For those looking for a down side; there are certain factors that could be viewed as disturbing. In the ornamental horticulture industry, large corporations have come to dominate a once mom and pop industry. Starting a small plant business is not easy, as most plants are now sold at big box retailers and grocery stores. So the neighborhood plant store is a thing of the past; not exactly the end of the world, just a little more homogenized.

The corporate take over of agriculture is as complete as that of ornamental horticulture. Our nursery is part of a working farm, so we deal with farm issues also. Discussion of America’s farms and food is a topic unto itself. To tell you the truth I do not know where to begin a story of corporate take over of just about everything America eats. Every one likes to eat so it should be of interest to everyone. But it is also true that no one seems to care to hear about farm issues. For sure, one day we will care. For the best information about sustainable farming contact: AcresUSA.com [http://www.acresusa.com], the voice for eco-agriculture.

In 1985, Briscoe White opened The Growers Exchange in an abandoned Texaco station on a busy urban street corner in Richmond, Virginia. The facility has grown over the years, and is now 5 distinct growing environments with 5 acres under cover. Briscoe has over 25 years of gardening experience. For further information on gardening products or gardening tips please contact Briscoe White at bwhite@thegrowersexchange.com.

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In the teen rehab, your children later will be able to get the best teen drug treatment to help them to get the best treatment for their addiction. One of the best places is the California teen drug rehab that later become the best place to treat your children. It is based on the teen drug statistics, which California is becoming one of the biggest states that the teenager is being addicted to drugs and alcohol. After all, within this site you will be able to get teen marijuana rehab and also the teen addiction info.

1. Welcome a new neighbor with a plate of home-baked cookies and information on how they can get around in their new location; where the grocery store, nearby restaurants and banks are, etc.  It’s hard, especially if you are shy, to reach out to a stranger, but the rewards are great.

2. If you plan to throw a party featuring music and a crowd, be considerate and inform the nearby residents. That way, they can plan accordingly. They will appreciate the warning. Wouldn’t you? Note: Turn the music down after midnight.

3. See what you can do to assist your senior neighbors who may need a hand with getting their garbage out to the curb or groceries carried in from the car. Knowing that they can call on you during an emergency situation will be a great relief to them. Helping another feels good in and of itself.

4. Frequent the businesses in and around your neighborhood. It pays to make our money work for us in building these businesses and improving our neighborhoods.

5. When voting time comes around, study the issues, some of which will directly affect where you live. And vote.

Make time to take an active interest in your community. Think of it as your extended family. Loving your neighbors is like loving yourself. Try it. It works.

Patty Mooney has been writing since the age of 16. Her favorite topics include women’s issues, homelessness, homeless veterans, the arts, cinema, biographies, nature and video production. Her work has appeared in many publications around the world, including the Los Angeles Times, The San Diego Reader, Create Magazine, Post Magazine, Women’s Sports & Fitness, Yoga Journal and others. You can read her blog, “A Diary Left Open” at http://www.sandiegovideoproduction.blogspot.com Her business site is http://www.crystalpyramid.com

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Tools: There are a number of tools available to you that will help you determine how the schools in prospective areas are performing. The internet can be a valuable tool and is the obvious choice when if you are moving to an unfamiliar area. GreatSchools.com is a good place to start and will give you some basic statistics about many schools. There is a review feature where people can comment on particular schools, but the schools that you are interesting in may or may not have reviews.

Most states’ departments of education will provide important statistics such as performance on various test and student/teacher ratios. Be sure to examine both the current rating and past ratings so that you can see trends. Are the schools getting better, worse, or holding steady? It is important to understand the trends in your area of interest. If the schools are declining that could adversely impact property values as many people will want to live where they can send their children to good schools.

Tips for the research process: If it is practical, visit some of the schools in the area to get a sense of what they are like. Are they in good condition? Do they seem overcrowded? Do they have good facilities and equipment? The answers to these questions are obviously important if you are planning to send your child to school, but even if you aren’t consider what other people moving to the area might think?

If you wouldn’t send your children to the schools in your area, then it’s probably the case that many other folks wouldn’t either if given the choice. This can have the effect of lowering demand for properties, which naturally in turn means lower home prices. Protect yourself from this problem by putting in the effort to research the schools in the area you are planning to move to before buying a home there.

Thinking of moving to Boulder Colorado? Visit Automated Homefinder for instant, free access to over 65,000 homes for sale.

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The following year the fires were back bigger than ever before. This time half the city of 100,000 people were in danger with half of Malibu CA over the hill cut off. Many lost their homes and few lost their lives unable to get out of the canyons in time. The fire moved so fast there was little time to escape. This year the fire was believed to be arson related, although no one was ever caught. That year there were other fires all burning simultaneously around Northern and Southern CA and parts of Northern Nevada.

