For the Lawn Obsessed

Welcome back!

Last night as we watched TV I lost my husband for a few minutes as he sat mesmerized watching some lawnmower ad.  I asked if he was looking forward to getting back to cutting the lawn and he said “Yes” with far more passion and excitement than I had seen in a looong time!

It seems he is like many men-folk around the country that get some pleasure and pride in creating and maintaining their lawns.  So in the spirit of the season and to equip you with some info that will grab the attention of the lawn obsessed people in your home, here are some tips.

Clean out your Beds!

I hate doing this but it has to be done.  Dig out and remove thatch buildup in your beds and power-rake your lawn to support new growth.

Avoid Chemical Fertilizers

By now we all know chemical fertilizers are dangerous to our health and that of the environment.  Did you know that over 70 million tons of fertilizers are pesticides are applied to residential lawns and gardens annually?  According to the U.S. National Wildlife Federation in those areas wshere pesticides are used, 60-90% of earthworms are killed–earthworms help to make our soil healthy.

So it’s a good idea to look into ways to avoid the use of chemical fertilizers.  The best way is to keep a healthy lawn that is naturally resistant to weeds.  You can do that by:

• Improving your soil – take a sample of your soil to your local nursery and ask them to give you an assessment of your soil.  They may test the soil’s pH (which should be between 6.5 and 7.0).
• Chosse grasses that are grown locally: If you grow grass that is naturally adapted to your region you shouldn’t have to add a lot of extra nutrients or water to it.
• Mow often but don’t cut the long too short because surface roots will become exposed and cause the soil to dry out faster.
• Water thoroughly but not too often.

Tax Season Bright Spot: Home-office Deductions

I’m a happy camper. According to my accountant I’ll be getting some decent money back for a change this tax season. Part of the reason for that is I’ve finally decided to itemize deductions for my home office.

If you manage a business at home either full time or after your full time job as an employee, and you use dedicated space in your home to manage your business, you might be able to deduct some of your home operating costs as a business expense.

This is a good issue to discuss with your accountant to verify your allowable deductions.

Kevin McGormally of Kiplinger.com reports in his tax tips column that in recent years taxpayers deducted more than $7-billion in home-office expenses.

In the 25% tax bracket those deductions would have saved $1.75-billion!

Who ever thought this liberal arts major would like tracking numbers so much!

Mortgages, Community and the Justin Timberlake of New Urbanism

A few days ago a discussion on this blog got quite passionate as commentators put forth opinions as to the cause of the current Mortgage Crisis.  Among the list of possible contributors to the current problem mentioned were the group of home buyers with a lust for larger homes on larger lots with larger mortgages.  It was felt that their quest and subsequent inability to meet these new mortgage obligations helped to create the current mess.

That may be a bit of a simplification, but it is a concern of not only those hurting during this mortgage crunch, but by new urbanists who have been crying for years about the need to stop the suburban sprawl created by builders churning up rural land to feed their mcmansion fanbase.

For those of you who are diehard new urbanist, you’ll be pleased at the heightened awareness of new urbanism today.  Between the environmental cost of sprawl (commuter traffic, elimination of pristine lands, etc.) and the financial meltdown of the middleclass that fueled sprawl, everyone is looking to the common sense that has been sprouted by new urbanist for years. 

In basic terms, where we live is important to our environment, our family life and our business and economic propserity.  The closer we live together, the better.  When towns, villages and cities are planned well to accommodate the needs of families, students, business owners and the envrionment–we all benefit.

I can’t say it any better than the guru himself, world renowned American new urbanist and professor, Richard Florida.  The author of the wildy popular Rise of the Creative Class and new book Who’s Your City, Florida has been dubbed “the Justin Timberlake of new urbanist theory.”  Hehe. Florida says:

“New ideas are generated and our productivity increases when we locate close to one another in cities and regions.”

Based on his data and research, Florida asserts that many of our urban centers (cities, towns, villages) are a hotbed for creativity and productivity.  It’s not forced or manufactured it is just what happens when talented and productive people locate themselves close to one another.

I see that where I live in my own community which was re-shaped based on the new urbanist philosophy, but what I find really interesting is that I see this “hotbed of creativity and productivity” happening in my online communities as well. 

The Moms Radio Network, for example is a concept led by entrepreneur Kelly McCausey to help encourage and promote mom podcasters.  This isn’t a multi-national corporate outfit.  It’s WAHM effort driven by the creativity of the women involved.  Not only does it generate one of the widest rangest of topics for a target niche market (women entrepreneurs and stay at home moms), but it helps to generate revenue for the podcast entrepreneurs involved. 

Once again this one example highlights how the power of community (the human, creative element) can be amplified and enabled through good infrastructure (natural and manmade) and technolgy.  It makes me wonder why new urbanism has taken 20 years to become “popular.”  It just makes such good sense.

The Sandwich Generation

I had a “Sandwich Generation” moment over the weekend that was bittersweet.  For those of you tired of yet another marketing label for a generation, well, I can’t help you because this is one label I’m living and so are many other people.

According to the Pew Research Center just over 1 out of every 8 Americans aged 30 to 60 is both raising a child and caring for a parent.   

Last weekend I had a girlfriend from my childhood over to share some spectacular safari pictures she had taken during a recent trip to Africa.  It was a once in a lifetime trip and I was excited to both see and hear about her journey.

Earlier in the day as I was travelling to my local market, I saw one of my neighbors who is a good friend of my mother.  I told her about my plans for the evening and invited her over. Still later that afternoon as I was talking to my mother (we talk to each other several times a day), I encouraged her to come over. 

So that evening I had my childhood girlfriend, my mother and father, my mother’s good friend, my kids and husband all together for an evening of good food and conversation.  I couldn’t help but think about the fact that only say 25 years ago, the scenario would have included many of the people in the room, but the relationship would have been a different.

Instead of socializing together it would have been more like…”Mom, Angela and I are going to my room to look at her pictures.” Then we would have scuttled off for privacy and serious teen talk in my bedroom.

Fast forward 25 years and I feel like we’re all contemporaries.  My mother and her friend were right in the middle of the discussion appreciating the exotic experiences of my girlfriend and just as excited as I was to hear about places like Zanzibar and Kenya.   Who would have thought that two generations could be such great company for each other.

That’s where I differ with the standard definition of the Sandwich Generation.  If you google it you’ll see frequent references to adult children who are in the position of being a caretaker for their parents.  Well, my parents are very independent and while we enjoy living close to them so that we can get over to their place quickly if they need assistance with something like a stalled car or to shovel snow, I “enjoy” spending time with them not because I have to, but because I have a good time talking about life, their plans, my kids, the latest movie, a new recipe…the list is endless.

A few weeks ago a friend of mine, Annette Yen, wrote a very thoughtful post in her blog about the relationships we have with our parents.  Please read it here, I think you’ll enjoy it.

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