Howdy folks,

I might not be as hip as I used to be, but I’m not one to be left in the dust by new-fangled technology, either. That’s why I make sure my kids and grandkids keep me in the loop on the latest technical advances these days. And when one of my grandkids recently told me about bloggin’, my eyes lit right up. After all, what could be more fun than an online journal? Besides, it’s a great way to keep in touch with my friends and share some of my down-home wisdom with folks everywhere on the World Wide Web. So here it is folks—my blog. Check it out each and every week for my latest entry and a few of my favorite timely tips!

As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing as satisfying as getting my hands dirty in the garden, so I spent some time last weekend planting a new bed of spring-blooming bulbs. But, as I learned the hard way some years ago, pesky squirrels love to rummage through my freshly planted bulb beds. So this year, as soon as I finished planting, I sprinkled black pepper over the bed. The spicy stuff will work wonders to keep the furry fiends well away. If you have squirrels running amok around your yard, try this trick to keep your spring-bloomin’ beauties safe until warm weather returns.

And once bulb-planting season arrives, I know that cold weather is on the not-to-distant horizon. With as high as my energy bills were last winter, I wanted to do anything I could to cut costs and save energy this year. Now, lots of folks swear by storm windows, but they can be awfully expensive. So I went down to the local hardware store and the guy behind the counter said I could get the same energy-savings at a fraction of the cost by using plastic sheeting. So I taped clear plastic sheeting to each window, and used my wife’s hair dryer to dry it to fit the window. Then I hung some heavy drapes for even more insulation. I tell you, my house feels warmer already!

Finally, after all my hard work planting bulbs, winterizing windows, and tending to other “Honey-Do” chores, you can bet my muscles were aching. But I’m not one to take medications if I can avoid it. So instead of popping an aspirin, I whipped up a batch of my favorite muscle-soothing salve and had my “Honey” rub it on for almost instant relief. And believe you me, that night, I slept like a baby. To make this super salve, mix 2 cups of witch hazel, 2 teaspoons of light corn syrup, and 1/2 teaspoon of castor oil in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add a few drops of your favorite scented oil. Shake well, and massage the potion into your sore body parts. Then sit back and say “ahhhh….”