That is when The Car Wash Guys, our company decided that they would get involved. Although many of us live in very green areas, where fires have a tough time getting started, once they do get going they generate their own wind and heat and little stands in their way. The most important strategy is to catch them early. Of the nearly 20,000 brush fires annually in the Western States in the Forest Regions, few ever get out of control, but the ones that do we all remember. By uniting the entire community and working together we can decrease the number of fires intentionally started and a better response to those that are started by negligence or by Mother Nature such as lightening. We must work hard to preserve our area and make our community one of the best places in the World, a person could ever hope to live. We have a great community and we intend to guard against the loss from fire. We want our community to be the greatest in our state and our citizens, friends and families to know that we are all looking out for them and they are looking out for us. No longer will the temptation exist for an unethical situation to occur from an arsonist. Arsonists will know that our town is a no fly zone and that it is not only a police car, fire department vehicle or the USDA Forest Service truck that they need to be concerned with. They will be caught if they attempt anything by the first person who sees them. The Schwann’s delivery truck, the school bus driver, an electrician, a plumber, a real estate agent, anyone and everybody will be observing while driving around in their normal course of business. With this same group of people we too wish to interact with Mother Nature to keep the natural forest fires to a minimum. We intend to protect our families, homes and beautiful serene area from devastation that can be prevented or quickly contained.

You may wish to consider setting up a neighborhood arson watch in your area as part of community effort. If you are interested in learning more, we have written a free online 21-page E-book, which is available at:

http://www.lancewinslow.org/arsonwatch.pdf

Perhaps you might look through it and see if this is a potential solution for your community during this next fire season?

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is an online writer in retirement.

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A couple of years ago we might have missed a moment like this. Like many others, we would probably have been watching TV, even though it was a gorgeous day outside.

WHERE HAVE THE “GOOD OLD DAYS” GONE?

It’s funny how the critics lament the passing of the “good old days”. They wonder what happened to communities, neighborhoods, civic virtue, or family values. Pundits rant at the right and the left, blaming each or the other.

Yet, the biggest change over the last two generations has been the advent of television. In two generations TV has grown to suck up over four hours of peoples’ time per day. No other social change comes close to this shift. It eats up about half of individuals’ free time.

What did people do with those four hours a day before the television came along? They spent time with the neighbors, with their families, and with their communities. The “good old days” were simply sucked into the television set. The fastest way to get them back is to get rid of your TV.

TV ISOLATES US

TV does not unite us. It does not bring us together in any meaningful way, although it is sometimes portrayed that way. The physical act of watching TV isolates us from one another. We don’t chat over dinner. We are plugged into the TV set. We don’t visit the neighbors. We watch “Friends”. We don’t play ball with our children. We watch the “Playoffs”.

We can not enjoy the warmth of the sun, if we are indoors watching TV. We cannot savor the beauty of nature if we are parked on a safa watching TV. “Nature” and “National Geographic” can not compare with the real thing. Most importantly, we can not enjoy one another’s company if our attention is locked on the TV screen. TV always demands our full attention.

COMMUNITES OF TV’s

There can be a room full of people, but if a TV is playing, everyone will be plugged into the set, mesmerized by the flickering lights. Watch it. Watch a party be ground to a halt by a TV.

That is what is happening on a larger scale with our communities. There are communities full of people, all ignoring each other as they are plugged into their TV. Drive around almost any community at night. Are people gathered in groups gossiping and having fun with one another? More likely, you will pass by a plethora of isolated houses with eerie lights flickering through the windows. From a distance those lights are downright creepy.

PROBLEMS ARE SOLVED AND RELATIONSHIPS BUILT

Get a taste of the “good old days” by turning off the TV. It is not that problems vanish when you turn OFF the TV. Problems do not vanish any more than they do when the TV is ON. My idyllic scene was disrupted shortly after I descibed it by the kids’ bickering. However, they resolved their differences and started playing in the sandbox.

That is the key. They were still interacting and could resolve their problems. Turning off the TV frees them to solve their problems and to grow in their relationships.

I have studied history extensively. I know full well that the past is full of pain and suffering as well as joy. People have also made great strides in many social issues over the past several decades. Yet, we lost something critical to our existance when we plugged in the TV and left it on for over four hours a day. We lost the time that used to go to building relationships, to loving, to living, and to connecting with each other.

BACK TO THE FUTURE

Go back to the “good old days” by turning off your TV. Turn it off and play outdoors with your family. Go for a walk. Invite the neighbors over for a barbeque. Host a family game night. Read with your children. All these activities are relaxing and build essential relationships. They are also things people used to do in the “good old days”. Going back is as simple as pushing a button–the OFF button.

