Don’t Let the Bugs Drive You Inside!
Outdoor spaces – Southerners love to use their patios and decks from early spring right through the summer and late fall. Even when the thermometer tops 90 degrees in the afternoons, we find the morning hours and the evening hours great times to enjoy being outside with the sights and sounds of nature. I have been known to take my coffee and my bible to the patio in the early mornings. It is a great way to start the day unless the mosquitoes, gnats, and flies are present.
Thanks to a technique called mosquito misting, there is no reason to ever let bugs send you inside again. Jimmy Carruth of J&P Pest Control has satisfied many a customer with the XMosquito™ system. Designed to dispense a natural pyrethrum-based insecticide over a determined area through a misting line comprised of tubing, nozzles, and risers, the spray duration, frequency, and timing are controlled by an electronic mechanism. The system is highly adaptable and can be designed to fit the most unique landscapes and outdoor areas. Customized system options give you the flexibility to choose according to your needs and budget. Jimmy says you absolutely will not see a mosquito in your yard again and that, once installed, the system literally disappears into your landscape. You will not even know it’s there.
The chemical Pyrethrum is derived from dried flowers of a species of Chrysanthemum. Because it breaks down completely leaving no residual, it is environment friendly as well. Mosquitoes cause more human suffering than any other organism! They carry disease that can afflict humans, but they also transmit several diseases and parasites that dogs and horses are very susceptible to. If your pet spends any time at all outside, you owe it to yourself, your family and your pet to check out mosquito misting.
Call J&P Pest Control at (601) 824 1039 or check out the information on-line at www.jppestcontrol.com.
Quick Updates for your Home
By Christi B. Steckel
Blame it on the heat. You’ve been inside escaping the burning sun, but the hours in the house have you pacing and pondering. “This house could really use some updating.” “Why do I still have that old rug?” Don’t start ripping down that wallpaper just yet; start with a few simple changes to make an impressive transformation. And you only need to get out of the car once to find all that you need at Tinnin Rug & Home.
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Discovered on a sunrise search, this Olive Jar came from a village outside of Savona, Italy on the Italian Riviera. Circa 1890, the natural clay composition provided a cool environment for the olives and olive oil imparting natural flavor. $395 |
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Versatile enough to compliment traditional or transitional decorating styles, this hand finished wooden lamp is an immediate heirloom. $250 |
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Nothing is softer and more soothing than candlelight glowing from this hand fashioned lantern of iron, wood and glass. It is specially designed so it can sit on a table top inside or outside, or hang from a tree limb in your back yard. $50 |
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Hand-woven Tibetan style rug of 100% wool, size 2 feet x 3 feet, this rug uses Asian and Himalayan motifs. $65
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Baguettes by the basketful got their start in this hand carved French dough bowl. Strength in versatility, this dough bowl can adorn a tabletop and be filled with seasonal fruits, flowers or even Christmas ornaments. $75 |
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French market baskets whose original purpose was to carry vegetables to market can be used to organize or display anything from pillows to magazines to firewood. Pillows made from old Turkish kelim rugs $75 each. Basket is also $75. |
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A natural conversation starter, this vintage European painted pine bench may have heard gossip from nannies, discussions among students, or just a restful quiet in someone’s back yard, $995. Plush pillows made from old Oushak rugs compliment soften the lines and the color, $175 each. Persian Kazak pillows, $95, are nestled in a vintage French confection bowl. |
Get Techno Savvy
By Christi B. Steckel
Learn How to Download and Upload your Digital Photos in 10 Easy Steps
Don’t keep those summer vacation photos captive on your digital camera. Join forces with your computer and share those memories with everyone (ok, maybe not everyone). Before you know it you’ll be a digital picture expert and you’re kids will look at you with shock and awe.
Follow these 10 easy steps toward digital photography freedom!
1.) Download pictures to your computer (easier said than done right?). Find that cord that came with the camera…you know you’ve got it somewhere! Connect the USB cord to the camera and the computer.
Tip: It's usually faster to use a memory card reader to copy your pictures than to connect your camera to your computer with a cable.
2.) Your computer software (such as iPhoto on Mac) will open and should transfer the photos automatically, but if you don’t have a program that does this you can do it manually. A screen will appear asking what you want to do with these photos. Choose Copy Pictures to a folder on my computer using Microsoft Scanner and Camera Wizard.
3.) From here a friendly wizard (yes, it’s like magic) will help you along the way.
Click next. Select all the pictures or choose specific photos. Click next.
4.) This part could be tricky. Name the group of pictures “Destin” or whatever you desire. Choose My Pictures as the location you want the pictures to go. Click Next.
5.) Watch as your pictures are copied to their nice little folder home. Don’t touch anything! Click Finish when they are completed and the folder will open where you just downloaded your pictures. Hooray!
Half way there! Time to upload those pictures.
