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Winter Choices for Landscaping

Most gardeners who live in cold climates just pack up for winter and head inside. Watching the landscape through a window, they see stretches of snow covered ground, dead stalks and a few hardy evergreens. Not a bad view, actually!

But for the truly adventurous there are many choices of shrub or tree that can help brighten even those gloomy winter scenes, inside and out.

Holly has been popular around Christmas for centuries. With year-round foliage and colorful berries, it will bring life and color into your life. The bush tolerates cutting even in the dead of winter, so you can prune a few to hang on the door, or make a nice decoration for the dinner table.

China Holly is a delightful variation. Rounded and about 8 foot high, they’re drought tolerant and just beautiful. Inkberry Holly is a nice choice, too. It’s shorter and the black berries make for an interesting difference from the usual type. Winterberry Holly is a good choice if you want to attract those few bird species that hang around during the cold months.

Birch trees add an artistic touch to the landscape and can be used as lining around your property or as a centerpiece in the lawn. Since they’re deciduous they lose their leaves in the late Fall, but the subtle coloring of the wood and the shape of the branches make them natural sculpture.

Paper Birch has bark that makes an interesting appearance, as it sheds and folds. A variety known as Yellow Birch is a colorful type. Young’s Weeping Birch grows only to six to twelve feet, making it a wonderful shorter version. Most birch trees can grow 60 feet or more over a period of decades.

Yew trees have long been associated with the Christmas season in Great Britain, but can be grown in many countries. Their evergreen needles and bright red berries provide a nice bit of color during winter. Be sure not to eat the berries, which are poisonous.

Several Japanese species have evolved in the windswept areas and form lovely additions to the home. The Japanese Barberry is a roundish shrub that does well in certain parts of the country. They’re hardy up to Zone 3. A few feet high and wide, they produce lovely Fall colors and the berries will last until very late into the season.

The American version will thrive in Zones 2-8 and its fruit is a favorite of birds. They’re also deer resistant, so if you live in an area they frequent you get two benefits in one bush. During the other seasons you might enjoy the fragrant foliage.

Complete the picture with a tall grass that can add to the scene in winter. Plume grass is an ornamental and will last all year round in Zones 4-9. With a thin shaft and puffy top, you’ll enjoy seeing them against the background.

Don’t let winter stop you from enjoying your green thumb. Pick some winter plants today.

               

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Handy Tips for Staying Fit - Even in the Cold Winter Months

If you are committed to getting fit when you head into retirement, you must not neglect the winter months. Just because it is cold outside does not mean you can slack off on your commitment to get and stay fit! Embrace winter and learn some savvy techniques to not only stay warm in the wintertime, but also enjoy working out.

There are some great benefits to keeping up the exercise pace in the winter time. First of all, you do not lose that precious ground you have gained in the warmer months. Second, there are plenty of winter sports and ideas for great workouts. Third, staying active in the winter months also helps you fight off normal cold weather illnesses such as the flu and colds. In addition, weight is kept off and you will also keep those winter blahs and blues away.

By creating a good year-round fitness regiment, you can avoid injuries, even in the cold winters. It is all a matter of finding cold weather fitness ideas and implementing them. Plus when you keep fit all year, you are less likely to injure yourself in the winter when you have to shovel snow or even just keeping your balance on icy sidewalks.

Here are a few great ideas to keep yourself moving in the winter time:

1. Keep on walking – Snow should not be a deterrent to sticking with your walking routine. If possible head to your nearest mall and walk there. Stick to shoveled sidewalks for your workout. You can also strap on some snowshoes and trek across the snow.

Snowshoes are easy to master after a few turns around the block. The only difference with snowshoes is that you will have to adjust your walking gait. Bigger steps and lifting your feet a bit higher are the two biggest changes. With snowshoes, you are actually getting a better workout.

2. Cross country skiing – You are probably thinking, “yeah right!” However, many seniors are discovering the delights of strapping on some skis and enjoying the crisp cold air. With just a few lessons, you can learn to cross country ski. It’s a low impact sport and yet it is an awesome aerobic workout. You don’t have to brave the huge slopes or anything either. Your snow covered local park should work just fine.

3. Ice skating – If you have fairly good balance and some great pads to protect your body parts, why not try ice skating? You can make the workout as intense or low impact as you want. Both indoor and outdoor facilities are typically found in winter months.

When you exercise in the winter months, you have to take care of yourself as well. You will need to dress appropriately. Think in layers. When you wear layers of clothing, these layers trap body heat keeping you warm. The best part is that when you start getting warm from your workout, you can just peel off one layer and still be protected from the weather.

