It is the dead of winter, the temperature is below freezing, and you hear heavy footsteps overhead in the attic at 2 a.m. Your first thought: “It cannot be a raccoon; don’t they hibernate?” I have answered this question dozens of times from worried homeowners just like you. The short answer is no, raccoons do…
Winter is here, your dryer is running constantly, and every time you open the lint trap, you think, “How much of this lint is actually stuck in the vent?” That buildup is a real fire hazard, and it is one of the top causes of home fires every year. You do not want to call…
You spotted a mouse in the kitchen, plugged in an ultrasonic repeller, and now your dog is pacing the room like he heard a ghost. Or your cat is hiding under the bed more than usual, and you are thinking: “Is this thing hurting my pet?” I get it; I have been there myself with…
February feels like the longest month of the year when you are a gardener stuck indoors. The seed catalogs arrived weeks ago, the grow lights are calling your name, and you are itching to do something, anything, with soil and seeds. The problem is, start too early and your plants get leggy and sad; start…
January and February are when most of us sit down with a cup of coffee, look at last year’s vet bills, and think about the year ahead. If you have an older dog, one of those big line items you are probably staring at is dental cleaning, often $500 to $1,200 depending on where you…
Winter has a way of making everything feel colder and drier, including your dog. Shorter walks mean less drinking, heaters blast dry air, and suddenly your high-energy pup is acting sluggish or skipping the water bowl. I have watched my own dogs go from gulping water all summer to barely sipping in January, and it…
Nothing beats cozying up to a crackling fire on a cold evening, but that beautiful blaze leaves behind one annoying problem: thick black soot on the glass doors. It builds up fast, blocks your view of the flames, and makes the whole fireplace look dirty and neglected. The good news? You can get that glass…
It is the middle of winter, your furnace or heater has been running nonstop, and suddenly your dog is acting strange, sleeping more than usual, throwing up, or stumbling when he gets up. Your first thought is probably “maybe he ate something bad” or “he is just tired from the cold.” But what if it…
Sunny winter days can feel like a gift after weeks of gray, until you look at your south-facing window and see a cluster of brown, shield-shaped bugs sunbathing on the glass. You know exactly what they are: stink bugs. And the moment you think about touching them, that familiar worry hits: “If I mess with…