Chip and Sue Parrish | The Personal Touch

• Make raised flower beds for better access.
• Sit on a stool or other type of gardening scooter to reduce back strain.
• Use mulch to hold in water and keep unwanted weeds out.
• Line beds with weed blocking fabric.
• "Dead-Head" flowers that have dried up to promote new growth.
• To help avoid fungus and mildew, be sure plants have a chance to dry after watering for the evening, don't water just before dark.
• Deliver water directly to the root system with a drip irrigation system or soaker hose.
• Try growing vegetables in a small container or raised 4'x4' bed.
• Protect your hands with gloves and watch out for poison ivy!
• Don't forget the sunscreen!

Suggested Reading

• All New Square Foot Gardening
• The Flower Gardener's Bible: Time-Tested Techniques, Creative Designs, and Perfect Plants for Colorful Gardens
• Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children

April showed more signs of the real estate market beginning to level out. When this happens both buyer and seller see benefits on a more level playing field. Sellers saw both sales and prices increase in April. While still down from last year, April had the largest number of sales in a single month since last October. Sales prices also increase by 4% compared to March's numbers. However, sellers still need to realize that pricing their home competitively is important, and buyers can still count on most homes selling for approximately $10,000 less than what they were last year.

Inventory is also leveling out as we see 16.1% fewer homes on the market from this past April compared to April of 2008. With fewer homes being added to the market we can expect prices to rise. But we have to keep in mind the number of foreclosed homes that are still pulling prices down in some areas.

Fantastic rates, motivated sellers, and the first-time homebuyer tax credit are making a positive influence on the market. So as consumer confidence increases, we can continue to see the real estate market continue to level back out and be a win-win situation for all parties involved.

Central Ohio Home Sales

It's summer time and that means time to break out the sunscreen. SPF stands for sun protection factor, and no matter what the number on your bottle says, it won't protect you if you don't wear it. It's protection for a sun burn yes, but it's more than that. Sunscreen protects us from exposure to ultraviolet light (UVA or UVB) which accounts for 90% of the symptoms of premature skin and aging like wrinkles, not to mention skin cancers. UVB radiation is responsible for the sunburn on the out layers of skin, UVA however can cause problems on the deeper layers. Skin cancer usually appears in adulthood, but is caused by sun exposure and sunburns that began as early as childhood. The most damaging overexposure to sun happens before the age of 18.

So everyone should wear sunscreen. It doesn't matter what your skin type is, or if you "don't burn easily." Even babies as young as 6 months of age should be protected, and younger than that they should simply stay out of direct sun.

Experts say that only about half of the recommended amount of sunscreen is applied by the average user, and even less reapply throughout the day. So just how should you use your sunscreen? Start by getting it out of the closet. Use it every day. Even on days when it is overcast we still have UVA/UVB rays to deal with. To really be effective, sun screen should be applied liberally, before sun exposure, and take about 20 - 30 minutes to be absorbed by the skin, then reapplied every two hours, especially during water sports. So be sure you are applying enough sunscreen and allow time for it to soak in before heading out in the sun.

Use at least a SPF of 15. SPF measures the time that sunscreen can protect you from burning. SPF 15 will block 93% of rays, SPF 30 about 96.7%, and as high as SPF 70 will give you just a bit more protection at 98.3%. Yes, a higher SPF will allow you to stay out in the sun longer before getting burned, but don't let those higher numbers give you a false sense of security. If it takes about 20 minutes for the skin to burn, then theoretically SPF 15 would give you about 15 times longer. The key, regardless of SPF, is reapplying the sunscreen every two hours to continue that protection.

If you do get a sunburn, applying Aloe lotion can help sooth the pain and inflammation. Avoid using petroleum jelly, benzocaine, lidocain or butter as these can make the symptoms worse. Be sure to also watch for signs of sun poisoning which include fever, chills, nausea or rash.

Be safe this summer, and follow the ABC's:

Away - Stay out of the sun when possible.

Block - Use that sunblock!

Cover Up - Cover skin with loose clothing.