As you age, you need more insulation to regulate your body temperature, especially during the winter months. Look to down and fleece materials for your insulating layers. The outer layers of jackets and coats should be a breathable nylon so that it repels water, snow and wind.

Also, it is important to wear a hat and protect your ears. Body heat is often lost through the head so you need a breathable fabric to keep your head warm. Plus, ears freeze rather easily and they are not well-protected by wind. Cover them up. Insulate your feet and keep your hands warm with gloves.

Apply sunscreen and lip balm when going outdoors and always stay hydrated. With winter sports, it pays to play it safe. Exercise with a friend; watch weather reports before venturing out. Keep a cell phone with you in case you have to call for help. And most of all, warm up your body before you head out for your winter activities and be sure to cool down with stretches afterward to avoid injuries.

So as you can see, there is no reason not to venture outdoors when the first white stuff hits the ground. Winter can be fun and exercise can be too!

               

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Active Listening

A major part of good communication between parent and child is active listening. But, what is ACTIVE listening? It means not merely staring at the child while he or she talks, but actively taking in what is said and exploring its meaning.

The mechanics of active listening are simple, though a parent may need to remind him or herself of them when interrupted during a busy day.

Focus on the child’s eyes, but keep aware of the child’s posture and movements, tone, rhythm and other physical factors. Stifle - for a few moments, at least - the urge to immediately respond with a ‘quick fix’ or piece of advice. Often, the goal isn’t problem resolution as much as simply hearing what the child has to say. Like adults, children want to be heard.

With active listening a parent is positioning him or herself to carry out another important aspect of communication: echoing back what has been said. But ‘echoing’ doesn’t mean ‘parroting’. In order to truly hear, you have to engage the brain, not just the ears. Reflecting back what has been said, in the parents own words, demonstrates that not only has the child been heard, but - more importantly - understood.

Sympathy may or may not be part of the equation. A parent does not have to feel obligated to be sympathetic to a child’s expression of a desire to punch a sibling. But neither should one be immediately dismissive of any expression of ‘negative’ thoughts or feelings. Responses such as ‘You don’t really mean that’ may be true and honest, but they are not always helpful.

It isn’t necessary to be morally or emotionally neutral, simply objective. Before words - and the thoughts and feelings behind them - can be evaluated, they have to be understood.

Some conversations will be spontaneous. But parents have lives, too. They can’t reasonably be expected to instantly drop everything they are doing. Those goals may well be important to both them and the child, even though the child may not be able to grasp that.

Still it’s important to both parent and child to be open to hearing the child when he or she has something to say. Too many ‘tell me later’ episodes will erode trust and the child’s interest in communicating.

Fortunately, there are creative ways to deal with this dilemma.

For those old enough to do so, one method may involve having the child write out thoughts and feelings and place it in a cookie jar or send it via email. This should be reserved for those times when the parent is unavailable due to work and other important activities. It should not be a regular occurrence, lest it become a way of avoiding face-to-face communication.

However the listening is carried out, it’s important to allow the child the freedom to express him or herself completely. Any subject or viewpoint should be allowed.

Once again, it isn’t necessary to be morally or emotionally neutral to any and every statement. But children don’t always have the moral knowledge or experience of adults. What an adult knows instantly to be wrong, a child must learn - preferably from an active listening adult.

               

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Home Pregnancy Tests

In days past it would often take weeks to get the results of a pregnancy test, after a visit to your doctor. Today, you can have the answer in minutes.

Home pregnancy tests work much the same way as those carried out by professional labs. Both test for the presence and level of a hormone called hCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) in blood or urine. Blood samples are considered more reliable, but certainly less pleasant, particularly for home tests. Most of them test urine.

Two criteria chiefly determine the worth of a home pregnancy test: readability and sensitivity.

Readability is partly a subjective issue, though some tests are definitely easier to interpret than others. Some show you a number, others match a color strip against a stated result. Many these days just say ‘Pregnant’ or ‘Not Pregnant’ in some form. Which you choose depends largely on personal taste.

The time to get a result is no longer a factor. In fact, if you wait too long to read the results the indicator becomes unreliable. Also, contemporary over-the-counter products from any major manufacturer are reliable. False negatives and false positives aren’t completely absent, but they affect fewer than 5% of cases.

One major component of that reliability score lies as much in the two criteria as in the quality of the test. As tests have become more and more sensitive, the level of false positives has a tendency to go up. For example, women who have recently given birth or miscarried may have elevated levels of hCG present even when they are not pregnant. Certain medications can increase the level as well.