Katherine Westphal is the founder of a daring new website Trash Your TV! (http://www.trashyourtv.com) that makes it fun and easy for people to get control of their TV set. Are you addicted to TV? Take our TV Addiction Quiz (http://www.trashyourtv.com/survey) and find out!

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For the neighborhood kids growing up in the late 60’s, the fort was a representation of both our independence and ingenuity. We had a place to call home on those beautiful and endless summer evenings where it stayed light until well past 9 p.m., signaling we would not be called back home until darkness fell. Summer meant no school and an extra hour or two with our friends swapping stories. More important, we designed and built the BoGaKoTeZa sanctuary with our own hands. What a pleasurable reminder this was of our early team building efforts.

Growing up on The Hill, as it was commonly referred to, was an exercise in youthful utopia. In the 1950’s, many young married couples pushed slightly westward in the Chicago suburbs to secure an affordable home with a small piece of land. Most of the homes were similar tidy brick ranch structures with 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, a family room, and a 1 car garage positioned on a quarter-acre (or less) of land. The very rare split-level would occasionally interrupt the sea of small ranch homes. Situated behind the houses on our block were sloping dense woods where we would walk, play, and socialize for hours. Kids ruled the neighborhood. It seems that nearly all the parents were in their middle to late 20s, of Bohemian or Polish ancestry, and had several kids in tow. The neighbors at the end of our block had 6 children, and our next door neighbors – the “Za” in the name of our fort — ultimately had 8 children. We were the exception — Irish Catholic with a relatively paltry 4 children.

This was a period when kids went outdoors and played. Perhaps in the spirit of pre-video game suburbia, kids were forced to congregate, play sports, communicate, and learn from each other. Our backyard, like that of all the neighbors, and in stark contradiction to Robert Frost’s admonition that “good fences make good neighbors”, was devoid of a fence and represented an open invitation of friendship. The backyard, meanwhile, was never an appropriate advertisement for Scot’s Turf Builder. Instead, our backyard was an active child’s paradise, simultaneously torn up to construct a mini golf course, beaten down in straight lines where we frequently ran the bases, or shredded completely to accommodate a lawn hockey game complete with homemade nets constructed of wood and chicken wire. Perhaps the greatest news was that our parents would either help in the construction of the various backyard games or, at the very least, enjoy having all the neighborhood kids visit and play. Except when we would inadvertently destroy the same sapling that my dad tried to plant, year after year.

The Hill was not only a haven for kids. For some relatively strange reason (strange by today’s standards anyway), the parents all got along seemingly well, too. They were part of bowling leagues, social clubs, invitees for each other’s parties, and communal workers when the water well needed to be repaired. This was a group of young people who rarely had two nickels to rub together, but who always helped each other and pulled together in time of need. These neighbors never moved. To this day, 50 plus years later, there remains a handful of the old guard still living on The Hill. Our 40-year home tenure was probably the norm.

The Hill was also a place of great experimentation. Most of the neighbor kids had their first communal taste of alcohol or nicotine, represented in the form of a beer or pack of cigarettes surreptitiously pilfered from someone’s house. And many more kids had that first kiss with the neighbor girl. With the assistance of my best neighborhood friend, a girl with whom I enjoyed that first kiss, I even unintentionally lit my first and only forest fire. It certainly didn’t help matters that as the fire started to spread, we tried to “smother” the conflagration with dried leaves to the horror of the volunteer fire department. That’s a story for another time.

From a child’s perspective, we were engaging in exciting yet debaucherous and sinful activities that might forever condemn us to hell. Forty years later, it is obvious that these were innocent and perhaps even necessary steps in our adolescent development.

Fort BoGaKoTeZa lasted a couple of summers and in the end was torn down or died of neglect as we grew older. I can’t remember which. But I do remember the pride in its construction and the joy we all felt hanging out there. These were simpler days, forever gone, only to be pulled from our memories. I miss The Hill.

http://www.dailyharangue.com

The Daily Harangue was started by a group of friends who had much to say, but agreed on little. These candid discussions on topics ranging from politics to music, nature to art, life, love, and the human condition have always been a free flow of ideas that serve to strengthen, rather than to destroy, the bonds of our friendship.

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After World War II technology took over our lives. We began to live in a fast paced world where we didn’t have time to sit on our porch or to socialize with our neighbors, thus the decline of the front porch. This allowed the criminal to move into our neighborhoods. We don’t even know the name of most of our neighbors, we don’t have time to stop and say hi let alone gather to talk, sing or play games.

