Articles by Mike Rhodes

We’ve scoured the entirety of Youtube—done all the searching for you— and have found these pretty amazing home repair hacks. We can start with this very first one!    

By: Kyla Jo Tighe— Flowers are beautiful in nature as well as indoors. As someone who grew up in the country, I planted, weeded, and watered flowers every year with my step father. His plants were his pride and joy. As we grew up my mom would photograph my little brother and I in front of his flower bed every summer. Flowers are one of the most popular photographed subjects, representing a beautiful still life with stunning colors and a…

By: Maureen Spell — New seasons are great reminders to take care of quarterly tasks. With spring right around the corner, it’s time to focus on our homes. Having a plan, breaking down jobs into doable chunks and utilizing the right tools are keys to tackling and conquering spring cleaning checklists. “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” —Alexander Graham Bell  If the thought of doing a complete cleaning overhaul of your home is daunting, choose to work…

By: Liz Valpatic— If you’re like me,  you like to craft pretty things that are also useful. There’s nothing worse than your hard work going unutilized! Luckily, I use this project every day and I finally love how it looks in my room after I completely revamped it. And the best part is…drum roll please….it only took me ONE day to do! Without further adieu, let’s get started! The hardest part of this project is getting your hands on one of…

By: Steve Lindell— Consider it an art form, not a “task.”  Grilling outside is something that I have grown to love, especially in recent years, as my wife Nancy shows SO much appreciation for the efforts!  It is a way for us to be outside, with nature, and the tastes created at the end of the process always make the whole family smile.  Another part of my enjoyment is the tremendous variations and experimentations that are always in play. In…

By: American Electric Power— Check Your Energy Use The first step toward reducing your electricity bill is figuring out how much energy you use. With American Electric Power’s Home Online Energy Checkup, you can quickly and easily calculate your home’s energy costs and find ways to save. The Home Online Energy Checkup is a web tool that uses your billing data and other inputs you provide to generate a printable report that includes: Useful details about your home’s energy consumption…

By: Sarah McKillip, Robert Cooper Audubon Society— Muncie, Indiana may not seem like the ideal place to attract beautiful birds, but with a little know-how and a small investment in supplies, I promise you can have colorful, native birds visiting your home year-round. In many ways, birds are like people in their basic needs, which include three things: Nutritious food Water Shelter Nutritious Food Birds eat a variety of foods to make up their daily diet. Seeds form an important part…

By: Susie Burns— I am passionate about water!!  Not drinking water…the kind of water that lives in your garden, falls and tumbles over rocks and ledges, sounds like nature’s symphony and gives a cool respite to birds, butterflies and dragonflies. I love the water that is home to pond fish that dart to and fro…the still water where water lilies love to bloom and grow. An ornamental pond or water garden will be the centerpiece of your garden. Now, you’re…

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,…