As a result, tests which measure low levels can give a misleading result. Keep in mind that no HPT (Home Pregnancy Test) measures pregnancy directly. The only way to do that is to actually examine the implantation of the fertilized egg into the womb, a procedure that (so far) can’t be carried out at home. So, an indicator is measured as a proxy and that indicator can be high for other reasons, such as those above.

Some HPTs can measure hCG levels as low as 25 mIU/ml (milli International Units per milliliter). The abbreviated unit after the number is complicated, but not important to the home consumer. Just look at the sensitivity rating of the test and compare. In order to reduce false positives, tests can be designed not to give a ‘Pregnant’ indication until higher levels are reached. Many measure levels at 50 mIU/ml or even at or above 100 mIU/ml.

But raising those levels to be less sensitive means introducing two potential problems.

One, if the test detects hCG only at higher levels, you have to be pregnant longer before the body builds up to that level. That reduces the value of a home test, many of which are labeled EPT (EARLY Pregnancy Test) for a reason. The other potential problem is closely related. It can introduce false negatives, you really are pregnant, but the test tells you that you’re not.

For most women, these issues are not major. A home pregnancy test is a great convenience, but once you get a positive result it should be followed up with another from your physician. Also, many HPTs come with multiple strips. Test once, then test again a week later. If you get the same result, the odds are much higher that the test is valid.

Follow the instructions carefully and you can be confident that the test is telling you the truth, in 95% or more of cases. Those are pretty good odds, all things considered.

               

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Wedding Gifts to Remember

There’s a saying about gifts and that is, ‘It’s better to give than it is to receive.’ Now if you ask couples who have had weddings, they’ll probably tell you that on their special day, they received some of the nicest gifts ever, so these people might not agree with this saying. But whether it’s for better or for worse, gifts given by the bride-and groom-to-be are certainly part of the wedding tradition.

So who makes up the group fortunate enough to receive a gift from the bride and groom? Members of the wedding party top that list. That includes everybody: best man, maid (matron) of honor, bridesmaids, ushers, groomsmen, junior bridesmaids, flower girls, and ring bearers. It’s also a nice gesture for the bride to give a gift to the groom and vice versa, although this is not mandatory. Nowadays, the bride and groom also include each set of parents on the gift giving list. And finally, it’s definitely a nice gesture to give a gift to any other person who did something special during the occasion. Sometimes someone will be asked to do a special reading at the ceremony, or to step in for the bride’s father and walk the bride down the aisle and these individuals should be acknowledged.

The purpose of these wedding gifts is to show your appreciation, not break your wedding budget. A gift that has been specially picked out shows you put thought and consideration into the gift. Including a personalized note with the gift thanks the person for whatever role he or she played and it is certainly a nice touch when having the gift engraved with the wedding date and couple’s names or initials.

Make sure you have the gifts purchased about 4 weeks prior to the wedding date. That gives you enough time to have them engraved and to create your personalized messages. To help the gifts make an even greater impression on the recipient, take special care in wrapping them. Use fancy wrapping paper and elaborate bows using colors that complement the wedding colors. The best time to give your gifts is during the rehearsal dinner, as it’s intimate, and the people to whom you’re giving the gifts should all be present.

Need some gift ideas? Well first check your wedding budget to see how much you have allocated to this category. You’ve likely spent quite a bit of your money by this stage, so it’s important to take a realistic look. Brides typically give each member of the bridal party a piece of jewelry or a hair clip that the bride would like her to wear on the wedding day. Other gift ideas include bud vases, picture frames, bath oils, a collectible item or a gift basket. The men in the wedding party like to receive engraved pens, pocket watches, cigars, business card holders, a clock for their desk, or key chains. For the parents, a professional wedding photo in an engraved frame is perfect as is a personalized letter detailing your appreciation. For each other, anything that conveys your love and devotion is ideal.

               

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Why You Should Start Planning Early for Your Retirement

Planning early for your retirement is one of the best things that you are ever going to be able to do for yourself in your lifetime. The earlier you start planning for your retirement the more educated you are going to be, the more ready you are going to be for your retirement, and the more money you will have set aside thereby allowing you to maintain the same lifestyle you are living now, if not better.

Getting Started

The biggest problem that most people have when it comes to planning for retirement is that they simply don’t know where to start. It is no wonder either, as there are so many different questions and issues that come into play when it comes to retirement. Retirement investing is an important topic for people of all ages, and the first thing you need to do when it comes to planning for retirement is to set some realistic goals for yourself.

