Lawn Care Service

Archive for February, 2011

You have a great home with a patio, but your outdoor space is just that—space. Turning some of that space into a patio area can be the perfect compliment to make your great home even better.

Whether you have a sprawling back yard or a small urban location, you can create a memorable and inviting area with ambiance. That area of earth outside your home can be transformed into a great entertaining spot by employing these five elements.

1. Light Up the Night -  Landscape lighting is a great ‘wow’ feature in the evening. Add lighting to your water features and along pathways to accent these features. Twinkle lights can added to bushes, fencing or just about any area around the patio. They always provoke a welcome response from the guests. Plus, you can never get it wrong, no matter how you arrange them.
2. Stir Up the Fire – Is your patio small? Well your space can probably still allow for a free-standing fire pit. With a small price you can enliven the night with a warm and welcome flame. If you have a larger space to work with, a built-in fire pit or an outdoor fireplace is the way to go. Whether you are enjoying the evening alone with a good book or sharing a few laughs and wine with a few special friends, a lively, crackling fire can be very quaint.
3. Greener Side of the Patio – How about bringing some life into your new refuge? While redefining the area with flora and vegetation you could also have some delectable herbs and veggies availably near. You might consider setting some potted palm trees or maybe orange and lemon trees at each corner of your patio if you can spare the space. This could be a great chance to impress your guests with your design skills and your green thumb.
4. Don’t forget the water – Nothing creates a more peaceful atmosphere than the look and sounds of water. Water features of all types can be added almost anywhere these days. A fountain can add a touch of elegance, a goldfish pond says tranquility and a small stream or waterfall adds the perfect accent to party. A landscape professional can put together all the elements necessary to turn your dry ground into an inviting oasis.
5. What’s under your feet? Too often the very basic element of a patio area is overlooked. Don’t make that mistake. There are plenty of different options to choose from. Choosing the option that fits with your particular is very important.

Brick can give a great old city look to a small patio, while stone slabs can be better suited to a larger country setting. When it comes to pavers, your options are endless and certainly not boring. Creating interesting patterns with your pavers or brick will transform your patio from ordinary to eye-catching. If concrete is your choice, don’t settle for a plain smooth finish. You have other options. Stone aggregate creates a durable

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Having a dog is a great feeling since you get a lifelong pal that will stick by your side loyally forever. Most people like to teach all the great tricks to their dog in order to have a well-trained and well-behaved pet that is able to do things others can’t. There are several tricks that you can teach your dog in order to make a more entertaining pet that is able to compete with other pets, showing just how bright he or she really is. Some dogs are quite intelligent and it doesn’t really take much but a bit of guidance and reward in order to teach the best of tricks, while there are some dogs you have to work a little harder with in order to ensure he or she gets the gig. If you are thinking about teaching your dog something new, here are 10 practical tricks to teach your dog, that just about anyone can do quite easily.

1. Sit. This is perhaps the most basic of tricks to teach your dog and extremely practical. Not only is it very easy to teach, but your dog is able to comprehend this command very easily due to the one word, one syllable command type. For most, this is often the first trick worked on and leads to great success with the reward of a few good treats.
2. Beg. Every dog begs, but there are different ways of begging. The typical owner doesn’t want the dog to beg unless it is a trick, in which the dog sits with his paws up, begging quietly. This is a great trick to teach, and is done easily with the dog’s favorite treats and a great deal of patience.
3. Stand. There aren’t many breeds out there that can stand perfectly, but they all can pretty much stand if taught how by their master. Teaching a dog to stand is much like teaching them to beg, and can be a great trick to show all your friends as they stop by.
4. Heel. Heel is one of the most basic commands, yet is still a trick that many dogs may not know. This is great for those big dogs that like to attack and can ward them off the attack easily. With a quick “heel”, they will sit back and leave the threat alone.
5. Roll Over. This is a great trick to teach a dog that is obedient when it comes to laying. Once the dog knows how to lay down, half the work is done and the next step is roll over. Rolling over is a harder trick to teach, but many dogs grasp it after only a few tries.
6. Lay Down. Laying down is a necessity for a dog, but if you are patient and interested in teaching your dog new tricks, you can teach them to lay down on command. This is one of the most practical of tricks to teach as most dogs can learn this one in less than a day.
7. Shake Hands. Whether you call it giving paw or shaking hands, dogs are great at learning this trick. Any breed can learn it and the earlier you teach it the quicker the pup will learn. Giving paw is a great way to show your dog affection as well, making it a great trick to teach.
8. Fetch. This is a trick that is always taught by kids and dogs are prone to grasp it almost immediately. Even if you have the dog that just stares at the object flying away, after a couple tries, he or she will likely get the hang of it and do the trick all the time. This is also a great trick to teach if you want to have great fun with the pup.
9. Get the Paper. There aren’t many masters that really teach this trick anymore because many people rather just get the paper from the store reducing the issues with the paper boy, but this is a highly practical trick nonetheless. There are many dogs that actually enjoy this trick and will stay on routine until they no longer have a paper to fetch.
10. Play Dead. Playing dead is a great trick to teach, especially for those that wish to put their pup in some acting later on. Teaching a dog to play dead is not only amusing, but can be extremely easy for the master to accomplish with a few great treats and a while to master the trick completely.

