You don’t need to live in the desert Southwest very long before coming across an all-too-common housing drawback: a small backyard. Unless you’re lucky enough to have that larger cul-de-sac lot, chances are your yard is probably only a fraction of what you might see on the East Coast or in the Midwest.
I will be at the Home Improvement and Backyard Expo at the South Point on Sept. 16 and 17, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. I will be there to answer any questions you may have and to chat. I will stay longer if people have questions. Come and see me. I would love to talk with you.
Q: I dropped a glass in my kitchen sink, and it took a chunk of porcelain out of the sink. I don’t want to buy a new sink, so is there a way to repair it?
Gatsby Silver. Midas Gold. Royal Blue. Sunrise Orange. Be That Green. Fuego Red. Ballet Pink. These are some of the 50 eye-catching color options describing POLaRT Design’s baroque-inspired furniture on display earlier this summer at the Las Vegas Market.
Awhile back, an attractive and somewhat mysterious young lady with a very pronounced Eastern European accent contracted with me to design and furnish her high-rise condominium. We agreed that our goal would be to make it very glamorous and sort of an ode to the Hollywood of yesteryear. I believe she saw herself as one of the leading ladies of the golden age of cinema such as Joan Crawford or Marlene Dietrich.
Q: I contacted you earlier about my artichoke and tiny black bugs. I applied a solution of Garden Safe Neem Oil as a spray. Hosed it down a couple times so cut off the top few inches of leaves. No pests since then. The main plant is dying, and there are several suckers growing. I have been looking online for the care of the plant.
Housework is something most people don’t like thinking about. Take the advice of the late Phyllis Diller, who would joke during her comedic routine: “Housework can’t kill you, but why take a chance?”
Q: I planted a Pink Lady apple and a Fuji apple together as pollination partners last March. My Fuji died over the summer. I like Fuji apples from the store but I’m wondering if I should try again with another Fuji tree or choose another variety?
Q: My fiberglass shower pan had a crack in it, so a neighbor came over and helped me remove it. He pulled off several rows of tile at the bottom of the shower walls, cut the pan in half and carted it away. I have a replacement pan, but neither one of us knows how to make the drain connection. Is this something we should consider or should we call in a plumber?
Dear Gail: We’ve had neutral colored upholstery for years, and even though we know it’s the norm, we’re not sure if we should go with a neutral again or branch out to a color. Can you give us any suggestions so that we have some direction before we head out shopping? — Debbie
While studying in a cramped dorm room late last year, Kristal Baustista was feeling overwhelmed, as usual. Her finals for her business classes were looming, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas student felt the weight of the tests pressing on her each time she sat down at her desk to cram.
Q: Why does your list of recommended fruit trees have no citrus? I understand the problem with freezing during the winter, but nurseries and garden centers here sell citrus. If I could provide some sort of wind block from cold winter winds and some frost protection, would lemons or oranges have a chance or are they just generally doomed?
“Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home,” — “Home, Sweet Home,” composed by Englishman Sir Henry Bishop with lyrics by American actor and dramatist John Howard Payne.
The year 2020 will capture attention for being an election year and perhaps for the summer Olympics in Tokyo. On the homeownership side of things, however, it’s the year that an old ozone-eating refrigerant long-used in American home air conditioning units is finally retired for good.
Q: Your advice has helped me get a couple of dozen figs off my relatively young trees this year. However, the attached photos show where there were two figs a few days ago and now they are entirely eaten. I have a net over them so I don’t think it’s birds, and I cannot see bugs anywhere on the plant.