You should decide to have a specific amount of money deducted from your account prior to receiving your take home pay, money that will be used for investment purposes. Even if you feel as though you have enough knowledge in this area that you will not have any problems, it is always best to hire a financial planner to help you out here, as they are educated specifically in the field of retirement and will be able to help you every step of the way here.

They can help you to select certain assets to invest in and also will advise you about specific taxation consequences. They will not only make the process a great deal easier, but may even point out areas in which you can save even more, which you may have not noticed otherwise.

One of the most important things of all to remember when it comes to retirement planning is that you need to plan your approach to retirement sensibly and realistically, and regularly review your progress. It is never too late to start planning and preparing for your retirement, but remember that the earlier you begin the better off you are going to be in the end. If you want to enjoy your retirement to its fullest, then you need to make adequate preparations. By following these basic guidelines and making yourself as educated as possible on the subject of retirement in general, you will be doing yourself a world of good.

               

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Wedding Rings

Wedding rings are the most visible signs of marriage. They have long been a part of history and they haven’t always been made out of metals. Ivory, leather, bone and glass, along with precious metals, have all been used to represent what wedding rings still represent today – eternal life together. Shopping for wedding rings is one of the more enjoyable tasks of planning the big event, but with so many beautiful styles to choose from, it can become overwhelming.

According to most wedding planning timelines, you can wait to shop for wedding rings until 4 months before the actual wedding date. By then, most of the stress-inducing logistics have been taken care of enabling the two of you to relax for a brief period. And that’s what shopping for wedding rings should be – a time relaxing, quite time for the two of you to regroup before things really spiral out of control and tensions flare!

The wedding rings are an important purchase because they’re something that you’ll want to last a lifetime. But even so, it’s important now more than ever to stick within the amount you have previously budgeted for this purpose. Once you start looking at wedding rings, you’re going to want them all, no matter what they cost. Keep in mind while you shop that you do want your rings to look good, but because they’ll become part of everyday life, be practical and make sure that your wedding rings fit comfortably.

Where do you begin your search for wedding rings? Trends are great, and the trendy rings will be placed center stage at the jewelers, but most people opt for tradition when selecting their wedding rings. Remember, the rings are going to be worn for a long time, hopefully decades, and today’s trends aren’t going to last that long. Be sure to consider what you both like. For many men, a wedding ring is the only piece of jewelry they’ll ever wear so let the guy have some say in the decision.

Do you both prefer white gold, yellow gold, or platinum? Do you want gemstones or diamonds included on the bands? How about scroll work or filigree? Would simple, unadorned bands suit you better? Do either of you have any cultural preferences such as Irish Claddaugh rings, Jewish wedding bands or Russian wedding rings? Do you want matching wedding rings or do you each want a ring that represents your own unique style? (Believe it or not, this is acceptable nowadays!)

Once you’ve selected the wedding rings that best suit your tastes, decide whether or not you want to have the rings engraved. Engraving is a great way to make yet another statement about your commitment, and you’ll be amazed at how much can actually fit onto that tiny space! Be sure to go over the receipt carefully before handing over your partial or full payment, especially when special-ordering rings or having them engraved. To ensure they’ll last a long time, understand how to properly care for them. And finally, consider insuring your wedding rings.

               

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My Experience With Canada Retirement Planning

by: An Anonymous American Observer

I live within minutes of the Canadian border in Upstate New York so I have a lot of experience in how Canadians do their retirement planning and a lot of Canadian retirement planning seems to revolve around traveling the United States and clogging up traffic for hours. I have nothing against Canadians really, well maybe a little, but it always seems amazing to me how Canadian retirees will leave their common sense at home when they are retired in the United States. Here are some rules to help with Canadian retirement planning.

* It’s Called A Line, Stand In It With The Rest Of Us

Canadian retirement planning must be the easiest process in the world that does not involve standing in any lines because when Canadian retirees get to the United States they act like they have never seen a line before. No you cannot get in front of me. Yes you have to get at the back of the line like everyone else. No I do not care that you fought side by side with our US troops in the Korean War.

* It’s The Vertical Pedal On The Left

Canadian retirement planning involves the complete removal of the knowledge of how to drive from the Canadian retiree’s brain. Canadians, as a rule, drive like maniacs because their speed limits are usually 20 to 30 MPH faster than those in America. But when they retire they all of a sudden decide that the scenery in the United States is lovely and they want to drive 20 or 30 MPH below the speed limit to enjoy it. This part of Canadian retirement planning also involves forgetting what a car horn means when every person behind you is laying into their horn because we all want you to move along now.

* Shop In Your Own Malls!

