Why I Oughta...

I *constantly* wonder how bad YouTube is for my kids.  All the time.  They watch - who knows what - on there and while we try to limit what they can/should be watching, there's something VERY STRONG about the draw of YouTube.  But...I'm also keenly aware how wonderful it is.  My most recent example:  I researched, learned and then....was able to buy and change the capacitor on one of our air conditioners.  Part cost $20.  Estimate from HVAC guy?  $350.   My time - about an hour on YouTube.  Then, more time assembly the tools to do the job than actually doing the job.  Now that I've done it, I have a (new) skill - understanding how the most-frequently-bad part on an air conditioner can be replaced.  

My lawn enemy - Wild Onions - are just about at their peek in Zone 5 right now.  If you wander around your neighborhood and see patches of dark green, vibrant 'grass', you're seeing one of a couple of things:   It is either: 1.  Dog poop.   2.  An artifact of sub-surface Fall feeding . 3.  Wild onions.    I have a mix of all three. But, the one I'm concerned with right now is #3:  Wild Onions.  And, I've been attacking them every Spring on multiple fronts.  I posted last month about how they had emerged .   This Spring, I laid down Lawn Lime - to help reduce their likelihood.  I've also begun to 'burn' the tips with my torch.  I intend to get a little spray on them this coming week, too. And, finally...I've begun to remove large clumps.  Here, below is a look at one of them: The key to removal is to dig up MORE than you need to - and make sure you get all the bulbs.  See below for a look at ...

I heard from a few different people that my post last year reminding everyone to change their furnace filter helped them out and motivated them to head down to their basement to check the age of their filter.  Being deep in the heart of winter - with everyone's furnaces running all the time - I figured it was time to mention it again.  If you haven't done it in a while.... GO CHANGE YOUR FURNACE FILTER! In fact...if you are like me, and prone to forget when you put one in and when it is time to take one out, our good friends at Menards have the answer:   An automated nag to remind you to change the filter .  You set the date you installed the filter, the duration (how long you want it to last) and viola(!), Menards does the hard part of remembering when you need to head down to the basement.  There is even settings for fertilizing your lawn, too!  (I know...this is a convenient way of selling more products, but at least there is *some* value to the co...