This spring, before you jump into your usual mulch routine, consider how a new approach might enhance your yard. For gardens small to large, mulch adds a finishing touch, and protects your plants to boot. So, with delightfully warmer, sunny days ahead, consider the many mulching options available to improve any landscape.
Mulch comes in a variety of materials [...]
As a mother of three who loves to travel, I have countless photos to remind me of my loved ones and journeys. The problem is that those photos are either stashed away in boxes, stored on my computer, or languishing on photo websites. Though it’s easy to maintain our digital holding ground in this technological [...]
If you’re hearing strains of “Pomp and Circumstance” in your future, that means you have a graduation coming up. Whether it’s preschool or college, eighth grade or high school, commencement is a time to celebrate. We gather our friends and family to offer congratulations on a job well done.
This spring, I have two such [...]
Water is a source of Both life and comfort; it invokes all the senses with its natural delights. Because of these inherent qualities, there is nothing quite like a water source to enhance the landscape. Swimming pools are one way for homeowners to bring the aesthetics of water close at hand. And today’s pools are [...]
In eighth grade, the girls in my middle school were required to take one year of Home Economics. The course was cleverly divided into two sections: cooking and baking the first semester, followed by sewing the second semester. Our teacher, Mrs. Blythe, (who wore a flour-dusted apron to match her flour-dusted hair) taught us to make [...]
When I stopped to consider how often I use the kitchen faucet each day, I quickly realized the importance of this small device to daily living. From getting water for coffee or cooking, to filling the watering can for plant care, to rinsing and washing dishes, the kitchen faucet allows me to conquer all sorts [...]
Enjoying your backyard to its fullest often involves adding amenities like built-in barbecues, fireplaces, ponds, expanded patios or elegant walkways. To achieve such designs, homeowners often have to cut into or fill in the existing soil to create a suitable foundation for the project. Many times, a retaining wall is needed to create these features. [...]
Grow, grow, grow. That’s what all gardeners are praying now as trees and shrubs promise to bring new life to yards once again. Of course there are fertilizers and other plant foods for sale this season, but one of the best ways to stimulate growth is by pruning. As they say, “Out with the old, [...]
Today’s seniors are more active than ever, and retirement communities, home builders and independent contractors have become even more adept at addressing their physical and social needs. Whether retired, empty-nesters or those seeking a change in lifestyle, seniors today have many options for making their homes in the Central Virginia area.
Blakely also believes in what [...]
Over the years, we Americans have loved our fad diets. But fortunately we’re learning more and more about sensible, healthy eating that offers more on the menu than grapefruit and cabbage soup. One diet that has gotten a lot of recent attention is the Mediterranean diet, featuring olive oil as one of its superstar ingredients. Besides [...]
