10/6/09

Here's a festive autumnal way to dress up the front porch or lawn. Pick up a bale of hay from the nursery and decorate it with pumpkins and colorful gourds on top. When the Halloween festivities are over, use the hay as mulch all over your yard or to insulate delicate outdoor plants from the upcoming harsh, winter season.

10/5/09

If you're heading away this weekend and worried about refilling the bird feeder, don't stress out. Even if all the feed is consumed, wild birds are resourceful enough to find food someplace else. When you return, just refill as you normally would and they'll come right back.

10/4/09

While many people eschew wearing real fur because it's cruel and inhumane, they see no reason not to wear faux fur to keep warm on a chilly night. The problem? Many faux fur jackets are actually REAL fur, and are being mislabeled by the manufacturers. The Humane Society of the United States discovered jackets labeled as faux fur were actually the real deal and made from raccoon dogs, which are found in parts of Asia and Europe. These inexpensive fur products often come from China. So, when in doubt, avoid fur -- real or faux -- altogether.