6.) If you want to order quality prints, upload them to a easy website such as kodakgallery.com You will have to create an account on most online photography sites. Once you have logged in, click Upload on the top of the page. Give the album the same name “Destin” and press continue
7.) Upgrade the upload tool for easy uploading. Click browse and select the folder you created when you downloaded the pictures.
8.) Click open and select the photos by holding down the shift key and selecting the pictures you want to download. Click upload and walk away, get something to drink, brush your hair, or watch the wizards work.
9.) Once photos are uploaded edit the photos, making sure they are turned correctly so your family won’t have to break their necks to look at your pictures!
10.) Click share and type in your family and friend’s emails; write a brief message and presto you’re done! Congrats! You did it!!!
A Place of Refreshment and Renewal
Drop kids off, laundry, work, lunch, volunteer, car-pool, homework, cook, clean, bedtime…are you thirsty? Find time in your day to refresh your soul – to simply sit, read the bible, create, or visit with friends. The following rooms are places of refreshment that you can create in your home!
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Quiet Time
Start your day refreshed in the word of God.
Keep a notebook at your side to write down your thoughts and scriptures.
Position yourself next to a window so you can take in the view.
Make it your space by decorating with special pieces that just make you happy.
Put those feet up and relax in a comfortable chair. |
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Craft Room
Frame a cork board or chalk board to keep items that inspire you out in the open.
Start the day with the Creator.
Always have your favorite coffee or tea by your side!
Keep creative supplies ready to use so you know you have it when you’re ready to start that sewing or art project.
Play music and browse the web for ideas or just keep up with old friends. |
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Back porch
Invite a friend over to share the sunshine and a focused conversation while the kids are at school.
Surround yourself with flowers and trees that fill your space and your mood with goodness.
Repurpose art that you don’t have a place for in your house and bring it outside to enjoy!
Stay refreshed with your favorite ice cold soda. |
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Organize your space
A place for creative refreshment should be a welcoming place. Keep chaos out and organization in.
Use a collection of bottles as a decorative detail for your bookcases.
Keep your favorite candy nearby just for you!
Think in threes to mainstream your organized look.
Use different types of boxes and pots from around your house to hold all of your creative supplies. |
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What you need to know about new air conditioner regulations in 2010
It’s not unusual for Mississippians to be teased into premature spring fever in February, when warmer days bring on a little greening and a few early blooms. February’s hints of spring will remind us that Mississippi winters, even a cold one as we’ve had this year, are short and its summers are long. Air conditioning season is right around the corner.
This spring and summer, however, new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations will make replacement of an air conditioner that breaks down a little more complicated than “business as usual.” The EPA has begun the phase-out of the refrigerant R-22 that was the lifeblood of most air conditioning systems manufactured before the last few years. Because R-22 contains hydrochlorofluorocarbons that damage the earth’s protective ozone layer, EPA regulations now permit installation of only new equipment that uses chlorine-free R-410A refrigerant.
So, what do EPA regulations on refrigerants have to do with you? Well, if your home’s air conditioning system is brand new or manufactured in the last couple of years, probably nothing. But if you have an older home with a vintage model that you know is running on borrowed time, then you’ll likely be affected by the R-22 phase-out and new R-410A standard.
Until now, when a system broke down, an outdoor condenser/compressor could be replaced in a matter of hours, minimizing the time your home was without air conditioning. Today’s condensing/compressor units that use R-410A are not compatible with the indoor components built for R-22 refrigerant. Both inside and outdoor components will have to be switched out under the new EPA regulations. Not only will it be more expensive to restore an air conditioning system that has failed, but it also will take longer because both inside and outdoor components must be replaced. An AC breakdown could mean days instead of hours of the heat and humidity we all know too well.
Of course, replacing the entire system instead of just the condenser/compressor also will cost considerably more. The good news in all of this is that 2010 is the second year for a sizable federal income tax credit that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provides for upgrading your home to high-efficiency air conditioning. “Going green” may not be No. 1 on your to-do list, but the fact of the matter is, converting to air conditioning that meets the new environmental and operating-efficiency energy standards can help you pay for the additional costs of a new system. ARRA offers a credit of 30 percent of the cost of an approved high-efficiency system—up to $1,500—on your 2010 income taxes.
The manufacturing community also is offering incentives for homeowners to upgrade their older air conditioning equipment. A number of offers are available to encourage replacement now, during the off-season, well before spring or summer. Lennox®, for example, is offering a $1,000 rebate on qualifying air conditioning systems purchased before February 26, 2010.
Contact a knowledgeable heating and cooling contractor for guidance on the R-410A air conditioning systems that qualify for the ARRA federal tax credit and will keep you comfortable this summer and for many more to come.
Raymond Nalty is president and owner of Environment Masters, a heating and cooling company founded in Jackson in 1957 by his father.
