Home & Garden

Every time you buy a plant, remove the tag that comes with it, record the year and where you planted it on the back of the tag, and put the tag in the plastic bag. On a separate piece of paper, write the year in large print and put it in the bag. If you want even more information about your gardens, buy a large book journal with blank pages. However you keep your garden journal, you’ll find it a handy reference. ...

One of Perrin Verzi’s favorite areas of the greenhouse is the Tropical House with its intoxicating fragrance of citrus blossoms in February and exotic banana plants and fruit trees. Outdoors, she’s partial to the recently renovated Japanese Garden. “It’s very serene and green and you just feel calm when you’re walking there. It’s right next to the street but you don’t know it.” ...

If you’re looking to sell, there are a few things you should know about getting your home move-in ready. If you invest 1-3 % of the value of your home in staging, updates and repairs, you could make or save 8-10 %, according to the National Association of Realtors.  ...

February is not too soon to get outside and coax springtime along by pruning trees and shrubs, preparing your soil and making design updates to your garden(s). You can even attend to your lawn, weather permitting! Read on for more tips that will encourage Mother Nature's softer side! ...

Our theme, “Get a Plan,” seemed like a tidy, ambitious topic to kick off 2020 when we hammered out our editorial lineup for the year.

Plans are good. Plans are necessary. I like plans in theory. Execution is another matter. Plans are fine for other people but my failure rate is too high to embrace much planning. 

Privilege and Plans
Clutter is a first-world problem. I’ve read about people in other parts of the world who collect cigarette butts, separate the pieces, and sell the bundles by the pound — you read that right, by the pound, to earn a bare-bones living. I’m assuming that’s a clutter-generating enterprise.

I’ve got first-world clutter; too many shoes and coats and casserole dishes and — I’m just realizing — a significant collection of drinking glasses. I planned to clear things out after reading Marie Kondo’s, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.” I skimmed the book (too busy), fast-forwarded the show on Netflix (too impatient, ) and dove in (too hopeful). 

I ruthlessly bagged up my castoffs and dropped them at donation bins. I rolled sweaters, sorted clothing by colors, and rethought my casserole dish collection. The dogs thought they were the next to go.

The minimalist lifestyle suited me, but only for a minimal amount of time. I soon was back to my old habits, cruising consignment shops and hitting estate sales. I was a junkie who craved actual junk. My decluttering plans sputtered and then died in a heap on the closet floor.

That’s just one example of failed plans. Each January, I plan to carefully pack away my Christmas lights so I never have to untangle them again. Eleven months later, I’m untangling Christmas lights. 

Here’s another: I plan to watch higher-quality TV — more PBS less Bravo, but deep down I’m drawn to the Kardashians and “My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding.”

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What a Ride!
What’s Your Favorite Cedar Point Memory?

Cedar Point is celebrating its 150tth anniversary this year with new rides, a nightly parade and plenty of souvenirs. But there’s one thing that one of the nation’s oldest amusement parks is missing: your memories.

Here’s one: getting panic-stuck in the tube slide at the Fun House. A teen worker slid down and coaxed the young park-goer through. Her family still teases her about it. We’re omitting the name to protect the magazine editor’s identity.

Share your memories, photos and videos at cedarpoint.com

 

Boomers, We’re OK
…And We Prove It Every Day

“Just wait until you’re our age.”

That’s what you might want to say the next time a Millennial or another younger person dismisses your advice or mocks your opinion. The catchphrase, “OK, Boomer,” gained popularity last year as a rebuttal to Boomers who were perceived by Millennials, Gen Xers and others as being out of touch or judgmental. 

Of course, every generation has people who are judgmental and out of touch; that’s not just reserved for Boomers. But OK, we can take a joke, even an ageist one. Let’s hope the term fades with the New Roaring ‘20s (that’s 2020 for you younger folks).

 

Fact Finders
Teams Kick Off Mind Challenge Competition

They’ve been sharpening their trivia skills and adjusting their thinking caps. Now it’s time to discover who knows what for the second annual Mind Challenge for the New Majority.

For the next four months, teams from rec and senior centers throughout Northeast Ohio will be competing weekly in the Mind Challenge trivia competitions. The six-member teams represent more than 20 communities. 

The semi and final matches are set for May 6 at the JACK Thistledown Racino. The first-place team gets $3,500; second place $2,000; third $1,500 and fourth place $1,000.

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Who doesn't love finding a treasure along a windy shoreline? Sea glass enthusiasts know the best places to find smooth, colorful tidbits along Lake Erie. But one area couple hit the jackpot. Read about their big find. Could there be others? ...

Winter seed-sowing may be just the antidote to your cabin fever. With this method, it's truly not too soon to get your hands back in the soil as you sow seeds for spring planting of hardy seedlings. If you’ve tried to start seeds indoors before and been disappointed in the results, give this proven approach a try. ...