December SKI Tips

Protect newly planted or tender perennials and bulbs by mulching with chipped leaves, straw or other organic material after the plants are dormant.

Christmas trees can drink up to one gallon of water each day. Keep watering!

The first bread-slicing machine was invented in 1928 by Otto Rohwedder from Michigan. The machine also wrapped loaves. By 1933 80% of all bread sold in the United States was sliced making popular the phrase “the best thing since sliced bread.”

Pull mulch back 2 to 3 inches away from the trunks of trees and shrubs. Rodents like to nest in mulch. These nesting rodents may nibble bark, creating a perfect entry point for disease and pests.

Bananas offer a slow release of energy plus vitamin B6 and potassium, while fructoligosaccharides help the “good” bacteria in the gut. Bananas are the ultimate healthy fast-food.

When shopping for a Christmas tree, check for green, flexibility, firmly-held needles and a sticky trunk base. Both indicate freshness. Make a fresh trunk cut and keep the cut end under water at all times.

Fort Benjamin Harrison located at 59th Street and Post Road in Indianapolis was a prisoner of war camp from 1944-1945 and housed many Italian and German prisoners.

If you don’t want to clean your paint brushes until you’re done with the job, wrap the paintbrush in aluminum foil and put in the freezer.  When you’re ready to continue painting, pull out the brush, let it warm up to room temperature and keep painting.

Prepare your furry friend’s doghouse for the colder weather by choosing a wind-blocking house design, facing the opening toward the south or southeast, insulating with spray insulation, using straw or wood shavings for warm, dry bedding and getting a heated water dish to prevent water from freezing.
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Tomato ketchup is found in 97 percent of U. S. households.