Lately there has been a yearning to go back to simpler times, when life was simpler, when we knew our next door neighbor. In recent years we have seen the return of the front porch but we still don’t have the time to sit and gather with our neighbors.

So what would happen if we actually took the time to sit on our porch and get to know the people next door? Maybe this would help bring our neighborhoods back to the safe place they used to be. Maybe it would deter the murderer, the rapist, the child predator or the drug dealer from moving next door.

We need to take back our neighborhoods so that our children are safe. Maybe the answer is so simple that we have overlooked it. Maybe it is as simple as the return of the front porch. But it won’t do any good to just build a porch we will have to actually use it.

One way to implement the use of the front porch is to invite your neighbors over for a pot luck barbecue. There are many activities you will be able to come up with that everyone would enjoy.

So why don’t we turn off the televisions, get off the internet and take the time to gather on the front porch, get to know our neighbors and bring back the safe haven our neighborhoods should be.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if it’s just as simple as making our front porch a gathering place.

Diana Bays is the co-owner of Mamma’s Primitive Hut. Visit her online store for your candle needs [http://www.mammasprimitivehut.com].

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The best way to start getting ready for your garage sale is to create a map of the area you will be using. This can just be a quick and simple sketch on paper. But, you are going to want to include the layout of the yard, your porch, the big tree in the center of the yard, your mailbox, etc. Once you have drawn up your map, you will want to think about the flow of customers through your sale. Ask yourself a few simple questions, like…Where are the customers going to park? Can people see my sale as they drive through the neighborhood? The answer will give you some good ideas about where your sale will start and finish and get you ready to decide where your merchandise and cashier should go.

Next, you’ll want to think about organizing your merchandise for the sale. Try creating 5 or 6 major categories, depending on what you have for sale. Clothing, furniture, books and knick knacks are all good examples of categories you would typically find at a garage sale. Once you have your categories created’ you’ll want to place them on your garage sale map, so you know where everything will go. Think about what you would want people to see first when they arrive at the sale. Then, create some simple signs that you can place with each category.

The next step – and one of the biggest ones – is deciding on what price you want to charge for each item. You may want to price some items by category (everything on a certain table is $1, etc.) and some items you will want to price individually. Whatever the case, it’s important to make sure all your prices are clearly marked and easy to read. If they are not and you are with another customer, you may lose a sale because someone doesn’t want to wait around to ask about pricing on a particular item. Before you actually start putting your items out for your sale you will want to make sure the area you are having the sale is presentable. If the sale will take place in your driveway or your front yard you should be sure to cut the grass, rake the leaves, clean up any clutter, etc.

Lastly, you will need to make sure that you have customers at your garage sale. You won’t sell many items if you don’t have customers! The best way to get customers to your sale is to advertise. You may want to place an ad on the internet and there are several sites that will allow you to post free listings that will make it easy for the savvy garage sailor to find you and you most certainly will want to place signs around your neighborhood. When it comes to posting signs, be sure to find out the rules in your community. Your neighborhood HOA and Local Township will likely have some rules about where you can place signs. You will want to post your signs at least one week prior to your sale, so people have plenty of time to see them before your sale. Make sure that the date of your sale is big and bold and easy to read.

Once your sale is over you may have some items left. A great way to help those less fortunate is to donate your unsold items.

Of course, now that you have de-cluttered your home and earned a few extra bucks by holding you sale, you may need some new items for your place. You might consider looking for a garage sale in your area!

GarageSales.com is the best FREE site to post or list your garage and yard sales, as well as search for sales in your area.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kacy_C_Manning

We set up tables and chairs. Everyone contributes something whether it is food, plates, utensils, or drinks. It’s a combined effort and every bit of it is worthwhile. Neighbors of all variety show up; young parents, old parents, empty nesters, grandparents. Adults stand around and talk. Kids run around and play. It truly is one of the simplest forms of entertainment you can provide.

I can attest that the concept of block parties works. My family ventures outside more and now we take the time to walk across the street to say hello. I feel more comfortable going next door to borrow a cup of sugar. There are now additional adults that care, and watch my children while they play outside.

You get the wonderful gift of knowing different types of people who are interesting in different ways. It teaches your kids (and reminds yourself) to respect and appreciate the people that are, logistically, the closest to you. I have many neighbors who I consider friends. I encourage you to start your own neighborhood block parties. It will give you an accessible, extended family and provide wonderful memories for your children.

FamilyIgloo.com ( http://www.familyigloo.com ), an online social network for families in Orange County and Los Angeles, has a family events calendar. FamilyIgloo.com ( http://www.familyigloo.com ) provides parents of children and kids, PTA, and families with parenting articles and the resources to connect and get together in schools and neighborhoods. Our mission is: “Connecting Families and Building Communities”.

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