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It took a few weeks, but the birds are finally finding the new heated birdbath in my side yard. For a while I was feeling rejected by my feathered friends, a presence that I always have an ear and an eye out for beyond the windows.
Frosty forecast — We keep dodging bullets, but the forecast shows a dip into the lower 30s next week, as of this writing. I hope it spares the tender new geranium and impatiens buds and all the glorious roses growing in my yard and all over town. Let's keep 'em blooming as long as we can.
Ruhuni and Barry are the ultimate hockey parents. Sons Jacob and Noah are so heavily into the sport that their lives revolve around game schedules, ice times and practices. But when not at the rink, Ruhuni and Barry love hosting the team's social events in their large home.
The Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum will be decked out for Christmas and open for holiday shopping during the annual festival on Nov. 19 and 20. The festival will feature decorated wreaths and holiday gifts, decorations and baked goods for sale to benefit the museum, which is at 204 S. Main. Admission to the festival is free. Lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. both days for $12. For group lunch reservations of six or more, call 316-265-9314.
Recycling and reusing is not a new idea. In the 18th century, well-to-do European and American families bought made-to-order dinner sets from China that were sent across the ocean in ships. It took a year to get the dishes, and if one broke it was even more difficult to get a replacement.
The holidays typically send many families into high-stress mode. Before you start panicking, "the No. 1 thing is put the pressure on paper," says Deniece Schofield, a home management expert and author of several books on organization, including "Confessions of a Happily Organized Family."
When you're a home-decor retailer, it's a bit like living at the North Pole: It's always the holiday season. As soon as the decorations are down for the season, we're off to market to pick out next year's. Our warehouse fills up with holiday decor in spring, and by summer, we're transforming the stores into winter wonderlands. Call me crazy, but I love living Christmas year-round because I get to check out the new holiday trends early in the season. To get your holiday-decorating juices flowing, here are a few of the great looks you'll see this season.
As a lead-up to next year's Wichita Garden Show, the show's educational foundation is sponsoring a series of five floral design workshops this fall and winter.
Need a little Christmas now? Step into Mary Carol Garrity's "Nell Hill's O Christmas Tree."
Botanical name: Aster oblongifolius "Raydon's Favorite"
Fertilize cool-season grasses — November is the second-best time of year to fertilize fescue (September is No. 1). Fertilizing now will help the grass green up earlier next spring without the need to fertilize then.
Wash your hands. That's a common mantra — and a worthy one — as the H1N1 flu continues to spread.
Some antiques are so rare and strange that they are classed as "what's its" by collectors. Sometimes they are also so interesting they can sell for high prices.
The Wichita Fall Home Remodeling Show featuring log homes continues today and Sunday at Century II.
No trick, all treat — The beautiful fall colors continued this week, though more and more leaves are falling by the day. But they're still pretty on the ground. I can't take enough walks through them, even in the rain.
When Cindy Snyder was in her 20s, she lived in the area of Newport and Laguna beaches in Southern California. "I love the sea," the Oklahoma native says.
Ken and Sue are living proof that opposites attract. Ken, an old hippie at heart, is content to curl up with a good book, while social Sue thinks life is one big dinner party. And when it comes to their design tastes, things are just as polarized: Ken likes traditional lines, antiques and lots of color, while Sue thrives on a neutral, urban vibe. They work in separate spaces in their town house, which Sue bought before meeting Ken, but at the end of each day, they want to hang out together in a room that suits them both.
Black is not so basic when it comes to your garden. Black-eyed Susans notwithstanding, black generally has a negative connotation, a signal that all is not well with a plant — black spot fungus being just one example.
Do you like hard pillows or soft pillows? It might depend on where you grew up. Homemade pillows were used in ancient Egypt, medieval Europe and early America. In the mid-19th century, the Industrial Revolution and the evolving textile industry changed the way pillows were produced.
The Wichita Fall Home Remodeling Show featuring log homes will be Friday through Nov. 1 at Century II.
