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1. Begin fertilizing houseplants when new growth appears.
2. Seed bare spots in lawn.
3. The roar we hear when placing a seashell next to our ear is the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.
4. Strawberries and cashews are the only fruits whose seeds grow on the outside.
5. Try honey for cuts. Its antioxidant, anti-bacterial properties that help cleanse and heal wounds.
6. Great seed starter--repurpose a stale ice cream cone by filling it with soil and seeds. It’s biodegradable, making replanting easy.
7. Many drinks interfere with medications by either blocking their action or interacting with them to cause dangerous side effects. Avoid washing down medications with these drinks: grapefruit juice, coffee, milk, and alcohol.
8. Wear gloves when removing ladybugs from your home. When startled, ladybugs sometimes release a yellow fluid that can cause irritation if it comes in contact with your eyes or mouth.
9. Galangal—an Indian root, strongly flavored, related to ginger, also sold dried or powered. A popular Thai flavoring, in combination with ginger and lemongrass.
10. If you cut the bottom out of gallon-sized plastic milk jugs, they make excellent covers for small garden plants. Remove the caps to let in fresh air. They are transparent enough to admit sunlight.

​February SKI Tips

1. February is a short month because Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus’ ego got in the way. When Julius Caesar was in power, February had 30 days, but Augustus was unhappy that his month, August, only had 29 days while the month named for Julius Caesar, July, had 31. So Augustus took from February to boost August.
2. For icy steps and sidewalks in freezing temperatures, mix 1 teaspoon of Dawn dishwashing liquid, 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol, and ½ gallon hot/warm water. Pour over walkways. They won’t refreeze.
3. The largest hailstone ever recorded in the United States was found in July 2010 in Vivian, South Dakota. It was almost 19 inches around weighed almost 2 pounds.
4. Start seeds indoors for cool-season vegetables so they will be ready for transplanting to the garden early in the season. Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage seeds should be started five to seven weeks before transplanting.
5. Birds will be arriving soon so clean out old nesting houses. Remove old nesting material which can contain harmful parasites.  
6. The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately 190 million valentines are sent each year in the US. Half of those valentines are given to family members other than husband or wife, like children or parents.
7. The first heart-shaped box was created by Richard Cadbury, son of Cadbury founder John Cadbury. He started packaging chocolates in fancy boxes to increase sales. He introduced the first heart-shaped box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day in 1861, and today, more than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolates are sold each year. That's 58 million pounds of chocolate!
8. Scoleciphobia—the fear of worms. Often because of unhygienic conditions.
9. Do not prune spring-flowering trees and shrubs during late winter to avoid loss of bloom. Prune after flowering.
10. Kites were used in the American Civil War to deliver letters and newspapers.

January was named for the Roman god Janus, known as the protector of gates and doorways, which symbolize beginnings and ends.
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FOLKLORE FOR THE SEASON: Fog in January brings a wet spring; a favorable January brings us a good year; if grass grows in January, it will grow badly the whole year; a summerish January, a winterish spring. 
 
Keep road and sidewalk salt away from plants. Construct a burlap screen to keep road spray off plants.
 
Avoid walking on frosted or frozen grass.
 
If necessary, carefully remove heavy snows from evergreen limbs to prevent damage. DO NOT try to remove ice from limbs as this may cause plant damage.
 
At this time of year make sure your smoke detectors have fresh batteries and install carbon monoxide detectors to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
 
Keep extra weight in your car’s trunk when driving in winter. Bags of sand can add weight and be used on ice to help provide traction.
 
All weeds are not bad. Clover, for example, works as a natural fertilizer by returning nitrogen to the soil.
 
It takes about 20 daisies, 30 roses or 36 marigolds to cover just one square foot of a Rose Bowl Parade float. All of the floats together take approximately 18 million flowers and can cost between $250,000-$260,000.
 
Animal behaviorists have concluded that cats don't meow as a way to communicate with each other. It's a method they use for getting attention from humans.

​There is no historical evidence to confirm Plymouth Rock was the Pilgrims’ steppingstone to the New World. Actually the Pilgrims first made landfall on the tip of Cape Cod in November,1620 before sailing to safer harbors in Plymouth, Massachusetts the following month.
A spoonful of honey or two works better at relieving a sore throat than a placebo. Honey gives the throat a protective coating and it also has antibacterial properties.
Dig and store tender flowering bulbs and keep in a protected area. Complete planting spring flowering bulbs.
Fall tilling, except in erosion-prone areas, helps to improve soil structure and usually leads to faster soil-warming and drying in the spring, allowing crops to be started earlier.
November in the Northern Hemisphere is similar to May in the Southern Hemisphere.
The coldest day ever recorded was -144 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature was recorded in Antarctica during a span of research between 2004 and 2016. Just a few breaths of air at that temperature would induce hemorrhaging in your lungs and kill you.
Basiphobia—fear of falling. Some may even refuse to walk or stand up.
According to the Population Reference Bureau, the number of people alive today represents a whopping seven percent of the total number of humans who have ever lived.
Red bell peppers are packed with Vitamin C, which is necessary for the production of collagen—a structural protein that maintains the gum’s tight shape around teeth.
If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water. When a human body is dehydrated, its thirst shuts off.