Month: June 2011

Grass Cutting Height

common grass species & best mowing heights

You will know it’s time to cut when your lawn is 1/3 taller than the grass’ normal height. The recommended heights below display the ideal height for the type of grass you are growing. Spring and fall bring cooler temperatures where you can maintain a shorter grass height. The heat of summer brings harmful rays to the soil where it can compact and allow moisture to evaporate. This is the time to maintain a taller grass blade. Below you’ll find your ideal lawn height.

Use the chart below to find a suggested height for your type of grass

Grass Spring Mid-Summer Fall
Bermuda 1/2 inch 1 inch 1/2 inch
Fescue 1 1/2 inch 2 1/2 inch 1 inch
Kentucky Bluegrass 2 1/2 inch 3 inch 2 inch
Ryegrass 1 1/2 inch 2 1/2 1 inch
St. Augustine 2 inch 3 inch 1 1/2 inch
Zoysia 1/.2 inch 1 inch 1/2 inch

 

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Prevent Brain Freeze

Q: Ever get a ‘Brain Freeze’ while eating ice cream? Why does it happen?

What can you do about it? Is it preventable?

A: Sensitive nerves located above the roof of the mouth may respond to the cold temperatures of ice cream with the dilation of blood vessels; this dilation, in turn, can cause a headache.  This type of headache vanishes quickly, but to avoid it entirely, Dr. Jason Rosenberg (director of the Johns Hopkins Headache Center) recommends the following course of action: 

1) consume ice cream slowly, or

 

2) before swallowing it, warm up the ice cream by holding it in the front of your mouth for a short time. 

The latter method has the added benefit of allowing you to savor each bite (or lick) a moment longer. 

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Preparing a Pineapple

  • 1

    Buying a pineapple is not as hard as some may think it might be. First you must look at the pineapple and make sure that there are no visible bruises on it. Then turn the pineapple upside and smell the bottom of it. If it is sweet smelling it is ready to bring home and prepare.

  • 2

    Place the pineapple of a clean surface standing straight up. With a sharp knife, start from the very top of the pineapple and proceed by taking the skin off. Do this until the only thing left on the pineapple is the bottom and the top.

  • 3

    Turn the pineapple over on its side, cut the entire top off as well as the bottom. Throw away everything but the top of the pineapple; you can use this for the center of your presentation.

  • 4

    Slice the pineapple either in round pieces, pineapples lengths pieces, or you can even cut the pineapple up in chunks depending on how you want to present it.

  • 5

    Place a large platter on the counter and arrange pineapple around the plate. Place the top that you have put aside directly in the middle of the plate and place where you wish.

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Crossword Puzzle Helper

I love crossword puzzles. And I do them in pen. Not because I’m that confident–it’s just that I like the way pen writes on newsprint much better than pencil. Sometimes I want to check to see if a word I’m guessing is correct before I enter it. And sometimes, dang it, I just don’t know the answer. Here’s a nifty website that I’ve been using to give me a hand.

Check it out!

http://crosswordtracker.com/

Do you use a pen or pencil for crosswords? and why?