Caring For Your Wooden Cutting Board
December 26, 2006
Researchers have found that bacteria have a tougher time surviving on wood cutting boards. However, plastic cutting boards are less porous than wood, making it less likely to harbor bacteria over a long period of time, but only if it is immediately cleaned. Here are a few tips to caring for your cutting board.
1. It is best to apply the oil slightly warm and with a soft cloth in the direction on the grain. Warming the oil allows it to penetrate deeper into the wood. "Season" your board by applying mineral or butcher block oil and letting it soak into the wood for 15-30 minutes. Apply 4-6 coats before using the board.
2. Oil your cutting board when it looks dry, sometimes as frequently as once a week. If you allow your board to become dry it may begin to crack.
3. Scrub and wash your cutting board with soap and water but don’t immerse it completely in water. In addition, don’t put your wooden cutting board in the dishwasher because it will warp the wood.
The Rich History of Wild Roses
December 26, 2006
Wild roses, of the genus Rosa, are those naturally occurring natives found in Northern Hemispheres around the globe. Wild Roses can be found in forests, canyons, logged wastelands and thickets. They have continued to grow throughout the course of history and across a range of different terrains. Most modern day roses we know are mixed offspring of these wild roses.
Wild roses have had a rich history. They played roles in Greek and Roman culture, symbolizing themes such as love and allegiance. Later they became sought after for cosmetic, medicinal and religious purposes as well. However, with the beginnings of large-scale worldwide trade, rose horticulture and hybridization took root. This forever changed the wild rose landscape from a relatively small number of wild roses across the planet’s surface to today’s world with thousands-upon-thousands of rose varieties.
There are plenty of advantages to cultivating wild roses in modern-day rose gardens. Wild roses are strong, disease resistant plants, which can be grown in almost any less-than-ideal location. They are not dependent on regular fertilization and can tolerate some drought. Requiring essentially no care, wild roses are able to spread on their own, can handle being crowded and withstand transplanting at almost any time of year.
3 Quick Tips on Plotting Your Book
December 26, 2006
Plotting a book can seem an overwhelming task when you’re just starting out, but it does get easier when you understand various plotting strategies.
Here are 3 quick tips that could be all you need to get you started:
- One: You’ll find it useful to analyse published books.
- Two: Decide on the main events
- Three: Use a synopsis as a plotting tool
Tip 1: Work Out How Other Writers Do It
Here’s something you can do if you get stuck: borrow some books from the library - the most popular books would be good! - and go through them while wearing your writer’s hat. Jot down short notes about what happens in each chapter - and also look at how the author ends each chapter. If the author is skilled, they’ll have some kind of chapter hook (something the reader wants to know) to keep the reader turning pages. This kind of analysis is quite fun - it’s always interesting seeing how other authors structure their books and get their effects!
Tip 2: Decide What You REALLY Need to Include
Hamsters Make Cute and Adorable Pets
December 26, 2006
Hamsters are soft, furry and small. They make wonderful pets because they can be entertaining and educational while living in their assigned home. Hamsters are very inquisitive and curious, just watch their twitching sniffing nose, which is constantly assessing and analyzing the environment.
The pet supplies needed for pet hamsters is minimal. A simple cage, some bedding and a running wheel make up the basic furniture. Add in some food and water and your pet will be content. Be sure to include a piece of wood for gnawing because this helps the hamster to prevent its teeth from overgrowing.
Hamsters as pets come in a variety of sizes and colors.
Pet hamsters came in many different breeds; from the Russian dwarf to the Chinese hamster.
Hamster health will be one of your main considerations because while they are durable and rugged, once ill they can sink very quickly. Healthy pet hamsters are active, curious and constantly on the go when not sleeping. These are good indication of your hamster’s care: is it busy eating, running around the cage and generally alert and active? If so, you have a healthy pet that will last for a long time.
Scrapbooking Yourself as a Girl, Youth, and Your College Days
December 25, 2006
Now that you grasp the importance of scrapbooking yourself and see how it can add value to your life, you’ve decided to go ahead and do it.
The next question would be, “What’s there to scrapbook about me? I don’t have a fabulous or most interesting life like Rosanne. I didn’t live my life as a grand adventure like Judy.”
If you really didn’t, then by all means scrapbook your life as one big adventure.
It’s a matter of looking for interesting angles under all the trapped layers of self-inhibiting thoughts.
There’s in fact too many themes you can scrapbook about yourself to cover in one short article like this.
So for starters, here’s some tips and prompts as you scrapbook about your long ago memories as a sweet, young girl or a quiet, bookish and most serious student.
Let’s go right into it!
Days as a Little Girl
“There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.”
- Elizabeth Lawrence
You may have vivid recollections of your days as a young girl. Or you may just have leftover bits and pieces of vague memories of those days.
