Physically competitive television programs such as “American Ninja Warrior,” “TKO: Total Knock Out” and “Wipeout” have changed the face of exercise for many Americans. People are now constructing their own obstacle courses in their yards and garages, as well as visiting gyms where these types of obstacles have been built especially for this purpose. Southern Nevadans have gotten in on this trend, and Your Home wanted to share a few of their ideas.
Q: If I prune my old oleanders this fall, will they bloom this coming spring?
Dear Gail: We’re thinking about doing some remodeling but are nervous as we’ve heard horror stories. It’s really not something we have to do but, of course, want to. Before we make the big leap can you tell us what we might expect? — Roger &Dotty
Pauline Ives isn’t the type of person to throw something away if it’s in pretty good shape. So when the fabric on her husband’s motorized recliner began to deteriorate and the chair still reclined perfectly well, she decided to investigate her options.
Q: We just moved into our house and have no idea what shape the water heater is in. I’ve been told it’s a good idea to drain it periodically, but what steps do I need to take to flush it?
Q: I have 19 mature, healthy Mexican fan palms pruned every year after flowering. This year they were pruned on June 13, but after three weeks one suddenly died and another died two weeks later. I used the same pruning crew for five years with no problems. I removed about 250 square feet of turf from in front of the trees last year with no other significant changes to their irrigation or fertilization regimen.
This summer has been one of extreme heat, smoky air, wild winds, monsoon rainstorms and unaccustomed humidity. What is needed now is serenity, beauty or, more precisely, a Zen garden, healing garden or therapeutic garden — someplace to relax and retrieve our senses.
“Great is the art of beginning, but greater the art is of ending,” — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), American poet and professor, Elegiac Verse (1881)
Q: I have one pomegranate tree in bad shape. The leaves are turning yellow and then brown; yet underneath the veins are pink. This is one tree out of my 50 that looks like this. The other trees look great with a lot of new growth. Any ideas what could be happening with this one tree?
Its splendor can be caught in a frame or pillow or captured in tapestries that hang along a wide expanse of wall. Shiny, sparkling pieces of bling in home decor are gathering fans who attempt to capture something magical and unusual by incorporating this latest trend.
Q: You mentioned controlling borers with chemicals, but can borers in trees be controlled without using chemicals?
Q: I have door problems. One of my doors closes by itself, and it isn’t supposed to. The other door doesn’t latch correctly. How can I fix these?
While Las Vegans are surviving another summer of record heat and monsoon rains, others can’t wait to move here. They are shopping for a second home that they will occupy when winter arrives in Montana, Michigan or Minnesota. These “snowbirds” will arrive in the coming months and enjoy a Southern Nevada winter while their neighbors back home are enduring freezing temperatures and snowstorms.
Two major problems occurred to landscape plants and fruit trees these past few weeks during the summer. First was the heat. They were stressed. High temperatures seemed to linger longer than normal. In addition, minimum nighttime temperatures stayed elevated well into the 90s for more days than I remember in the past.
Over the years I’ve written about interior changes that should be done as we or family members age and want to stay at home. It’s what we call aging in place.
