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Enjoy a backyard fire pit, but choose gas instead of wood

Danny Seo Do Just One Thing If you enjoy the warmth and ambience of a backyard fire pit, a gas-powered version is the greener choice. Wood-burning pits release carbon into the atmosphere and can also pose safety risks from flying embers and sparks. Gas fire pits produce significantly fewer emissions, with virtually no smoke, particulates or greenhouse gases. If you do choose wood, opt for locally sourced firewood to reduce environmental impact. n n n A lot of people like to add white vinegar to the automatic dishwasher to help boost its cleaning power and leave dishes and cups ...

Moms need support during their fourth trimester

Dear Doctors: My daughter and my daughter-in-law got pregnant at the same time. They just had their babies, and something that keeps coming up is the idea of the fourth trimester. That’s not a term that was used when I had my own children, and I would like to learn more. Dear Reader: As most people probably know, the 40 weeks of pregnancy are divided into trimesters. These periods of about 13 or 14 weeks each are a way to track the developmental milestones of the growing fetus and the arc of pregnancy in the woman as well. With the birth of the baby, the pregnancy has technically ...

House of the Week — The Callaway

The Callaway is a well-balanced cottage house plan that combines traditional architectural charm with a layout designed for everyday convenience. With 1,373 square feet, 3 bedrooms, and 2 bathrooms, this one-story home meets the needs of a wide range of buyers, from first-time homeowners to empty nesters looking to simplify without giving up comfort. The exterior immediately captures attention with its cottage-inspired detailing. Decorative gables, textured shingle accents, and a welcoming covered front porch create a warm and inviting presence that stands out in today’s competitive ...

Sister-in-law dishes out insults at dinner

Dear Annie: My sister-in-law has turned every family gathering into a courtroom, and somehow I am always the defendant. For years, I have hosted holidays, birthdays and Sunday dinners because I genuinely love having family together. I cook, clean, set the table and try to make everyone feel welcome. But my sister-in-law has a habit of correcting me in front of everyone. If the turkey is dry, she announces it. If I forget someone’s favorite side dish, she sighs dramatically. If my children are noisy, she says, “Well, in our house, we had rules.” If I buy a dessert instead of ...

Jupiter and Venus now appear in the western sky at dusk

Stargazers of ancient times, watching as the starry heavens turned about the world in which they lived, were convinced that the Earth was stationary and central to all. They also marveled as five wandering stars drifted among these lights of heaven from night to night, from month to month. The Greeks called these “asters planetai” –– wandering stars –– and believed they might be the gods themselves, and that observing their movements through the heavens could help foretell events on Earth. Two of these wanderers now appear in our western sky at dusk. Highest in the west ...

Revolutionary War soldiers aplenty in my pedigree

You might say that Revolutionary War soldiers are a dime a dozen in my ancestry. With all the justifiable flutter over the America 250 celebration I thought I might take a count and without getting too deep into the weeds of documentation I came up with more than two dozen. As far as I know, all of them were in their county militias. In my family there’s none of the lore about wintering at Valley Forge or being part of Washington’s bodyguards that has been handed down by other folks. A collateral ancestor of mine, Dielman Daub, served in the “Flying Camp” that was mobile ...