​April SKI Tips
In your garden hide miniature compost piles all over to reduce the times spent hauling clippings and leaves. Also, buy an extra set of tools and a lightweight garden cart to avoid frequent trips back to the tool shed for forgotten items.
Set out cabbage and broccoli transplants in early April.
Keep pests such as aphids, mites and whiteflies off roses, geraniums, hibiscus and other plants by spraying them with a combination of 1 quart of water and ½ tsp. of liquid dish soap. Reapply every 2 weeks for best results.
Hummingbirds can fly forward, backwards, shift sideways and stop in mid-air while reaching speeds up to 60 mph.
Trim the flower off tulips as soon as the bloom has faded allowing energy to be directed back to the roots, rather than wasted on seed development.
Side effects of dehydration include muscle cramps, fatigue and lowered endurance, reduced muscle strength, headaches and poor focus, increased risk of heat stroke. DRINK!DRINK!DRINK!
The average person’s left hand does 56% of the typing.
Humans are the only animals on the planet to shed tears as a result of their emotional state.
Landscaping should be rejuvenated every 10-15 years as most plants are at a maximum potential.
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket to keep mosquitoes away.

​On December 21, 2020 a celestial event known as the “Christmas Star” will occur. At that time the solar system’s two largest planets, Saturn and Jupiter, will have their closest visible encounter since 1226. This unique phenomena led famous astronomer, Johannes Kepler in 1614, to suggest that this alignment might have been what was written about in the Bible when the wisemen came to Jerusalem seeking the birth of the “King of the Jews” after seeing a bright star in the sky.
The last time the planets were this close was in 1623-- only 14 years after Galileo discovered the moons of Jupiter with the invention of the telescope. When these planets meet again it will be in 2080. Note: Though it looks like a sliver separates Jupiter and Saturn, they are actually about 400 million miles apart.
A view of the two planets coming into near-alignment will be just after sunset, in the southwestern portion of the sky. Although best seen with binoculars or a telescope, the encounter should be visible to the naked eye.