Q:DOWN TO EARTH34th Annual Chippewa Valley Homebuilders Home and Garden Show at the Eau Claire Weekend word

Weekend Word - LEAP CV Homebuilders - PATIO Down to Earth - BLOOM

Q:The name of the book I purchased the wallpaper was from Garden House...

I had the same thing happen to me a few years ago. I called all the stores in town to see if they had any in stock, no luck. Then I hunted down hardware / wallpaper stores on the Internet (not the big ones like American Blinds Wallpaper) and emailed them. I got responses from almost all of them, and two of them had a couple of rolls in stock. I wasn't able to get matching lots, but the difference wasn't that big of a deal -- I just changed to a new roll at a corner and it's not very noticeable. When you email them, give them all the info you have -- manufacturer, book page number, pattern number, describe it if you can (purple floral, whatever), and if you happen to have a small picture, attach it to the email. It can't hurt! Also, check eBay. Good luck!

Q:i don't have anything planted in my garden right now but am planning to plant vegetable in the springshould i till my garden and expose the dirt to the winter frost or leave it like it is until i till in the spring

Yes, if the ground isn't too hard till it now. Frost will break down any clods of dirt and also kill any weeds you turn over. You will then be well away for planting when spring comes.

Q:A. Enjoy the soakB. Get out of thereC. Do some fast talkin D. Get scalded

depends how hot the water is but if its not boiling hot the i would enjoy the soak

Q:I do have two compost piles set up but I fear that they will not be ready in time for the growing season. I was wondering if there was compost soil for sale somewhere online that wasn't too expensive, or if there is some kind of soil at a department store which isn't high in toxicities or nutrient deficient.

I liked using rubber mulch - I checked it out online and called the company and ordered over the phone. It was very convenient because they had a rubber mulch calculator on their site so I was able to see exactly how much I needed. They shipped it to me in no time and I put it down immediately. I had my garden looking gorgeous so quick! I'll attach the place I bought from - if you're interested, they were a pleasure to deal with.

Q:I am suddenly into home improvement (home and garden design), so what kinds of jobs in this area are available with just a business degree?

Around here, we've got Hire-A Hubby, which is a kind of handyman franchise. Then there's all the garden services franchises. They're relatively cheap to start up in. the business degree doesn't help, exactly, but it sure doesn't hurt.

Q:I continue to see quot; Harry Home Owner quot; purchase these old time engineering garden tractors to merely mow their lawn, when the Zero Degree mower is far far superior and often less in the home owner category.

The zero turn mowers that I have seen are a bit more expensive than a run of the mill lawn tractor. Some of what I mow is too rough for a zero turn girlie machine. I need the real thing. I also use mine to pull things around the place. Not everyone mows a golf course. There is also more stuff to maintain. when it quits steering you may wish you had an old school yard tractor.

Q:I am a believer in providing my own food for myself, but i am worried that in the future the pollen of GMO's will contaminate the crops i am growing at home? Is this a possibility?

Yes, it is possible. In fact, there was a case a few years back where Monsanto was taking some farmers to court because their neighbors were growing GMO soy beans and Monsanto thought the others' soybeans may have been cross with their GMO soy beans. Since the farmers Monsanto took to court were saving seeds from their crop Monsanto claimed they were benefiting from their GMO work without paying for the benefit. In essence, the companies making GMO seeds can claim you owe them for using their product even if you did not know your crop had been crossed with their modified plants' pollen if you saved seeds to plant the following year. There are also some organic growers suing Monsanto for contaminating their organic and heirloom crops with GMO pollen as this would change their foods and seeds status, possibly (probably) making them unusable for their intended purpose. Personally, I hope they win and Monsanto has to pay such a large award they have to abandon their GMO projects entirely. Google 'Monsanto sues farmers' and read about the Canadian farmer they sued and the end result of the suit; it is very interesting. Good luck and enjoy!

Q:I got heaps of these really small black flies that are breeding in my home. They look just like a black ant (same size, black, thin, long) but then when you look up close they have 2 wings on them. A friend gave us a printer and noticed the whole thing was infested with them. Now the printer has gone, they wont go. They tend to be hanging around our window glass and sills in our bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchen. I cant spray anymore as its giving me allergies. What are they? and how can I rid them?

For cockroaches MOVE!!! all other bugs just take your family and pets bomb your house and get a hotel!!!

Q:Is this guinea pig cage ok for one guinea pig??

No, okorder