What is the one thing your chickens are missing most right now in the middle of winter? If feed prices have climbed again this year and your laying rate has dropped (or stopped), what do you notice when you look at the girls? Less activity? Puffed-up feathers? Smaller combs? Fewer eggs in the nest box?…
Your couch has become the official headquarters for dog smell. That warm, musky, slightly stale scent that greets you every time you sit down; it is not just “dog”; it is oils, dander, saliva residue, and bacteria that have worked their way deep into the upholstery over months. Winter makes it worse: windows stay closed,…
You come in from a walk on a slushy February day and notice your dog’s belly or paws are red, raw, or irritated. He is licking them more than usual, maybe even limping a little. Your first thought is probably food allergy, flea bite, or something he rolled in, but the timing is suspicious. It…
It is late February or early March in Zone 7, and you are staring at a lawn that still looks pretty good… but you know what is coming. In a few weeks, crabgrass, dandelions, annual bluegrass, and poa will explode out of nowhere, and by June, you will be fighting a losing battle. You want…
It is winter. The house is quiet. You walk into the kitchen for a glass of water at night and see one, maybe two, tiny ants marching across the counter in a perfectly straight line. Most people think: “It’s just one or two. No big deal.” They flick them away or ignore them. That is…
Your indoor cat has never been outside a day in her life. No street fights, no cars, and no fleas from the neighbor’s yard. So when someone suggests pet insurance, you probably think: “Why would I pay monthly premiums for a pet that just naps on the couch all day?” I completely understand that logic….
On the first sunny day after weeks of gray winter, you glance at your window sill and see what looks like red dust moving. Tiny red bugs crawling in clusters, especially along the sunny side of the house. You lean in closer and realize they are alive, scurrying when you get near, and if you…
It is a chilly winter morning. You step onto the porch for your coffee and freeze; the railing, floor, and furniture are speckled with fresh (and not-so-fresh) white and gray bird droppings. Your mind jumps straight to the headlines: bird flu, H5N1, wild birds carrying the virus. Is touching this stuff dangerous? Can you get…
It is the middle of February, the air is crisp, and suddenly your yard, or worse, under your house, smells like someone set off a chemical weapon. You know that unmistakable skunk stench, but you are confused: “It is winter, so why are they spraying now?” I have fielded this exact question from worried homeowners…