Around the House

Choose A Spot On Your Patio

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If you plan to use your deck or patio for entertaining, follow these guidelines for planning the right size space.

Steps 1 to 3

Step 1. Determine your needs. Make a list of all the ways you want to use the patio. This list might include an area for reading and relaxing, for an intimate dinner for four, or for a casual gathering of 20 friends. It may be all of the above and more.
As you enumerate the various uses for the patio, indicate which of them are most important to you. Many homeowners have an occasional need for the patio to accommodate large groups, but the vast majority of the time need to have enough room for only up to four people. One way to have a larger patio that still

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You can create a flower bed like this one without busting your back.

The Basics

One of the easiest ways to make a new garden bed harnesses the natural forces of the sun, weather, and earthworms to transform bare turf into rich, plantable earth. Once you layer cardboard, newsprint, and compost on top of the turf, and wait several months, the turf decomposes into 6 to 8 inches of topsoil. Build the bed at the beginning of one season and it should be ready for planting by the next season. For example,

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Planting How-to
Dahlias are a stellar addition to any garden. Native to Mexico, where they grow wild on hillsides, these tender bulbs bloom in many colors from summer until frost. They vary in height, too, so it’s likely there’s one to star in your garden production.
Dahlias vary so much in form and size that they are divided into classes, each of which offers a full range of colors, heights, and bloom types. The class list includes single, anemone, colarette, peony, decorative, cactus, semicactus, ball, and pompon, as well as many other descriptive names commonly used by nurseries.
Plant height is perhaps the most important

Q. After three years of trying to juggle a traditional job and being a mom, I’m now working at home part-time. I love getting to spend a lot more time with my 3-year old. There’s just one thing: I have to take work-related calls, and when someone phones, she’s all over me, talking loudly or whining. What can I do?

A. This probably isn’t any parenting manuals, but when you touch the phone, it transmits a tractor beam to your