Monthly Pro Tip: Ready for an Emergency

Sometimes accidents or disasters can strike no matter how far you've gone to prevent them. Being prepared for the unexpected can help protect your family and your home. Here are a couple of good items to keep on hand in your home.

Fire extinguisher. Keep one on every floor of your home, and an extra one in the kitchen, which is where the majority of fires start. Some insurance policies will give you a discount on your premium for having extinguishers in your home A multipurpose ABC extinguishers works on three types of fires: ordinary combustibles, flammable liquids, and electrical. Check the pressure gauges on your extinguishers when you check your smoke alarms and have them recharged when the pressure drops.

Battery-powered smoke detector. Supplement your hard-wired smoke detectors (if you have them) with at least one battery-powered smoke detector per floor, especially in the kitchen and by the bedrooms. Pick up a model that has a sealed-in, 10-year lithium battery. This will help avoid frequent battery changes and middle of the night chirping.

Carbon monoxide alarm. Choose one that is a separate CO alarm, not one combined with a smoke detector. Place one on every level of the home and outside each sleeping area. Check your state laws on requirements for CO alarms.

Automatic water heater shutoff valve. An automatic shutoff valve for the water heater cuts off the supply to the device as soon as it senses a leak of any kind.

Composting at Home

Compost is organic material that can be added to soil that will help plants grow. Food scraps and yard clippings make up to 30% of what we throw away, yet could be composted instead. Having a composting system keeps these materials out of the landfills.

All composting requires three basic ingredients:

Browns - Materials such as dead leaves, branches, and twigs
Greens - Grass clippings, vegetable waste, fruit scraps, and coffee grounds
Water - Having the right amount of water is important for compost development

To compost, you should have an equal amount of browns to greens, alternate layers of organic materials. The brown materials provide carbon for your compost, the green materials provide nitrogen, and the water provides moisture to help break down the organic matter.

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Your Home Gym

Home gyms are growing in popularity and are becoming a staple in many homes. Thinking of converting your spare room into a home gym? Here are some ideas to get you started.

• Energize that space with a couple of bold colors. Orange, blue, and lime green are colors that will wake you up and get you moving.
• Have a fitness mantra? Paint it on your wall so you have it there to look at while working out.
• Add a ceiling fan to circulate the air while you work out. Just be sure to measure ceiling height, fan depth, and the height you will be while on your fitness equipment.
• Don't let your resistance bands and jump rope get tangled up on the floor, hang them up on pegs or garment hooks.
• Flooring is important while you work out because it can have an impact on your feet and knees. A good choice for home gym flooring is cork. It's tough but resilient. Another option is carpet tiles, which are easy to install yourself.

Building a Fence

Step 1: Lay out the fence post. Use a powered chalk or spray paint as a guide to design your layout. Be sure to position a fence post every 6-8 feet in the area where you want your fence to stand.

Step 2: Dig the holes. Dig a hole about three times wider than the post, and half as deep as the post is tall. For example, if the fence will be four feet high, make the hole two feet.

Step 3: Add concrete and gravel. Pour 4-6 inches of gravel in the base of the hole to allow for drainage. After the gravel is compact in the hole, add 6-8 inches of concrete mix. Put the post in the middle of the concrete mix and plumb with a level. Allow two to three days for the concrete to cure.

Step 4: Attach rails or panels to the posts. Once the concrete has cured, you can begin attaching the rails to support your fencing to your post. Once rails are in place, attach pickets or fencing.

Step 5: To give your fence a finished look, attach the post caps to the posts. Tap each cap lightly with a rubber mallet until each one fits tightly onto the post.

Red Wine Sangria

Ingredients

2 bottles red Spanish table wine
1 cup brandy
1/2 cup triple sec
1 cup orange juice
1 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup simple syrup, or more to taste (equal parts sugar and water, heated until sugar dissolves, cooled)
Orange slices
Apple slices
Blackberries
Pomegranate seeds

Directions

Mix all ingredients together and let stand in a tightly sealed container or pitcher for at least 24 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay

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