It is impossible to find a parking spot in American malls in border towns because all of the spots are taken up by cars with Canadian license plates on them and a “sexy grandma” bumper sticker. Christmas shopping has become a near international incident in our local malls and if one more Canadian cuts me off in the mall walkway and acts like they never saw me standing there and walking in the same direction then I may escalate that international incident to an act of war. Now that their money is worth a little more than ours I am sure that this will only get worse long before it gets better.

               

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The Ups And Downs Of A Financial Planning Chart For Retirement

Many people wait until they hit their late 30’s or early 40’s before they really start to think about retirement and that is usually when they go see a financial planner. A financial planner is a professional who understands the financial markets and can help you invest your money as wisely as possible in anticipation of your retirement. Usually your financial planner will supply you with a financial planning chart for retirement that puts everything on paper clear as day. That is usually when the drinking begins.

No one can predict the future and whenever someone tries to predict the future they usually come up with bad news. For the average American a financial planning chart for retirement is a tale of bad news. A financial planning chart for retirement takes where you want to be and puts it right next to where you are. That huge gap in between the two on the financial planning chart for retirement is that slim chance you have of saving what you actually want for retirement. With inflation speeding up and incomes slowing down it is not wonder that many people give up when they see the financial planning chart for retirement.

Retirement Is A Gamble

They say that the generation born in the 1960’s could potentially be the last generation that receives social security benefits before out of control government spending dries up that great idea. So anyone born after that runs the risk of having to fend for themselves when it is time to retire. Many people plan on never retiring or at least see no way they can retire when they reach retirement age.

In the late 1990’s the stock market crashed and hundreds of thousands of retirees lost all of their retirement income. Money that they had been saving for decades was gone literally overnight and the drop was too quick for many to move their money into safer funds and save it. Retirement, like anything else related to the stock market, can be a gamble.

All you can really do is look at that financial planning chart for retirement and do your best to close that gap between what you want to happen and what really will happen. It is difficult with so many Americans having little to no disposable income and with so many Americans bouncing from minimum wage job to minimum wage job. Something needs to be done but in the meantime you can help yourself by trying to close that gap.

               

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Winter and Your Herb Garden

Winterizing your herb garden isn’t difficult, but the actions you take will differ depending on the type of herbs you have planted. Just as with other plants and flowers, some are annual others perennials. That means they either die off with the cold weather or simply become dormant, to rise again the following spring.

Basil, for example, doesn’t do well in colder climates and will often not survive the winter. They can be grown indoors, or simply planted again next early spring. Sage and Thyme winter well on the other hand, though their leaves may wither and the stalks may appear dead. Try scraping the side of a sample and look for green material. That’s a sign that the plant is still alive and will blossom later in the season.

Most herbs require little or no fertilizer, since they do well in what would be considered poor soil for other plants. If you do fertilize, avoid adding any after early August. You don’t want to encourage a spurt of new growth that won’t have time to mature before winter sets in. That will leave the new growth vulnerable, making it hard to survive the snow or frost.

As growth slows, the plants prepare themselves for winter. Many lose their leaves. In some cases the stalks may actually harden and die. But, in the case of perennials, the roots are still alive even though dormant. As the snow clears and the ground warms, they’ll sprout again, rest assured.

A similar warning applies to pruning. Trimming back in August or September will stimulate new growth, those new shoots don’t have time to mature before winter, and often will not survive. That doesn’t help the herb’s chances the following spring, since that dead growth has to be cleared before new growth can takes its place.

Good drainage is important for almost all herbs, since most prefer slightly dryer soil. Peppermint prefers it slightly moister, but even there the key word is ‘moist’, not ‘wet’. Rosemary, Lavender, Thyme and others are Mediterranean natives so they’re used to rocky, dry soil and lots of hot sunshine. The coming of winter makes this point even more important.

Wet soil draws more heat out of the plant than dry. When it becomes cold enough, of course, it freezes. That can crack roots, cause frost heaving as the ground alternately freezes and thaws over winter, and other ill effects.

Adequate drainage is encouraged by the right mix of sandy loam and clay soil. The clay retains moisture that is later released to plants as the surrounding soil dries. Sandy loam provides lots of spaces for air to move around, while allowing excess water to pass through easily.

A good mulch will help the surface enormously. A mixture of pine bark and needles or a commercial mixture is great. Sawdust is helpful. In special cases, it can be helpful to build a small wire cage around the plant to help retain the mulch and (if lined with plastic) block excess cold wind.

Prepare for winter and you’ll find your herbs eager to sprout at the earliest opportunity in the spring.

               

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