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Lawn & Garden
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Hot ideas for keeping your outdoor spaces cooler this summer
As temperatures climb, many of us retreat indoors, leaving our outdoor living spaces vacant until fall. However, it is possible to enjoy being outside throughout the sultry months if you take a few steps to keep your outdoor living spaces as cool as possible. Here are a few ideas to help you keep your cool outdoors this ...
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When parties move outdoors, try these simple ideas
Warm weather and outdoor entertaining go hand in hand. Sit back and relax this summer with family, friends and great food at your next backyard barbecue. No matter who or how many guests, you'll want to create a memorable gathering that keeps people talking. Plan your next summer celebration with these no-fuss party ideas.
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Getting roots wet without waste
Water is one of the most important and precious natural resources necessary for garden and lawn health. Now that planting is in full swing, getting plants established while using water wisely is essential for a successful growing season.
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Extend summer fun with expert outdoor lighting tips
From neighborhood picnics to kids' play time, summer means outside time. Much of that activity occurs during longer daylight hours, but darkness is also a great time to enjoy warm-weather days. How can you create an environment that extends the fun of summer past sunset?
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Exploring what makes your garden grow this summer
When school lets out for summer, exchange those flip flops for gardening shoes. Add a pair of gloves, good sun-block and get out into the garden.
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Tabletop gardens are edible centerpieces
Daydreams of fresh produce used in delicious sauces, salads and stir fries have many drawing garden plot plans and even starting seeds for future transplanting. Tabletop gardens are a fun and decorative way to expand into new planting opportunities.
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Invest in family-healthy diets by growing half your plate
This summer, consider adapting your family's eating habits to mimic the MyPlate graphic developed by the United States Department of Agriculture. Although most on-the-go families don't eat that many fruits and vegetables, it's easy to do, especially if you plant a garden and buy from local farmers markets.
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Remodeling your home? Start from the outside in
The kitchen and bathroom are at the top of most home remodeling project lists. But homeowners intent on remodeling should also consider investing in the exterior of their homes - maybe even start there.
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Ten secrets for grilling perfection
From the way the charcoal briquettes are arranged to finding that perfect set of tongs, every home grilling expert has his or her secrets. For many, grilling goes beyond just a practical warm-weather cooking method and it becomes more of an art form.
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Upgrade your outdoor space and increase value of your home
Whether you are looking for a way to increase the marketability of your home, or simply looking for a way to make your outdoor space more enjoyable, a deck remodel adds living space to your home and value to your house. And if you start your project now, you'll have plenty of time to enjoy it during the warmer months.
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Add tasty edible plants to your landscape
Window boxes overflowing with blooms, decorative pots lining the driveway with striking colors, and even a flowering vine climbing up the mailbox - the growing season have arrived, and it is time to decorate the landscape.
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Use gravity to grow with kids
Gardening creates fun and learning experiences through planting and cultivating seeds for small children who are inquisitive about everything. Feed their curiosity by growing with gravity.
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national news
Boy Scouts of America votes to end century-old ban on gay scouts

Jennifer Tyrrell hugs Pascal Tessier after a resolution passed to allow openly gay scouts in the Boy Scouts in GrapevineBy Marice Richter GRAPEVINE, Texas (Reuters) - The Boy Scouts of America voted on Thursday to lift a century-old ban on openly gay scouts in a major victory for gay rights activists, but the decision means a sea of change for an organization that depends heavily on faith-based groups. More than 60 percent of the group's National Council, comprised of some 1,400 delegates, voted in favor of ending the ban, effective January 1, 2014, the group said in a statement. A prohibition on openly gay adult leaders remains in place. ...


Thu May 23 21:55:35 UTC 2013
Truck strike may have caused Washington state bridge collapse, officials says

I-5 Bridge Collapses On Skagit River In WashingtonBy Jonathan Kaminsky OLYMPIA, Washington (Reuters) - A colliding truck may have triggered the collapse on Thursday of part of a four-lane freeway bridge that sent vehicles and drivers tumbling into a frigid river in Washington state, officials said. A U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation into what led part of the Interstate 5 bridge to fall into the Skagit River 55 miles north of Seattle was expected to continue on Friday. Two of the three people rescued from the river were hospitalized with hypothermia, but no one died, officials said. ...


Fri May 24 04:14:46 UTC 2013
Magnitude 5.7 quake strikes Northern California
(Reuters) - A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Northern California on Thursday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter of the quake was 6 miles northwest of the town of Greenville, and near the smaller community of Canyondam, the USGS said. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Allen Shephard, a hunting and fishing guide at Quail Lodge at Lake Almanor in Canyondam, said the quake knocked him "right off the couch and onto the floor." The floor of the lodge was littered with broken dishware, and cabinets were in disarray, said Shephard, 62. ...
Fri May 24 01:53:09 UTC 2013
Boy Scouts vote to end ban on gay youth members
[Updated at 6:55 p.m. CT] DALLAS – The Boy Scouts of America, one of the country’s largest and oldest youth organizations, decided on Thursday to break 103 years of tradition by allowing openly gay members into its ranks. The controversial move was approved by more than 60 percent of the approximate 1,400 votes cast by [...]
Thu May 23 18:55:38 UTC 2013