All dogs have great potential to perform great tricks, and there are some tricks that are very practical and can be taught to just about any dog. While there are some tricks exclusive for certain breeds, these 10 tricks are for any breed that has the will to try.

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There is nothing worse than waking up after a long and cold winter’s night just to find that none of your faucets are working because your pipes have frozen solid. This is a nuisance for many reasons, starting with the costs for professional thawing of pipes, to the wait that you will endure if you can’t pay someone to do it for you, as well as the nuisance of not having an essential resource in your home. Having water is one of those things that are difficult to go without, and of course just as your pipes are freezing  you always seem to have more need for your home’s water supply. Well, if you don’t want to go through the nuisance or costs of freezing pipes, which could easily reach $200 or more, you can follow these 10 tips to avoid your pipes freezing in winter. These tips will help ensure that you don’t get one of these bothersome mornings after a cold midnight freeze.

1. Insulating pipes is a must. If you are in an older home, you will find that not many, if any of the pipes are insulated, whether they once were or never have been. With most new homes, the pipes have already been insulated, but there are times when you must look them over to ensure they are. If not, it is essential that you insulate the pipes to avoid them getting too cold and freezing when the temperature drops.
2. Leave a slow drip on. If the water is flowing, chances are that it won’t freeze up as quickly; giving you time to thaw out what does freeze before your water is halted. At night before bed, or before leaving if you will be away for long, you can turn the faucets on just a smidge so there is a slow drip that will prevent your pipes from freezing.
3. Frequently turn faucets on and off. There are some of you that live in areas that are so cold the pipes can freeze fairly quickly. For this reason, it is often a good idea to go around the house turning faucets on and off to ensure a good flow of water and unfreeze any frozen water in the pipes before it sets in.
4. Heated tape. If you do experience a bit of freezing in your water, which can affect your water’s flow, you can use heated tape in order to ensure the pipes remain warm and free from freezing over. This is also a great solution for those of you who have waited too late and may have already experienced some pipes freezing.
5. Make sure the area of the main pipes is warm and insulated. Most times, the pipes that freeze are those located under and outside of the house, those that are exposed to the coldest of the weather. For these pipes, it is important that you ensure the part of the house in which they can be found that there is a sufficient amount of warmth and insulation to ensure the cold air isn’t penetrating through to the pipes.
6. Keep space heaters in rooms that have pipes that freeze. If last winter you found that your bathroom pipes were freezing before any others due to the temperature in the bathroom, then it is a wise tip to make sure you have a good and functioning space heater in that room to make sure  the pipes remain warm. This can be done within any room that you frequently find the pipes frozen in the winter.
7. Make sure pipe system is updated. There are many outdated systems that are comprised of copper and steel pipes that are known for freezing fairly easily. For this reason, it is important that you check your pipe system to ensure that it has been updated. If not, it is a good idea to either update or insulate very well.
8. Shut off water supply to any outside taps of your home. These are the first of your pipes to freeze, and although located outside, can cause major interior damage. For this reason, you should find the shut off valves for these pipes and cut them off before the winter arrives.
9. Don’t forget the hot water pipes! There are many with the misconception that only the cold water pipe is going to freeze, leaving them with the ignorance to leave hot water pipes unprotected. These pipes must also be insulated in order to prevent freezing and the risk of burst water pipes in the home.
10. Drain all water from pipes if leaving for an extended amount of time. If you are going to one of those great holiday family get together events out of town, it is always wise to cut the main water valve off and drain all water from pipes to ensure that there is no freezing and damage while you are away.

Frozen water pipes are no joke. The actual pipe damage caused by your pipes freezing can actually be the last thing on your mind, behind all the damage to your home and belongings. The best way to avoid these risks is to ensure that you follow these and other tips to prevent frozen pipes in the winter.

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