My lawn is pitiful.  It’s got brown spots, bare spots, pretty purple weeds, and holes.  I’m not very picky about lawns.  I figure that some shade of green is good, even if it’s rye grass.  I’m also a lazy gardener.  There are several websites to go to, including Georgia’s own Walter Reeves.  Books are also in great plenitude.  I’ve not read them, yet.  We even have DVDs such as Lawns in the Landscape.  I hope between the website, the books below, and the DVD I’ll figure out how to make my lawn pretty instead of pitiful.

The Organic Lawn Care Manual by Paul Tukey

The Lawn Bible by David Mellor

Easy Lawns edited by Stevie Daniels (I think this is the book for me)

When I ran across Vanessa Farquharson’s book, Sleeping Naked Is Green: How an Eco-Cynic Unplugged Her Fridge, Sold Her Car, and Found Love in 366 Days, I was intrigued.  While I don’t think I’ll be unplugging my fridge anytime soon (is that even possible in this heat?), selling my car (sorry, Jnai!), or looking for love (my husband wouldn’t approve), I am interested in living a greener life without going insane (or appearing that way).

I have tried to make small changes at home to be more green.  My husband and I haven’t done anything too drastic–although our families think our recent decision to cloth diaper our twins is a little extreme–but we’ve made minor adjustments here and there that (we hope) will reduce our carbon footprint and maybe save a polar bear or two from extinction.  We changed all our lightbulbs to compact flourescent bulbs, swapped to cloth napkins for everyday, replaced paper towels in the kitchen with dishrags and towels, and put a bucket in the shower to catch the water as it heats (which we then use to water our garden).  We also recycle and compost when we can.  But do we really have to stop eating at restaurants that use styrofoam take-out containers or stop using antiperspirants?

Although afraid of losing her cool hipster status and being mistaken for a hippie, or worse yet, a blogger, Ms. Farquharson took the plunge and began a daily blog about her changes in an effort to provide a humorous real-life view on the effect that living green might have on a regular everyday person.  All the while bearing a tiny, imaginary Al Gore on her shoulder,  she makes changes both small and large:  ”Switch to recycled paper towels,” “Lower the temperature on my water heater,” or “Sell my car.”  Some changes are a little more unusual (or just plain odd), such as “Skip gown at doctor’s office” or “Drip-dry dishes in dishwasher rack above houseplants.”

If you’d like to follow Ms. Farquharson’s continuing journey on the road to being green, check out her blog Green as a Thistle.  Interested in finding out your own carbon footprint and your impact on the environment?  Go to the EPA’s Household Emissions Calculator or The Nature Conservancy’s Carbon Footprint Calculator and get a personalized estimate.  Then maybe you, too, will decide to carry a totebag and give up on pajamas…

Two years ago the State of Georgia saw a change in how restaurants are “graded” as far as food safety.  In some areas of the state the restaurants and the health inspectors are still trying to understand the relatively new law called the 2007 GA Food code ( Public Health Division’s Chapter 290-5-14)

How does this affect the everyday customer of the local restaurants? The scoring is different and can vary according to the various violations. Interested in what the health inspectors are looking for and how the law has changed for the employees of a restaurant? Check out this frequently asked question and answer page that the Georgia Restaurant Association created. The Georgia Divison of Public Health also has a wealth of information about food safety and code revisions.

If you want to know where your favorite restaurant or potential new restaurant falls in the scoring, the Dekalb Board of Health has a website where they post current scores. It can be found here. This site also gives information on understanding scores and a reference for violations.

So what if you’re like me and you don’t eat out too often. The library has several books about food safety that can help home cooks keep their food safe.

Food Alert!: The ultimate sourcebook for food safety

Food Safety

We use a fair amount of stickers at the library and I was picking at an old one with my fingernails when a co-worker handed me a little tool and said, “Here, use this. It’s a label-scraper.” What appeared to be a tiny spatula was placed in my hand. Despite working in libraries my whole life, I’d never seen one before. A gentle push under the paper and the sticker came off with that quiet satisfaction you get when a tool works exactly right. I love them. Lately I’ve been wishing I had one at home, but you won’t find label scrapers at the big office supply stores. I’ve looked. You need the special to-the-trade catalogs; specifically, the Demco catalog. Actually Demco calls it a “Metal Label Peeler”, but it’s still a very small “blade sharpened on three sides for easy operation.” I’m thinking about ordering the set of five and giving some as gifts. No, really. It’s a great tool.

There are a number of companies catering to the library market and you don’t have to be a librarian to order from them. They offer archival storage products, lots of sturdy kid-sized furniture and those little metal bookends that don’t take up much space on the shelf. I know no one is shopping right now, but there are quite a few library products that I think could easily transfer to civilian life. Like to keep your dust jackets looking like new? Brodart sells book jacket covers to fit even the largest art books.  Highsmith has reusable magnetic shelf labels, just the thing to organize the garage. Gaylord has a cool orange book truck and oh, look  – a “Label Remover“. In packs of 24!  Christmas is done.

