Thieves in the Waste Basket

Most—but not all—identity theft now occurs electronically. But your identity can still be easily scored by thieves who make use of what you toss in your waste basket, too.

Trash facilities and recycling centers can be gold mines of personal information for enterprising dumpster divers. That is, unless you shred documents that contain identifying information—charge receipts, credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements, canceled checks and bank statements and even expired charge cards.

Beware also of those bothersome credit offers you get in the mail and toss unopened into the trash—particularly the pre-approved variety. Clever scammers complete these blank applications, obtain a credit card in your name, charge it to the limit and close the account before you receive the first billing statement. To protect yourself, all you have to do is tear the unopened envelop in half once or twice before tossing it in the waste basket.

Better yet, you can eliminate these prescreened credit offers from your mailbox by calling 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688) to opt out. You’ll be asked to provide your Social Security number so the consumer reporting companies can match you with your file.

Also, deposit your outgoing mail containing personally identifying information in post office collection boxes or at your local post office, rather than in an unsecured mailbox. Promptly remove mail from your mailbox. If you're planning to be away from home and can't pick up your mail, contact the U.S. Postal Service at 1-800-275-8777 or online at www.usps.gov to request a vacation hold. The Postal Service will hold your mail at your local post office until you can pick it up or are home to receive it.

The Federal Trade Commission has more information on identity theft and prevention tips at www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/.

Tips for Keeping Water Clean

Keeping water clean begins with each of us—where we live, work and play, and with the simple daily actions we take. Here are a few ways you can make a difference to reduce pollution:

• Plant trees, shrubs and groundcovers, especially around surface water.  Vegetation acts as a natural filter for runoff entering ponds, lakes or streams. Plants can also prevent shoreline erosion and keep soil from washing away.
• Maintain a healthy lawn. A dense, healthy lawn can be an excellent filter for pollutants. Before you apply fertilizers, test your soil so you apply only what you need. Use the right fertilizer, at the right time and in the proper amount.
• Clean up after pets. Dispose of pet waste in the garbage.
• Compost grass clippings, leaves and garden waste.  When these materials are washed into streams and lakes, they decay, which in turn consumes oxygen fish and other aquatic animals need to survive.
• Practice integrated pest management (IPM) around your home and garden. IPM reduces pest problems through a variety of cultural, mechanical, biological and chemical methods. Try to eliminate chemical use or keep pesticide use to a minimum by using them only when other methods are not successful.
• Maintain your vehicles in good condition to prevent leaks such as oil or antifreeze.  Spilled motor oil, gasoline and lubricants can contaminate wells and streams.

Visit www.auduboninternational.org for more conservation tips.

Maintain Your Yard Safely

It's that time of year again, when we have to worry about lawn maintenance. Properly maintaining your yard helps your home and our community look good. Just make sure that safety is a priority when undertaking your landscaping efforts:

· Clear sticks and debris before you mow. Random debris kicked up by a lawn mower can seriously injure you and those around you. Also, mowing debris shortens the life of your mower and dulls the blade.

· Replace the cord on your weed trimmer. Your trimming will be safer if you have strong trimmer cords. Always wear eye protection when using a trimmer.

· Maintain your lawnmower in top working condition. If you find yourself mowing the same areas again and again, it’s time to inspect your lawnmower. Keep a maintenance checklist of important components like air filters, blades and oil.

· Keep plants and shrubs about five feet from foundation walls, and keep trees at least six to 20 feet away, depending on their size. Plant roots that are too close to the foundation not only cause damage to the structure, but may also attract bugs and mold into your home since they tend to hold moisture. 

Call an Electrician

The guests are on their way, the food is cooked and suddenly the light over the dinner table goes out. A new bulb doesn’t fix the problem, and neither does flipping the switch that controls the light circuit in the fuse box off and on. You know the same light has given you trouble before, and you might think you even know the difference between that green ground wire and the black hot wire. You remove the light switch from the wall and see some of the wires have apparently become disconnected. Time to just shut off the fuse and reconnect them, right?

Wrong. Each year 67,800 fires result from home electrical problems just like this one, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Twice as many of those are due to improper wiring as appliance failures.

It’s not that you don’t know what you’re doing or that you can’t read a how-to guide—the last residents may have done it improperly themselves. They may have reversed wires, replaced the wire with wrong gauge or put too much strain on the fuse (called over lamping). The only way to know you are correctly wiring is to use a special tool called a voltage meter to check for hot wires.

The only safe bet is to consult a licensed electrician. Electricians not only have the tools you don’t, like lineman’s pliers and voltage meters, they have extensive internships (typically 3-7 years) under their belts. They intern for a reason—without proper training, you can seriously hurt yourself by mixing up cables or not taking the proper precautions. For your own safety, and for the safety of the community, get in touch with us about your electrical problems, however small. We can recommend some certified electricians we’ve worked with before. Besides, your guests would rather eat by candlelight than not eat at all!

Big Tips for Small Fixes

Do-it-yourself projects can be immensely rewarding, but even a small repair can turn into a more frustrating and time-consuming job when you encounter unexpected problems. Here are some easy tips for tackling common home hardware problems that will leave you with a sense of accomplishment rather than a sense of frustration:

Loose Screws

If a screw is so loose that it’s barely gripping, remove it, wrap its threads with a few strands of steel wool, and screw it back into its old hole.

If a screw has been ripped out of its hole entirely and the hole is too big for the threads to gain hold, slide a wooden match into the hole and then replace the screw.

