Articles by Mike Rhodes

From a Master Gardener: Tips for Container Gardening

By: Dottie Kreps, Delaware County Master Gardener Association— Nothing beats the taste of homegrown fruits and vegetables!  But what if you don’t have the space or suitable soil to have a garden in your backyard or you only have a patio or balcony. Container gardening might be your answer. Here are some container gardening basics to help get you off to a good start this spring. There are several things you need to consider when planning your container garden: the plants,…

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Things to Look for When Assessing Your Own Roof

By: Pete Dall, Sherriff-Goslin Roofing, Muncie— How do you know when you might need to have a professional look at your roof? First and foremost —is your roof doing it’s number one job, keeping your house dry?  If you have an older roof, it’s always smart to keep an eye on your ceilings inside the house. White drywall and plaster will visually signal you immediately when it gets wet. If you see leaking, you need to call a roofing professional right away….


Repurpose a Wine Bottle Into a Candle for Your Patio

By: Mike Rhodes— I don’t know why I started making these things. I guess I thought I needed to plan to do something with my hands after I retire in 2189. So, I started making tiki-torches out of empty wine bottles in September of 2016. Good plan! I also thought this new hobby would be a money-making bonanza to put a few more shackles in my pocket. Got myself some sweet-looking business cards and everything. Even ordered wine bottle boxes from Uline to put them…


Using Essential Oils in the Home for Therapeutic Benefits

By: Lisa Herd— Healthy house, healthy life! When thinking of good health, and well-being, most wouldn’t consider their house being a key element. In fact, it’s central to keeping your whole family well. Aromatherapy has been documented as a use for healing since the first century. The French incorporate the use of essential oils in their modern medicinal practices, which originally dated back to WWI. Aromatherapy is used in settings from health spas to hospitals to alleviate a variety of conditions….


John Carlson: Cloudy days? Excellent!

By: John Carlson— Clouds? You gotta love ‘em. I love watching them form and drift and, alas, dissipate. And who doesn’t love how they dress up the sky during a spectacular sunset? What’s more, I’m told the same glorious thing sometimes occurs at sunrise, though being retired now, I wouldn’t know from personal experience. Cloudless skies, in turn, bore me. Recently I took my love of clouds to a new level by joining The Cloud Appreciation Society, which is a…


Staffmark Wins Inavero’s 2017 Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards

Cincinnati, OH  – Staffmark, a leading staffing company, has announced  they have won Inavero’s Best of Staffing® Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and job seekers.  In addition, Staffmark received Inavero’s Best of Staffing® Client Diamond Award after winning the Best of Staffing Client Award at least five years in a row for providing superior service to their clients. This is Staffmark’s sixth straight year to win the Best of Staffing Client Award. Staffmark offices…


14 Delaware County Non-profits Receive Grant Funding From the Community Foundation

Muncie, Ind. – The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc. awarded $613,025.75 to 14 non-profit organizations during the first Quarterly Competitive Grant cycle of 2017. The Community Foundation’s purpose is to improve the quality of life in Muncie and Delaware County for this generation and generations to come. Quarterly Competitive Grants are awarded to fund projects for which there is a demonstrable community benefit in one of the following areas of interest: arts and culture, human services, economic…


First Thursday, Opening Reception for Disintegration – Propagation, New Artwork by Kim Anderson and Scott Anderson

Muncie, IN—Gordy Fine Art & Framing Co. will celebrate First Thursday March 2nd from 5 – 8 pm with an opening reception for Disintegration – Propagation, an exhibition of new ceramic work by Kim Anderson and new paintings and drawings by Scott Anderson. The artists will speak briefly about their work at 6:15 PM. Light refreshments will be served and the public is invited to attend. The exhibit remains on view through April 1, 2017. Both Kim and Scott Anderson…


Teachers Awarded Funding for Creative and Innovative Classroom Projects

By: Kallie Sulanke, The Community Foundation— Muncie, IN—Local teachers will receive $1,984 in Robert P. Bell Education Grants from The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc. Across the county, 1,000s of students benefit from Bell Education Grants each year. Awards of up to $450 are available through the Bell Grants program. Funded projects are creative or innovative ideas or programs designed to stimulate learning in students. All Delaware County teachers are invited to apply during any of the four grant cycles….


Fifty Years Ago Today: Fire at Minnetrista

By: Karen Vincent, Director of Collections at Minnetrista— “A most heartbreaking thing happened this evening,” wrote Rosemary Ball Bracken in her diary entry of Tuesday, February 28, 1967. That event was the fire that destroyed Rosemary’s childhood home. Rosemary’s parents, Frank and Elizabeth “Bessie” Brady Ball, built their home on land overlooking the White River in 1894. Minnetrista was the name chosen for the house. Louis Gibson of Indianapolis designed a colonial style house of frame construction with nineteen rooms….