As restrictions related to COVID-19 continue to blanket the Reading area, schools close and open and close, and businesses follow suit, creating logistical nightmares for most families. The words “home office” used to sound like a contradiction, and homeschooling is becoming an unintended reality for families with children.…
As fall descends like autumn leaves, the Lehigh Valley prepares for winter. Retail spaces are already stocked with Christmas decorations, suet is flying off the shelves like juncos, snow shovels are on sale, and quilts are being washed and fluffed. Winter in the Valley means cold and often…
Let’s not move so fast! Fall has only just begun, and you want me to think about winter? For many, fall is just the prelude to winter, like spring is the introduction to summer. However, autumn is a good time to make sure your home is winter-ready. An…
Few things liven up a room or exterior as simply and easily as a new coat of paint. However, choosing the right paint entails more than just choosing the right color. There is a wide variety of types and finishes from which to choose, based on the project.…
Summer is a favorite time for inviting guests over for meals and even overnight stays. Presumably, these are people whose company you enjoy. ’Tis also the season for uninvited guests whose company you don’t enjoy — bugs and little critters. Colonies of little insect families, as well as…
The word “garage” comes from a French word meaning, “to moor a boat or shelter or protect merchandise.” When we think of a garage, we think of a place to keep the car. However, the car may be about the only thing that isn’t in the garage. Many…
Shelter-in-place rules have a lot of us sitting at home, staring at the four walls (And, maybe, the TV and each other). Perhaps you are beginning to notice things you haven’t seen before — a crack in the wall; peeling wallpaper; that water stain on the ceiling; paint…
April showers bring May flowers, but they may also bring wet basements. If you sense a musty smell that is not coming from your laundry pile or that old recliner that he can’t give up, it may be caused by a damp or wet basement. Because basements are…
Warmer months are on their way, bringing fresh air with them. We look forward to hanging our clothes and bedding outside to air them out, and keeping bedroom windows open all night is as hopeful a sign of spring as the first robin. Now is also the time…
Warmer weather and longer days just beg you to spend more time outdoors in the spring and summer months. Instead of sitting around indoors, reading, eating, and watching television, you can sit around outdoors, reading, eating, and watching television! Seriously, an outdoor deck is an attractive way to…