HOMEWORK

Olympian news services

Originally published Saturday, February 16, 2002

It's not too late to tune up heating system

If you haven't yet tuned up your home's heating system, it's not too late. Such a tuneup will ensure safe and energy-efficient use during the peak heating season. Be sure to turn off both the power and gas supply to the device before beginning your repairs. Start by replacing the filter. A clean filter will permit the blower to work not quite as hard. Next, clean and adjust the burners for the safest and most energy-efficient flame.

The heat chamber also should be clean and free of debris. Use a vacuum hose with attachments to remove any debris within the chamber. Finally, tighten the fan belt that drives the blower so it doesn't sound like a screeching automobile each time the furnace operates. For more information or assistance, contact your utility company or a heating contractor.

Consider some bright ideas when lights go out

This time of year, you never know when you might be left in the dark. Home Depot suggests putting together a power failure survival kit for those unexpected moments. Items to include in the kit are:

- A safe light source, such as a battery-powered lantern or flashlights and extra batteries.

- Tools such as pliers, screwdriver, knife, wire cutters, duct tape and a utility lighter to restart pilot lights.

- A multipurpose fire extinguisher with an easy-to-read gauge.

- A well-stocked first-aid kit.

Other items Home Depot recommends are a battery-operated radio for news updates, a battery-operated clock, prescription medications and pet supplies. And don't forget boredom busters such as books, a deck of cards and games.

New ground-cover rose available for planting

It's more than a month until the swallows return to Capistrano, but it isn't too soon to dream of spring plantings. Anthony Tesselaar International is introducing an addition to the popular Flower Carpet easy-care ground-cover rose -- Flower Carpet Coral. This fifth in the series of the long-blooming, disease-resistant ground-cover roses has coral-pink single flowers that darken over time in the sun to a deep reddish-coral. The flower is suitable for beds, baskets, large containers and mass plantings.

Flower Carpet Coral will be sold at garden centers for about $15. To find the store nearest you, call 800-580-5930.

Container Store offers attractive shelf help

God bless physics. Without it, vertical storage would be impossible -- and little brings order to chaos as quickly as shelving.

The Container Store offers some of the best-looking shelving we've seen lately. Its Skandia line is a sleek, grown-up version of the humble pine do-it-yourself stock sold by That Really Big Swedish Chain.

Constructed of lacquered Scandinavian fir, Skandia offers the warmth and clean lines associated with modern Scandinavian furniture. These versatile pieces complement most decors, and work well in a range of spaces, from family room to home office to guest room. The individual components -- among them drawer pulls, drawers and shelves -- range from $4 to $260, but to give two examples, an entertainment center (16 inches deep by 104 inches wide by 82 inches tall) sells for $1,144, and a storage and display unit (16 inches deep by 60 inches wide by 50 inches high) sells for $902.

For information, visit www. containerstore.com.

Let birds feast on edible log cabin

Think about restaurants in the most pared-down terms: They provide food and shelter, thus meeting two of our fundamental needs. But animals can't patronize restaurants -- well, not unless they live in Los Angeles -- yet their needs for food and shelter grow more pressing as temperatures drop.

Enter the edible log cabin from All About Birds, an Internet business created by former Baltimore Zoo employee Maureen O'Brien. The structure, handmade from millet stalks, can be spread repeatedly with a seed/suet mixture, and the chimney holds larger seeds.

True, birds will never know the luxury of being waited on. But then again, they needn't leave tips. $49.95 at www.allaboutbirds.com.

Olympian news services

The Olympian Copyright 2002

back to Home index