April the 22 is Earth Day and nowadays, more than ever, many of us are looking for ways to be more environmentally conscious. Going Green is the popular phrase for all things earth-friendly and eco-chic but the movement to protect and preserve the environment has been going strong for decades.  Today’s the perfect day to consider ways in which we all can do our part to conserve our earth. At the risk of getting all Leonardo DiCaprio-preachy, I’ll stop here and just highlight some of the Library’s great resources on Earth Day and environmentalism in general.

A Few Books That I like:

Living Like Ed: Actor Ed Begley, Jr. has been at the forefront of environmentalism in Hollywood for over 30 years. In his book, he shares his practical and reasonable tips for being more environmentally sound.  Everything in this book is doable but the lickety-split “navy shower” idea is gonna take some getting used to for me. But the planet is worth the sacrifice…I guess (sigh).

Celebrating Earth Day: A Sourcebook of Activities and Experiments: Here’s a good book for any junior ecologist. Author Robert Gardner discusses the impact of enivironmental deterioration and offers insight into how we can perhaps turn the tide. Check it out for great earth-friendly projects and ideas.

Ecological Intelligence: How Knowing the Hidden Impacts of What We Buy Can Change Everything:  “Going Green” is a good start, but author Daniel Goleman explores how ecologically unsafe many of our purchases–even the “green” ones–can be. This book encourages consumers to dig deeper and make a greater commitment to environmental consciousness.

There are several other incredible books and resources exploring the environment and the crusade to preserve it.  Even if you don’t drive a hybrid car or make your own compost, there are little, practical and inexpensive things that we all can do.

To quote one of my favorite environmentalists: “The power is yours!”–

(so wise yet so awesome!)

April 15 is next Wednesday and I have to admit I’m still scrambling. I’m still rooting around in my accordion file folders and shoeboxes (it’s sad so, please, no laughing) for my little charity tax deduction card. The charity, to their credit, sent it to me back in January but a lot can happen between January and April.

If you’re anything like me, then all I can say is “tsk tsk tsk”.  We know better, don’t we? We read the blog post about tax preparation at DCPL. We said to ourselves Thank you, Lesley B! I’ll get right on that!…back in February. We promised ourselves we would at least have them done by the end of March, only to be astounded by how quickly March seemed to pass. We even checked out all the Taxes For Dummies books that we could get our hands on…which is why they’re all checked out now (sigh).

Well, I want to tell everyone not to fret because there’s still hope, albeit just a tiny little bit of hope, but it’s hope all the same.

Some branches still have AARP and VITA volunteers kindly offering their tax preparation services. Just make sure you’ve got all of your pertinent information. (Remember that yummy stimulus money you got last year? Bring that info also.)

And of course, we’ve got books on preparing, filing, etc.

Today’s April 7th. We still have 9 days and counting. We can do it!

I blogged several months ago about the resources that the Library has and other sources available for those having trouble paying their mortgage. This blog entry is still helpful to those that have missed payments or have had their mortgage company begin the first step towards foreclosure.

There is now new help available through the Federal Government’s Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan that might be helpful to those folks who have mortgages ballooning or have lost all or part of their income. The first question to ask: do I qualify for this new help? To see if you might be eligible, check out the Making Home Affordable website created by the Federal Government.

The website lists two ways that the Plan might be able to help you. The first is refinancing your home. The second is what they call modification. This site helps with a Frequently Asked Questions page to determine which type of help might fit your situation.  It also has a couple of questionnaires that you can fill out to determine if you might qualify for help.

The Making Home Affordable website  lists additional resources that might be helpful if you are trying to keep your house and avoid foreclosure. In the future, the site will list the mortgage companies and banks that will be participating in this program.  It links currently to the Hope Now Alliance website.  This site  lists many of the mortgage providers’  mitigation websites.  Hopefully, this information can help, you or someone you know, have a place to start the process to keep their house.

I spent all of Sunday helping my mom with some spring cleaning…and helping myself to some of the old forgotten treasures that we uncovered. I stumbled upon long-lost books,  misplaced CDs, my old Fat Albert lunchbox (hey, hey, hey!…okay it was actually my brother’s but finders keepers) and even some clothes that, with a bit of TLC, can make a comeback into my wardrobe. I’ll admit it, readers, I’m a packrat…and so is my mother (she knows it, though).

It’s amazing the sentimental value that one’s belongings can hold. But what’s equally amazing is how these keepsakes can accumulate and become burdensome clutter.  Now that spring is in the air there is no better time to give old items a new purpose. If you’re like me perhaps you’d prefer donating the better quality pieces to Goodwill, Salvation Army or another reputable place where they will be of use to someone else.

