they play games, read, listen to music, day-dream, or just go to be alone sometimes. So use these eight strategies to help create a space that will make you both happy:

1. Talk to your child. Find out what activities and fantasies he or she enjoys; what their favorite color is; and what’s unique about their personality that a theme could be built around.

2. Allow your child to help. Let them have a say about colors, fabrics, and how they want to display their collectibles.

3. Make the room multi-functional. Since children use their room for many activities besides sleeping, it should have several different zones, such as a play area, reading area, and entertainment area.

4. Make storage a priority. Try shelving, large decorative wicker baskets, plastic see-through containers, and closets that contain plenty of shelving and racks.

5. Keep window treatments simple. Avoid long draperies. Shades, blinds, and shorter curtains are safer choices. The fabric should be versatile, and patterns should be repeated in other items in the room, such as in pillows, quilts, lampshades, bed ruffles, etc.

6. Choose the right lighting. A child’s room should include both task lighting for homework and reading, and soothing light for quieter times. A nightlight is also important.

7. Use wallpaper or paint to add color and texture. You can apply whimsical borders along the top edges of the walls, and clouds or stars on the ceiling. Make sure walls are washable, so if you are using paint, choose a semi-gloss or gloss finish. Kids love bright colors, but you should limit any strong color to only one wall.

8. Allow your child to select the design theme. Here are just a few: firehouse fun room, starry night, angels, rainbows, unicorns, baseball, a bedroom for a princess, underwater scenery, outer space, race cars, airplanes, trains, jungle motifs, wizards and dragons, and dinosaurs.

Decorating with your child offers a great opportunity to display your playful side, while doing some memorable family bonding, so have fun with it!

Michael Holland is the creator of http://www.kids-rooms-and-crafts.com and http://www.home-decorating-made-easy.com. His web sites offers lots of FREE decorating tips and ideas for decorating your home.

support@kids-rooms-and-crafts.com

The cordless impact wrench is quickly gaining in popularity among professional mechanics and the hobby mechanic as well. You may be thinking “I already have a cordless drill that I use for impact applications, why do I need a cordless impact wrench as well?”. I thought the same thing. The first difference is on the inside. A cordless drill creates continuous in-line torque. A cordless impact wrench employs an internal spring-loaded pulsating cam to create rotational torque. This creates the “impact” force that loosens a nut. It is the equivalent to banging a wrench with a hammer to loosen a rusty nut only a lot faster. Unlike a cordless drill - which creates continuous in-line torque, a cordless impact driver uses an internal spring-loaded pulsating cam and gear mechanism to create rotational torque or the “impact” force.
Another big difference, is the lack of reactionary torque. Reactionary torque is what you experience with your cordless drill. You have to use brute force to keep your drill from spinning the opposite direction in your hand. With a cordless impact wrench, that torque is directed to the nut not your arm. You can easily hold this tool in one hand and let the cordless impact do all the work. No more pushing down on the tool to drive that screw. These tools are also smaller and lighter than a cordless drill. For example a DeWalt cordless impact wrench is about 35% the size of its comparable cordless drill. This feature makes them perfect for those overhead projects and reaching into hard to get to spaces.

The next time your start that big deck project in the backyard, leave the cordless drill in the box and grab your cordless impact wrench. Your arm will thank you at the end of the day.

About the Author

Webmaster for Red Hill Supply - Online Air Tools

Air Tools - Find an Impact Wrench,Air Ratchet and more.

Recording Fee - A charge for recording the transfer of a property, paid to a city, county, or other appropriate branch of government.

Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) - A federal law requiring lenders to provide home buyers with information about known or estimated settlement costs. The act also regulates other aspects of settlement procedures.

R-Value - The resistance of insulation material (including windows) to heat passing through it. The higher the number, the greater the insulating value.

Sales Contract - A contract between a buyer and seller which should explain, in detail, exactly what the purchase includes, what guarantees there are, when the buyer can move in, what the closing costs are, and what recourse the parties have if the contract is not fulfilled or if the buyer cannot get a mortgage commitment at the agreed-upon terms.

Settlement - (See Closing).

Shared Appreciation Mortgage - A loan in which partners agree to share specified portions of the downpayment, monthly payment, and appreciation.

Tenancy in Common - A form of ownership in which the tenants own separate but equal parts. To inherit the property, a surviving tenant would either have to be mentioned in the will or, in the absence of a will, be eligible through state inheritance laws.

Title - Evidence (usually in the form of a certificate or deed) of a person’s legal right to ownership of a property.

Transfer Taxes - Taxes levied on the transfer of property or on real estate loans by state and/or local jurisdictions.

Veterans Administration (VA) - A federal agency which insures mortgage loans with very liberal downpayment requirements for honorably discharged veterans and their surviving spouses.

Walk-Through - A final inspection of a home before settlement to search for problems that need to be corrected before ownership changes hands.

Warranty - A promise, either written or implied, that the material and workmanship of a product is defect-free or will meet a specified level of performance over a specified period of time. Written warranties on new homes are either backed by insurance companies or by the builders themselves.

Zoning - Regulations established by local governments regarding the location, height, and use for any given piece of property within a specific area.

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About the author:

Mark Mathis is a building designer and publisher of several stock house plan websites and informational resources including http://www.HousePlanCentral.com,
http://www.HousePlanGallery.com, and http://www.moneytalks-bswalks.com. Be sure to visit each site and subscribe to our eNewsletters to receive special offers, promotions, and subscriber-only features.

(NC)A new federal incentive that offers Canadians extra motivation for improving the energy efficiency of their homes will be delivered with the assistance of a well-established network of energy advisors from coast to coast.

Announced in August 2003, the incentive is part of the EnerGuide for Houses Program, which was launched by Natural Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency and helps Canadians improve the energy efficiency of their homes to save money, increase comfort and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are contributing to climate change.

With the EnerGuide for Houses service, an independent energy advisor visits the home, performs an evaluation, calculates an energy efficiency rating and recommends measures to reduce energy consumption while maintaining a healthy living environment. After the homeowner has completed some or all of the recommended upgrades, the advisor performs a follow-up evaluation and establishes a new energy efficiency rating.

These unbiased energy advisors, who have been delivering the EnerGuide for Houses service since it was introduced by Natural Resources Canada in 1998, will play a key role in the new incentive program. In addition to providing advice on your home’s incentive potential, the advisor will submit an application on your behalf, complete with supporting documentation. Incentive cheques will then be sent directly to the homeowner.

Only homes that have pre- and post-retrofit evaluations from a licensed EnerGuide for Houses advisor are eligible for incentives.

For more information about the incentive or to locate an EnerGuide for Houses delivery agent in your area, visit energuideforhouses.gc.ca or call
1 800 387-2000 (toll-free) or 995-2943 in the National Capital Region.

- News Canada

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News Canada