“New” doesn’t always mean “better” – and when it comes to clothing, “new” can mean harsh on our planet.
The Flint Cultural Center has a special celebration planned for Earth Day by his year! Several organizations have teamed up to honor the environment in a three-day Earth Day celebration, including: FIA, Applewood Estate, Flint Public Library, Flint School of Performing Arts, Flint Youth Theatre, Longway Planetarium, and Sloan Museum.
Well, it is that time again. This winter, although fairly odd due to our friend El Niño, was a very mild and tempered event. However, the end of winter still leaves us with the Spring Cleaning we, as Flint residents have all become accustomed to. Many of us will be deep cleaning the garage, dusting off our golf clubs, and getting the boat de-winterized and ready to hit the water.
With a lot of us spending most of the winter inside playing on our computers, hoping for spring to come soon, our PCs could really use a good cleaning to help them run smoothly again. The most common problem is running slow. There are a number of factors that contribute to the overall speed of your machine, but following these steps can go a long way in making sure that your PC is running smoothly again.
Happy Arbor Day! In 1854 a pioneer named Julius Sterling Morton traveled with his family from Detroit to the Nebraska Territory to settle there. Compared with the forested hills, tree-lined lakes and cedar swamps back in Michigan, Nebraska’s open landscape appeared barren. Morton was a nature lover and journalist. He and his family planted trees to brighten their new western surroundings, as well as to use for practical purposes around the homestead. He became editor of a Nebraska newspaper, and through his occupation was able to spread agricultural news to the new settlements there. Pioneers were encouraged to plant trees for shade from the hot prairie sun, for fuel and new construction, and for windbreaks.
Having a productive and healthy garden starts with good quality soil to anchor the roots and bring in the nutrients necessary for proper plant growth. First determine the type of soil that you have. The soil may have a lot of clay which impedes drainage and restricts oxygen flow. It might be a little too sandy and not able to retain a lot of nutrients. Limestone feels dry and crumbly; silt feels smooth; and peat feels spongy and has a high amount of decomposed organic matter.
One of the best ways to protect your plants is to get an old sheet or other lightweight fabric and drape it loosely over your frost-sensitive plants in the late evening. Going outside in your pajamas to cover them up before heading to bed might not be ideal, but your plants and flowers will be happy. This will keep damaging frost away from those tender leaves and stems. The heat radiating from the earth is trapped under the sheet and keeps the plant relatively warm overnight. Be sure to remove the covering in the morning before the weather warms up. Late frosts usually occur on clear nights, so it’s likely that a sunny day will follow. It takes a little bit of forethought to cover your plants but it’s worth the effort.
There’s no shortage of design advice out there – but who’s to say that your super-cool wicker peacock chair is ready for the garage sale? The design authorities say that living room furniture no longer has to be a matched collection. And that big whirlpool tub in the master bath – not so hot anymore. If you’re into home décor, you might take these recommendations seriously; but after all, it is your space …