If you’re more enterprising and looking to make a little extra cash, maybe you can hold a garage sale. Perhaps you’ve even found some items in the attic that can be repurposed and put to good use again, in which case good for you! Just don’t let anyone tease you about having to wear your old high school class ring on your pinky now. They’re just jealous.

As always, the Library is a great source for all things related to Spring Cleanliness and good feelings in general.

Books For Getting Organized:

The Everything Organize Your Home Book by Jenny Schroedel (Adams Media): I love the Everything series of books (if you’re interested in rocking out–after you’ve done your chores, of course–try the Everything Guitar Book also). This is pretty much the only organization book I’ve read in a while but the title says it all. It’s got Everything.

Your Garagenous Zone: Innovative Ideas For Your Garage by Bill West (Paragon Garage Co.): Pages 21-29 are a great start in organizing this space. This isn’t exactly about garage sales as I thought it would be but you’ll be well on your way to a organized garage.

Garage Sale Magic by Michael Williams: Once you’ve decluttered your garage why not try and make a few dollars? This book promises to “turn your trash into cash.” But please don’t try to sell trash; that’s rude.

A Book For Crafty Folks Looking To Reuse Old Items:

Don’t Throw It Out: Recycle, Renew and Reuse To Make Things Last by Lori Baird: I know I’ve blogged about this one before but it really is a great resource for making the most of what you’ve got in your home.

A Book For, um, Folks Who Like To Declutter Only To Reclutter Because They Can’t Resist Thrift Stores and Garage Sales:

Thrift Score by Al Hoff (Harper Collins): What do you do if you’re a packrat and a thrift store junkie? Seeking counseling wouldn’t hurt but until then, this is a great book about how to spend your money wisely when you go to Goodwill or Last Chance. It’s easy (for me, at least) to forget that just because something’s cheap doesn’t mean it’s a bargain. Author Hoff offers great tips on how to shop secondhand.

I volunteer with an organization that helps people over a tight spot with utilities and rent. Lately, we have seen many people who are having a hard time holding on to their mortgage or are just a few steps away from losing their house.

Here at DCPL, we try to anticipate the needs of our community. Last year, we began a section on our website called Subject Guides. This section contains lists of resources pertaining to subjects that many people in the community have asked about.

The most recent guide is on foreclosures. Under each listed resource–whether it be electronic, internet or print–there is a description of the type of information provided. Most of the weblinks provided on this list are to agencies that might help you or someone you know that is facing foreclosure.

Some of the books we have that you might find helpful are:

Fight Foreclosure:

This book explores options and alternatives available to you when you can’t make your monthly mortgage payment but want to avoid foreclosure. The author explains the pre-foreclosure process, using real life examples of families faced with foreclosure, their choices, and the steps/missteps taken.

Foreclosure Self-Defense for Dummies

This practical, no-nonsense guide helps you size up your options and increase your chances of saving your home. You’ll find out how to delay foreclosure, form a plan of attack, negotiate solutions with your lender, and restore your financial health.

Foreclosure Survival Guide

If you’re having trouble making your mortgage payments or are already in jeopardy of foreclosure, The Foreclosure Survival Guide gives you the practical information you need, step by step.

I hope that you find this list and many of the other subjects under the subject guides helpful. We are always looking for subjects that might be helpful to our community. If you have any suggestions please feel free to comment and we will see if we can create a list that would be helpful.

If you have a TV, you’ve seen the commercial and heard the song in its many variations.  Some people hate it, some love it (I do, I confess) but what’s worse is that many people probably assume it’s where you go to get your free annual credit report.  I know, I know, if you can’t trust a scruffy, down-on-his-luck waiter singing in a Pirate costume, who can you trust?

Well, you can trust him to check your credit, but you’re going to have to pay $14.95 a month if you forget to cancel your trial offer enrollment in their credit monitoring program.  If you want a truly free credit report, you’ll have to remember–on your own and without a catchy jingle–to go to AnnualCreditReport.com.  The Federal Trade Commission wants you to know that this “the ONLY authorized online source for you to get a free credit report under federal law.”  Free reports are available from all three credit reporting agencies once every 12 months.

To use the free Annual Credit Report site, simply select your state from the menu and click on “Request Report.”  You will then be asked to provide some personal information, such as your name, address, date of birth and Social Security number.  You’ll also need to enter the word/numbers you see in the box at the bottom to verify that you are indeed a person and not a malicious computer.  The next screen will ask you to verify some information about your credit, and from there it will direct you on how to view your credit reports from Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.  The site can be a little confusing, so read the directions carefully and make sure to write down or remember any logins and passwords you might create for the various credit agencies.  You can also request a report by phone or email.