July/August 2017

Eye for Design

Attract Buyers with Easy Updates

By Dianna Hosta-Stickney

Thinking about selling your house? Try looking at it through buyers’ eyes.

Shiny brass light fixtures, maroon walls and sculptured carpeting may be fine for you, but those outdated details could be a turnoff to prospective buyers.

Realtors see it all the time. Many people, especially as they age, get a bit lackadaisical with keeping up on the latest decorating trends. Brass-tone fixtures, deep paint colors and wall-to-wall carpeting had their heyday decades ago. Today, they’re a turnoff for younger buyers, who take design cues from HGTV shows and glossy home décor magazines.

Simple Updates

On the positive side, sellers in their 50s, 60s and 70s generally keep their homes well maintained. The roof, furnace and other major items often are in good shape for buyers. But what about the rest of the house — particularly the inside — if a move is in your future?

Consider freshening up one or two rooms or tackling a design project each year until the entire house is updated. Design experts say trends such as paint color tones and decorative finishes generally stay in style for 10 to 12 years, so use that as a general guide.

If you like green, try a tone that’s more in line with today’s style trends. Yesterday’s hunter green is today’s sage or pistachio green. Pay attention to the tone, not just the color. Unsure of design trends? Check out one of the many home improvement shows on HGTV or grab a few design magazines and see what’s popular. Right now, grays are hot.

Visit a home improvement store and pay attention to the display in the lighting department. If you don’t see anything hanging there that’s similar to what’s in your home, consider an update.

ADHD

No Kidding — Adults Can Get It, Too

By Paris Wolfe

When Lisa, 55, of Cleveland was treated for ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) this year, she felt like a new person. Her productivity improved, she slept better and life became more manageable.

“I couldn’t believe the difference,” she says. “(Medication) helped me focus instead of bouncing off walls. Before, I would be working on something and be distracted by the next shiny thing that came along. Then, I’d get anxious because I would get behind on the first project.”

That anxiety snowballed and may have caused depression. Once the ADHD was addressed, her depression and problems seemed to melt away.

An Adult Diagnosis

Before a comprehensive five-hour series of tests diagnosed Lisa, she didn’t realize adults could be affected. Like many, she thought ADHD was just for kids.

Not so. ADHD is a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Research suggests it persists into adulthood for at least 50 percent of those diagnosed as a child. As many as 10 million adults may be affected.

People in their 50s and 60s fall into those numbers. ADHD didn’t suddenly appear with Generation X. Despite the lack of diagnoses, it has been around for a long time, spanning generations. While causes aren’t definitive, studies attribute ADHD to genetics as well as to smoking and drinking during pregnancy.

Symptoms may be less apparent in the over-50 population because they’ve had longer to learn coping skills and life hacks.

One of the most common ways adults realize they’re affected is during an exam of a child or grandchild.

“They sit in the room with the provider who asks questions about the child, and the adult starts to see the light.

Island Time

Explore the Shore Among Lake Erie’s Jewels

By Paris Wolfe

Few places in Ohio combine history and nature — and, let’s face it, a bit of partying — as successfully as Lake Erie’s popular islands.

Summer is the best time to practice your island hopping in western Lake Erie’s collection of little land masses. The Ohio “Keys” are rife with activities from mid-April through late October when the weather is temperate and the lake is free of ice.

While the islands are a boater’s paradise, landlubbers have easy access to three of the four islands by ferry. And, once there, bikes and golf carts dominate the streets. Rentals are available at the ferry stop. Cars are welcome, but few folks opt to ferry them over.

Island Hopping

South Bass Island (1,588 acres) is home of the legendary Put-in-Bay. It draws perhaps the most enthusiastic crowds for playing and partying on weekends, and recovers on weekdays. It’s popular with college students and bridal parties on the weekends, with a mellower vibe during the week. Plan accordingly.

Middle Bass Island (805 acres) is less commercial than South Bass but offers a handful of shopping opportunities as well as a state park and 184-slip marina.

North Bass Island (593 acres) is a mostly unimproved state park open to primitive camping with a special permit, hiking, picnicking, biking, wildlife watching and fishing. It can be accessed only by airplane or personal watercraft.

Kelleys Island (2,888 acres) is home to more than 300 people, making it both residential and recreational. Biking, hiking and beaches make up its attractions.

The actual experience at the islands might depend on the timing and location of a visit. Weekend evenings are rowdier and “crowdier,” while weekdays are slow and leisurely.

Kindness Rocks

And Sometimes It Rolls

Have you found one?

Kindness Rocks are turning up along sidewalks, on park benches, under trees — everywhere. The movement started on social media and has taken a rock-solid hold in Northeast Ohio.

Painted and shellacked, the colorful rocks usually sport a label with a hashtag so finders can see where their rocks have traveled. The biggest group is #NortheastOhioRocks! — with 175,000 members and about 3 million rocks that have been painted and hidden — but there are plenty of others here and around the country, including the Kindness Rocks Project with a more national scope.

All the groups encourage people to paint small rocks — with or without a message — and hide them as a random act of kindness.

Rock finders often snap a photo of their rock, list the location, and post it to Twitter, Facebook or another social media account. They then re-hide the rock and see where it ends up.

To get started, prepare your rock surface with a layer of paint. Use oil-based Sharpie markers to decorate the rock. If you feel like it, add a hashtag on the back such as #THEKINDNESSROCKSPROJECT, or #NortheastOhioRocks!

Here’s to a rockin’ — and kind — summer.

A Fairly Good Time

Groomed Cows & Elephant Ears

July marks the start of county fair season, and Ohio has nearly perfected the art of canned food judging, giant vegetable growing and corn dog eating.

The Summit and Lake county fairs are the week of July 25-30, the Medina County Fair is July 31-Aug. 6, the Cuyahoga County Fair (Berea) is Aug. 7-13 and the Portage County Randolph Fair is Aug. 22-27.

The oldest continuous fair in the state — and one of the very best — is the Great Geauga County Fair, scheduled for Labor Day weekend in Burton.