This is one of the saddest times in a person’s life, and it’s normal to struggle to come up with something comforting and sympathetic. When the mother or father of someone you care about passes away, the last thing you want to do is say or do the wrong thing. Show That You Care If you have never gone through losing a parent, don’t pretend that you understand. However, you can listen and be sympathetic....

It can be hard to figure out where to start. You may wonder what to do first, especially if you know nothing about owning land, farming, or going off-grid for energy. This article seeks to demystify this a bit and give you some concrete first steps to take that will begin your homesteading journey right now. Where to Start Pick one or two projects that you can start in the next month or so....

While there are other routine maintenance tasks involved in owning a lawnmower, the annual tune-up routine consists of just three tasks: Changing the oilChanging the spark plugChanging/cleaning the air filter Before performing a tuneup, it’s best if the engine is just slightly warm. Put just enough gas in the gas tank to get the mower running, then start the engine and let it run out of gas. As a final safety precaution, disconnect the spark plug wire so that the engine can’t start accidentally....

1. How Do I Know If I Have Rats? Rats are nocturnal, which means they are most active at night, and they live in hidden areas, so you can have a major rat problem in your home even if you never see any. Because of this, you need to keep an eye and an ear out for signs of rodent presence: Live or dead ratsDroppings, especially around human or pet food or in or around trash areasNoises in the dark, such as scratching sounds from the attic or in the wall, floor, or ceiling cavities (behind the drywall)Nests or piled nesting materials in hidden areas, including areas with exposed insulationGnawed wires or woodBurrows around the yard or under the home or a garage, shed, or another outbuildingSmudge marks on wallsRodent hairs along paths, in nests, or near food...

Benefits of Grow Lights Indoor plants require more light than most homeowners realize, and a lack of natural light is an all-too-common houseplant ailment. Grow lights are used to increase the amount of usable light available to indoor plants which can help increase nutrition, speed up growth, accelerate flowering, and frankly just keep your houseplants alive and healthy indoors. How Do Grow Lights Work? Unfortunately, while traditional light bulbs keep our homes nice and bright for us, they don’t benefit our plants, which require very specific types of light in order to grow....

Extracting color and creating dyes from natural sources produces beautiful results. Unfortunately, it can be a tedious process that makes it difficult to maintain quality control. By 1900, the development of powdered synthetic dyes dominated the market, and most industrial dyes were synthetic. Before You Begin The very first step in successfully dyeing something at home is to identify the fiber content of the fabric. Natural fabrics like wool, cotton, linen, and silk absorb and capture dyes well as does nylon....

Unless you are a perfectionist that can’t stand to leave a little dead wood here and there on tall plants and vines, you won’t be using these very often at all and may not need to buy one. However, if you do decide you need to make small cuts high overhead, owning pole pruners can save you uncomfortable work from a ladder. Here you’ll learn about some examples of times you might use pole pruners and a few tips on how to use them safely and without tiring your hands more than you need to....

How to Wash Dog Sweaters and Clothes When taking care of clothes and accessories for your dog, you need to follow many of the same rules for pet laundry as you do with your clothes. Read the care label. Most dog sweaters and clothes can be machine or hand washed. Before washing, check the garment for loose seams or holes that might worsen during washing. Mend rips and tears before washing....

Green is an incredibly versatile and flexible color, perfect for modern bathrooms or classic ones. Whether you want to splash a coat of paint on your vanity (like this stunning hunter green version from craven_haven) or you are into a total tile revamp, here’s some inspiration to make you want to go green. There are so many shades of green out there that there’s bound to be a version that works for your style....

How to Improve Caliche Soil Caliche soil forms when the calcium carbonate in the ground fuses soil particles together. Instead of a nice, friable ground, you end up trying to plant in dirt that is impenetrable in places. Caliche soils present a difficult set of circumstances in trying to grow a lawn. Common problems with caliche soils include the facts that they can create an impermeable layer that prevents water from draining properly through the profile, that they can foster the accumulation of salts in the profile, that they can limit root depth, and that they can contain an overly alkaline soil pH that prevents nutrient uptake....

Here are some of the most epic terrariums we found on Instagram—along with the creators who talked about their work. From Bonsai Trees to Terrariums Creator: Jesse Goldfarb, @teenytinyterra, from Toronto “I started making terrariums in 2014. My wife had bonsai trees when I met her and they had grown wild! I trained them to look like bonsai again and then got bored of watching them grow and not having anything to do....