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Need more space in your garden? Go vertical

When your plant list is longer than the available gardening space, it’s time to expand your planting options. Create new gardening space by adding raised bed gardens, elevated planters, and containers wherever space allows.

Convert the end of the drive or edge of the patio into raised bed gardens. Use a raised bed liner to contain the soil. Raising the garden makes planting, maintaining and harvesting easier on the back and knees. It also allows you to create the perfect soil foundation by filling your raised bed with a quality planting mix.

Raise up

Long-lasting cedar is a traditional choice for raised beds. They’re also made of a wood and plastic composite or metal, and in a variety of shapes and sizes.  Finding one to complement your gardening style and space is much easier these days.

Reduce time spent watering with a self-watering metal raised bed (gardeners.com) or similar product. Self-watering raised beds have built-in water reservoirs to extend the time between watering. Or use a raised-bed drip or soaker hose system to easily apply water right to the soil where it is needed.

Elevate

Elevated gardens are just containers on legs. They are perfect for patios, balconies and other hard surfaces. Use them to define space, create privacy, and grow ornamental and edible plants. Those on wheels can easily be moved out of the way when guests arrive. Or wheel them into the gathering, so everyone can harvest and dress up their meals with garden-fresh herbs and veggies.

Just pull up a chair and start planting or weeding your elevated garden. Grow vines in those with built-in trellises and extend the season by protecting plantings with frost and insect covers. Select elevated planters with a shelf below to conveniently store gardening tools and accessories.

Even small-space gardeners can expand their planting space with containers. You’ll find plenty of attractive options to fit your front steps, patio, balcony or deck.

Railing planters and window boxes don’t take up ground space, yet dress up any outdoor area. Grow herbs in planters located near the kitchen and flowers wherever additional color is needed. Add a few pollinator-friendly plants to attract butterflies and hummingbirds to watch and enjoy.

Water and mix

Don’t let the thought of frequent watering stop you from growing in containers and elevated gardens. Self-watering options are available in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Once you select your raised bed, elevated garden, or container, you will need to fill it with a planting or potting mix. Figure out exactly how much is needed with a soil calculator. Just plug the size and shape into the form. It tells you how many cubic yards or cubic feet of soil are needed for raised beds and the number of quarts for containers and elevated gardens.

 

Melinda Myers (melindaMyers.com), who wrote this article,

Some raised beds, like this metal one, have built-in water reservoirs to extend the time between watering. (Phto courtesy of Gardener’s Supply Co.)

is the author of gardening books and the host of the “How to Grow Anything” DVD series and the “Melinda’s Garden Moment” TV and radio program.

 

srmedia by — April 29, 2021 in Lifestyles

Oftentimes, many of us, when making decisions as caregivers, tend to leave out a vital factor – ourselves. As caregivers of our loved ones with dementia or Alzheimer’s, our role as the decisionmaker gets emotionally demanding. As the disease progresses, more decisions seem to pile up. As time goes by, we forget that we are the most part important of any decisionmaking.

There is no denying the many responsibilities that come with caring for our loved ones with dementia or Alzheimer’s. From cost of medications, treatments and finding help, to feasibility, time management, time constraint, and simply understanding what our loved ones really want, it becomes a lot. Considering all these things take time. When making caregivers decisions, it is essential  that we take everything into consideration, including ourselves.

Many of us become challenged by the thought of looking for ways to help us with the care. One fantastic way to help, bringing great benefit to them, is considering an adult day health care facility. Adult care facilities have many advantages. Many provide many patients with increased social socialization, cognitive stimulation, and a completely different environment by getting them out of the house. Consequently, it’s a great way to provide us with a well-deserved break to run errands, meet with friends who we don’t have a chance to see, go to our own appointments, or just take a breather.

Clearly, there will be many times that our loved one’s mindset may be very negative. Their objections can and will play many tricks with our brain–feelings of frustration, to negative self-talk, to auto criticism. Not to mention, the questions and feelings of guilt attached to the financial expenses. However, when the question of “How can I make my loved one go somewhere he or she is not comfortable with, just so we have time for ourselves” arises, it is the precise moment when we must aim the focus back to us and our wellbeing.

Remember that considering ourselves and our emotional needs is healthy. When we include ourselves in all the factors that involve taking care of our loved ones with dementia / Alzheimer’s as we consider them, we are able to understand the importance of our own well-being. When looking at it as if we were advising our very best friend or perhaps our adult child, we come to realize that we deserve to be part of the final decisionmaking. When making decisions for our loved ones, we owe to ourselves to ask better questions. This will allow us to calm down the intensity of our negative self-talk. Hence, here are the questions we should allow ourselves to explore, when making decisions for our loved ones.

  • Will the decision give us time to focus on our health?

When dementia care is battled or resisted by our loved ones, asking ourselves if the decision will allow us time to focus on our health, can make us see the situation from a different perspective. As the disease progresses, so will the needs of our loved ones. If our health is not optimal and/or we aren’t purposely making sure we are in good health, we couldn’t be responsible caregivers. Having good health will make things easier for us and of course for them. Remembering that high levels of stress have an impact to our health is vital.