Green Day: Punk Rock Masters Taming Mainstream Radio Their Way
December 25, 2006
Before they got together as Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool were merely three extraordinary hopefuls hoping and looking for their big break. The trio has no formal training and got their ‘practice’ from playing for free at punk clubs on Gilman Street in Berkeley, California. Out on the streets is where the 3 talented individuals got their big break ? they turned from punk rock’s most unlikely success story to a remarkable band with a series of chart-topping hits. Together, they sold more than 10 million albums and won a Grammy Award in the process. It’s been a long journey for the trio who started out singing out in the streets.
Both Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt were born in Rodeo, California in 1972 and have been fabulous childhood friends since the age of 10. At the age of 14, they carefully put together their first band, Sweet Children.
House Rabbits are Fun and Cute Pets
December 25, 2006
House rabbits are a perfect pet for many people, regardless of whether they live on a farm or in an apartment. House rabbits are small, easy to take care of, and don’t require any expensive supplies like some other pets do. They are cute, friendly, and playful. They are also safe enough that you can have a child play with a rabbit unsupervised, something that would probably not be safe to do with a dog.
Also, rabbits love to play with children. Having more than one rabbit will just add to the fun. However, if you do have more than one rabbit, make sure they are the same sex. Also, while rabbits sometimes get along well with other pets, it is generally best to not mix rabbits with cats or dogs.
Caring for your House Rabbits.
Care for house rabbits is critical for the well being of your rabbit and for your enjoyment of your rabbit. You will not be able to enjoy your rabbit as nearly as much if your rabbit is constantly ill. Also, your rabbit will not be very happy if it spends most of its time feeling miserable. Unfortunately, rabbits are very vulnerable to disease.
Every Result is an Asset
December 25, 2006
Not long ago, I went to an Internet Marketing Seminar. One of the speakers was John Reese, a man who set the Internet world abuzz in August 2004 by achieving the amazing result of just over a million dollars worth of sales in 18 hours. The product, Traffic Secrets, was all about driving traffic to web sites in order to become known and ultimately make a profit.
So what is the common link between writing and internet marketing?
It’s simply this: the mantra that John Reese lives by — “Every result is an asset”.
You may be thinking that it’s very easy for someone who made a million bucks in less than a day to say something like that. Undoubtedly, such results are an asset to him! But when you learn more about John Reese, you discover that he spent years finding out what worked and what didn’t work. Before he made that million dollars, he started ‘in the hole’ - one hundred thousand dollars in debt. Nothing he did seemed to work.
Want to Feel Better? Go Stroke Your Cat!
December 24, 2006
Stroking your cat can be good for your health! It has long been known that pet ownership is good for you, we all need someone or something to love. It is also believed that stroking a pet, such as a cat, reduces stress levels and helps you to have a more positive perspective on life.
Stroking a cat, and listening to the sound of its contented purring, reduces tension and lowers your blood pressure it is believed.
A study was made of a group of people before and after they acquired a pet, the majority reported that their health had improved in as little as three to nine months. The people who owned dogs reported the greatest health benefits, because of the exercise involved in walking the dog, but cat owners too said that they felt a lot better even though they were not so active.
Many senior citizens homes have “residential” cats, and staff report these pets as being of great benefit to the residents, helping them feel more comfortable and to remind them of normal home life. The physical contact with the pet can be therapeutic, and the activity needed to care for the cat gives the residences a sense of purpose. The need for medications falls quite substantially in nursing homes where there is a cat available for stroking, and the act of stroking can help recovery after an illness.
February in the Garden
December 24, 2006
Often in February there is a surprisingly warm day. Everybody sheds their coats and puts a bounce in their step. The next day they hear a snow plow at 4 AM. But the brief warmup gets you thinking "what is there to do in the landscape?"
Here are a few late winter ideas.
Check out your garden tools, patio furniture, window boxes etc. Paint, repair or discard so you are ready to go when it’s really nice out!
It’s a good time to propagate some house plants. Abundant sunshine is on its way!
Order Seeds! Hey that’s always fun. Try something new this year!
Prune decidous trees that need it. Remove dead or problem branches, crossing branches and basal sprouts. Make sure you know the proper way to do a pruning cut and get an arborist for the big jobs for safety and future health of the tree. The ISA consumer site has great advice here. http://www.treesaregood.com/
Try forcing the bloom on some early spring flowering branches. Forsythia is a common choice for this; but pussy willow, quince, spirea, and dogwood can be forced forced to bloom also. It’s easy and gets you out in the garden for few minutes! Gather your branches and when arranging them make slanted cuts to help with water absorption. Put them in a vase and keep the water fresh, changing it a couple times a week.