Tight Screws

Twisting screws into a bar of soap first makes them easier to insert. A few drops of white vinegar will help remove stubborn screws from a metal surface.

Better Grips

Improve your grip by wrapping a thick rubber band around the plastic handle of a screwdriver. This makes tightening and loosening screws less strenuous.

Hammer Help

When hammering a small nail, brad or tack, slip the fastener between the teeth of a pocket comb to protect your fingers from the hammer’s blow. Don’t have a comb handy? You can also use a bobby pin, a paper clip or tweezers to hold the nail.

When hammering a nail in a tight spot or hard-to-reach corner, a bit of modeling clay or chewing gum will hold the nail in place for the first couple of blows.

Rusted Nuts and Bolts

Removing a rusted nut or bolt can be an especially frustrating task. Pour hydrogen peroxide, lemon juice or cola over the rusted fastener and wait half an hour.  The mild acid will dissolve the rust enough for the nut or bolt to turn freely.

Rusted Tools

Working with rusted tools makes any job more difficult. Clean off the rust by rubbing a paste of six parts salt and two parts lemon juice on the rusted areas with a dry cloth, then rinse and dry thoroughly.

Eco-Friendly Lawn Care Tips

Maintaining your yard in a traditional manner isn’t always the “greenest” endeavor. Whether it’s using chemical-laden pesticides and fertilizer or working with greenhouse gas-producing lawn tools, some methods of lawn upkeep can be tough on the environment. Thankfully, there are plenty of eco-friendly ways you can keep your yard looking lush. So reduce your carbon footprint, and try some of these simple tips:

• Conserve water by watering your lawn more heavily but less often. By doing this, you’re ultimately using less water because the heavier watering lasts longer, allowing you to spread out how often you have to water your lawn. Also, watering in the early morning or early evening gives water a chance to soak into the soil without evaporating as it would during the hottest parts of the day. Finally, consider switching to water-saving sprinklers and hose nozzles. 
• Leave grass clippings on your lawn after mowing. This is an easy way to nourish your lawn because clippings help replenish your soil after they decompose, which in turn encourages healthy grass growth.
• Don’t cut grass too short. Keeping your grass at the tall end of its optimal mowing height (usually between one and three inches depending on the type of grass) helps ensure that the root systems are deep enough to protect the grass from getting scorching by the summer sun. To avoid stressing the grass, a good rule of thumb is to cut no more than 1/3 of the grass’s current height. Be sure to cut your grass often so that you don’t have to take off too much with each mowing.
• Consider trading in your gas-powered lawn mower for an electric or battery-powered mower. Gas-powered engines contribute significantly to air pollution, so switching to an electric or battery-powered mower reduces carbon emissions. Both types of mowers are easy to start, and battery-powered mowers rechargeable and run up to 70 minutes. Electric and battery-powered versions of other gas-powered lawn tools, such as weed whackers and leaf blowers, are also available, so consider swapping those out as well.        
• Go organic when choosing a fertilizer. Organic fertilizers take longer to show results than chemical fertilizers; however, organic fertilizer will improve your soil quality in the long run and yield a much greener lawn. Conversely, chemical fertilizers can deplete your soil of minerals, pollute ground water runoff and cause soil to become too acidic.

Protecting People with Dementia

The National Institute on Aging reports that as many as 5.1 million Americans may have Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia among older people. In addition to memory loss, symptoms include sleeplessness, agitation, depression, anxiety, anger and wandering.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, six in 10 people with dementia will wander. Because a person with Alzheimer’s may become confused and disoriented and may not remember his or her name or address, wandering is particularly dangerous.

To avoid panic and improve the chances of a safe return, it is important to have an emergency plan in place in case a person with dementia becomes lost. The National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association recommend that caregivers take the following precautions:

• Make sure the person carries some form of identification or wears a medical bracelet indicating his or her illness and where he or she lives.
• Ask neighbors, friends and family to call if they see the person alone.
• Know your neighborhood. The Alzheimer’s Association reports that 94 percent of people who wander are found within 1.5 miles of where they disappeared, so be aware of dangerous areas near the home, such as bodies of water, open stairwells, dense foliage, tunnels, bus stops and roads with heavy traffic. 
• Because wandering usually follows the direction of the dominant hand, note whether the person is right- or left-handed. 
• Make a list of people to call for help, and keep the list easily accessible. 
• Let neighbors and local police know that the person tends to wander.
• Keep a list of places where the person may wander, including past jobs, former homes, places of worship or favorite restaurants.
• Keep a recent close-up photo and updated medical information to give to police if the person becomes lost.
• Consider enrolling the person in the MedicAlert + Alzheimer’s Association Safe Return Program (visit www.alz.org or call (888) 572-8566 to find the program in your area).
• Consider having the person carry or wear an electronic tracking GPS device, such as Comfort Zone and Comfort Zone Check-In, which helps identify location.

When someone with dementia is missing:

• Begin search-and-rescue efforts immediately.
• Search the immediate area for no more than 15 minutes before calling for help.
• Call 911 and report that a person with Alzheimer’s disease—a “vulnerable adult”—is missing. 
• Call (800) 625-3780 to file a report with MedicAlert + Alzheimer’s Association Safe Return. First responders are trained to check with MedicAlert + Alzheimer’s Association Safe Return when they locate a missing person with dementia. You do not need to be enrolled in MedicAlert + Alzheimer’s Association Safe Return to file a missing person report.