  • Will the decision give us time to refresh?

Caring for our loved ones not only brings high levels of stress to our lives, but may also bring feelings of grief. Having proper time to acknowledge and cope with moments of grief is healthy. Learning how to cope in a healthy fashion with the feelings that accompany the grief of losing that loved one to dementia should not be overlooked. Talking to someone about these feelings including burnouts helps us reset our outlook in life. Thus, allowing us to be more calmed when dealing with our loved ones.

  • Will the decision allow us to connect with others and do things we have been wanting to do?

Connecting with other people in our lives is crucial–people like our own spouses who we may be neglecting due to exhaustion. Friends or family members who perhaps we have not been able to talk to them or visit, can bring a boost of joy to our lives. By questioning ourselves if our caregiving can improve by taking time to socialize more and have time to enjoy our individuality, can empower us to be more compassionate and impactful. So much good can come from adding us to the equation when taking in consideration different ways of caring for our loved ones.

Looking for the years ahead in our future and how having some help caring for our loved ones can benefit us should not be overlooked. Considering what our loved ones want and feel is as important as what we need. When caring for our loved ones, viewing ourselves as equally important is perhaps the best way to honor our health, our well-being, and them. We are an equal part of the consideration when making crucial and important caring decisions.

 

Eileen Silverberg, who wrote this article, is a life coach in emotional management and the author of “A Warrior Of Light: A Guide Of Inner Wisdom For Challenging Times.”

srmedia by — April 12, 2021 in Lifestyles
Report: Seattle almost country’s healthiest city

Seattle is the second-healthiest city in the U.S., according to a new report.

With healthcare costs rising and the country in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, personal-finance website WalletHub released its 2021 “Healthiest and Unhealthiest Cities in America. The review of 180 of the largest cities, based on factors ranging from the cost of a medical visit and rate of COVID cases, to how much fruit and vegetables are eaten, concluded that San Francisco is No. 1 in health. It’s followed in order by Seattle, Portland, Ore., San Diego, Calif., Honolulu, Washington, D.C., Austin, Texas, Irvine, Calif., Portland, Maine, and Denver, Colo.

Some other highlights:

  • Columbia, Maryland, has the lowest share of physically unhealthy adults (7 percent). The biggest share is in Detroit,Mich. (20.7 percent).
  • Laredo, Texas, has the lowest cost per doctor’s visit at ($56); Juneau, Alaska has the highest ($202).

The full report is at wallethub.com.

To go along with its appealing waterfront skyline, Seattle is the second-healthiest city in the U.S., according to one study.
srmedia by — March 24, 2021 in Lifestyles

We know that it takes time to build great communities. But, we also believe that tangible improvements can spark long-term change. The AARP Community Challenge launched in 2017 to fund projects that build momentum to improve livability for all. We are excited to announce the program is back in 2021 for its fifth year and is accepting applications online through April 14.

The AARP Community Challenge’s focus on tangible projects, community engagement, and its “quick action” timeline helps selected grantees fast-track their ideas and replicate promising practices. Some previous projects have demonstrated an ability to garner additional funds or support from public and private funders, encourage innovation, overcome local policy barriers, and receive greater overall awareness and engagement.

The grant program is open to 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4) and 501(c)(6) non-profits and government entities. Other types of organizations are considered on a case-by-case basis. Grants can range from several hundred dollars for small, short-term activities, to several thousand or tens of thousands for larger projects.

AARP will prioritize projects that deliver inclusive solutions that meet the needs of diverse populations, as well as those that directly engage volunteers through permanent or temporary solutions that aim to achieve one or more of the following outcomes:

  • Creating vibrant public places and improving open spaces, parks and access to other amenities.
  • Delivering a range of transportation and mobility options that increase connectivity, walkability, bikeability, wayfinding, access to transportation options, and roadway improvements.
  • Supporting a range of housing options that increase the availability of accessible and affordable choices.
  • Increasing civic engagement and demonstrating the tangible value of “Smart Cities” with innovative and tangible projects that bring residents and local leaders together to address challenges and facilitate a greater sense of inclusion.
  • Supporting local recovery from the coronavirus pandemic with an emphasis on economic development, improvements to public spaces, and transportation services.
  • Ensuring a focus on diversity and inclusion while improving the built and social environment of a community.
  • Other innovative projects to improve the community. In addition to these areas of focus, AARP wants to hear about local needs and innovative ideas for addressing them.

AARP is thrilled to bring this grant opportunity back to Washington in 2021, and we encourage all eligible organizations to apply. We’ve seen great results from the Community Challenge grant program supporting communities across Washington as they make tangible improvements that spark long-term change.

Since 2017, the Community Challenge has funded 560 projects nationwide, including 12 right here in Washington.

 

Amanda Frame, who wrote this article, is the director of outreach for AARP Washington.

srmedia by — March 16, 2021 in Lifestyles