Gardening
Garden Longer with Less Muscle Strain & Fatigue
Kneelers with built-in handles make moving up and down easier, protect joints and allow you to garden longer.
Photo courtesy of MelindaMyers.com
Keep gardening longer with less muscle strain and fatigue with these pain-free gardening techniques. You'll not only keep your garden looking its best but also make it a more enjoyable experience.
Keep tools handy to reduce the number of trips from the garden back to your garage or shed. A garden tool bag or bucket with a wrap-around tool organizer works well for small hand tools. Purchase a mobile garden tool caddy or convert a discarded wheeled golf bag, shopping cart, or wheeled trash bin into a tool caddy for long-handled tools. These make it easier to keep them handy as you move from garden to garden.
Store small tools right in the garden. Install an old mailbox in your garden filled with your favorite small hand tools and gloves. Then add a little paint or cover it with a mailbox planter or vine to make it an attractive and functional part of your landscape.
Keep tools clean and sharp. Regular maintenance will extend their life and improve their efficiency. It can also help reduce the risk of spreading disease.
Invest in ergonomic tools when replacement or new tools are needed. They have larger and softer handles for easier, less stressful gripping. Many are designed for the proper positioning of your body to reduce joint stress and fatigue. Longer handles extend your reach and help you retain good posture. Consider purchasing ratchet-type pruners designed to give you more cutting power with less effort.
Use wagons, carts, or old snow saucer-type sleds for moving heavy items to the garden. You'll need to make fewer trips, reduce muscle strain, and save energy when moving mulch, potted plants, and other items.
Divide heavy loads into smaller increments. You may need to make more trips, but it will be easier on your back and knees.
When shoveling, be sure to stand upright and take small scoops. Remember to pivot your body rather than twisting when emptying the load. Switch sides and take frequent breaks to reduce the risk of muscle strain, and fatigue.
Protect your knees with kneelers or wrap-around kneepads. No matter your age or physical ability you will benefit now and in the future by protecting your joints when gardening. These gardening accessories also reduce the pain and pressure on your joints. Kneelers with built-in handles make moving up and down easier, allowing you to garden longer.
Include a pair of safety glasses in your tool caddy. It is too easy to end up with a stick in the eye when pruning and working around trees and shrubs.
Take time to warm up before digging in. Gentle backbends and lunges are great ways to engage your muscles. Adjust your gardening activities to the weather. If it's cold, try waiting for the weather to warm. If you are stiff in the morning, try gardening a bit later in the day.
Garden for shorter periods and try to take breaks every 15 to 20 minutes. Consider adding a few benches to the landscape to encourage you to sit, relax and enjoy your handiwork.
Wear gloves to protect your hands from cuts and bruises. Gloves also keep your hands warm and provide support as you dig, pluck and prune. Find a good-looking comfortable pair that you are likely to wear.
Protect your eyes and skin from sun damage. Wear a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen. You'll avoid sunburns and protect your skin from long-term damage. Keep yourself hydrated by drinking plenty of water as you garden.
Including these strategies in your gardening efforts can make gardening even more beneficial and enjoyable.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including The Midwest Gardener's Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses "How to Grow Anything" DVD series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda's Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Her web site is www.MelindaMyers.com.
Antiques
Tips for Estate Personal Rrepresentatives
Photo courtesy of Wayne Tuiskula
In previous columns, I've offered suggestions for estate personal representatives and attorneys who are handling the sale of estate items. Today's column will include some additional thoughts to pass along.
According to the 193rd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "a personal representative shall have the duty to settle and distribute the estate of the decedent in accordance with the terms of any probated and effective will and this code, and as expeditiously and efficiently as is consistent with the best interests of the estate." Most estate personal representatives hire an attorney to help make sure they are following the rules and laws related to estates.
It may be necessary to probate an estate for a variety of reasons including if there is no will, the decedent's creditors need to be paid or for tax issues. It can take anywhere from six months to well over a year to probate an estate.
Larger estates are also taxable, but the threshold varies by state. An estate of $1 million or more is taxable in Massachusetts, but in Connecticut, an estate has to be worth over $9.1 million in order to be taxable. Your attorney may recommend that you hire an appraiser for a taxable estate.
Those are some of the duties of an estate personal representative. Here are some tips for handling personal property in an estate. As soon as you've been appointed, secure the contents of the house. I've unfortunately seen too many cases where relatives, neighbors and strangers have taken items that didn't belong to them. In one example, the homeowner was very friendly with her neighbors and had given out keys to her home. The estate personal representative changed the locks as soon as she was appointed. It may also make sense to install security cameras and an alarm.
If the estate has jewelry, coins or other objects you know are valuable, you should take photographs and document them. If the estate is in probate, you might not be allowed to remove items. You should discuss with your attorney whether or not items can be removed from the home. If not, investing in a safe to protect the valuables is always an option.
When it's time to disperse personal property, you should check the will to see which items were bequeathed to people. Sometimes, people will leave notes on items with peoples' names because they wanted that person to receive that piece. That's not the same as bequeathing them--the will should always be followed.
After an estate personal representative has distributed the items in the will, they'll have several options for handling the remaining items. A way to show that they've done their due diligence is by opening the items up to competitive bidding at an auction. Other items may also be sold at an estate sale. If there aren't enough items for an estate sale company or for an online auction company to run your sale, bringing them to a consignment store or donating the items might be best. There are usually items of no value in an estate, and you can always hire a cleanout company when you reach that point. It's often difficult when you're named as an estate personal representative. Hopefully, some of these suggestions will help if you are ever in that situation.
Our most recent auction ended on January 31st and we're currently accepting items for our spring auction. I'm excited to announce that I'll now be writing a monthly column called "What's selling on eBay?" in the Journal of Antiques and Collectibles. Please visit our website www.centralmassauctions.com for links to upcoming events.
Please contact us at: www.centralmassauctions.com (508-612- 6111) info@centralmassauctions.com for antiques and collectibles auction services.