Home > Life & Home > Home

Hate to mow? Disdain for the outdoor chore is just one impetus behind a groundswell of interest in “shrinking” lawns. Proponents say replacing turf grass with native vegetation, fruit trees, vegetable gardens and more can save money, maintenance time and the environment. Gas mowers are a major source of air pollution, notes Rich Patterson, director of the Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids. The center is hosting author Evelyn Hadden during a presentation this week. Hadden, 41, of Plymouth, Minn., is the author ...

Continue reading this entry »

Last night I dreamed I went back to Manderley School. The twisting roads lined with street signs warning of overdue lunch accounts, missed PTA meetings and, the most feared sign of all, the one telling me to turn around because my child forgot everything she needed for the day. I woke from s nightmare in a heavy sweat, with that sense of panic that only a new school year can bring. I knew it was just a dream, but at the ...

Continue reading this entry »

Whether it’s high school graduates taking off for college or a family moving to a new home, this time of year seems to be the prime time for packing up and moving out. As tempting as it may be to throw things into a box and close it up, there’s an increased danger of opening the box later to find broken dishes, or of packing a box of books too heavy to carry it from the house to the truck. Ruth Bark, ...

Continue reading this entry »

Want to know which flowers attract butterflies? How about unique heirloom carrots? Which plants work best in Iowa’s climate? Tended to by about 25 of Iowa State University Extension’s Linn County Master Gardeners, the Demonstration Gardens at Marion’s Lowe Park has all the answers. Find a pretty White Snow coneflower in the perennial bed, carrots in the vegetable plot and watch the butterflies and birds flit between flowers. George and Alyce Lowe of rural Marion donated 180 acres of farmland for the ...

Continue reading this entry »

Is a home remodeling project worth it? “There are a lot of answers to that question,” says Stephen Gidus, co-owner of PSG Construction in Orlando, Fla. It’s worth it when it makes life more comfortable, convenient and aesthetically pleasing for the homeowner — especially if the homeowner plans to be in the home to enjoy the improvements for years to come, he said. It also is worthwhile if it adds value to the home, and is likely to be attractive to future ...

Continue reading this entry »

MARION - Before Dan and Debra Callahan broke ground on their new backyard patio, they sketched it out on paper. A designer had given them the initial ideas to work with, and they went to work putting their personal touches on it. The design, two interlocking circles of stone pavers, "kept getting bigger and bigger," Debra Callahan said. "There's a part of me that thinks we could have gone a bit bigger yet." These days bigger is better, particularly when you're talking ...

Continue reading this entry »

This Old House magazine has named Guttenberg one of the best places to buy an old house. The community made the cut into the magazine's top 12 picks in the waterfront category. To view the picks, visit the Web site at www.thisoldhouse.com; click on the link "50 Best Places to Buy An Old House" under the "Specials" header in a box in the upper right corner. Then click on "Best Places to Buy an Old House: Editors' Top 8 Picks." ...

Continue reading this entry »