Geauga County Maple Leaf
Tips to Make a Home More Accommodating for Guests
MetroCreative
Millions of people host family and friends during the holiday season. According to a recent report from the travel and finance experts at Upgraded Points, 57 percent of adults surveyed planned to host a holiday gathering in 2024, while 70 percent of respondents indicated they planned to attend such celebrations.
Hosting is a significant responsibility, but it’s also a fun way to catch up with loved ones in a laid back environment. Chances to catch up are even stronger when hosting overnight guests, whose comfort should be a priority as hosts ready their homes for holiday celebrations. Hosts preparing to welcome loved ones into their homes this holiday season can take various steps to make their homes as accommodating as possible for overnight guests.
• Offer a secluded spot to sleep. The holiday season can be hectic, and it can be hard to keep things calm and quiet when returning home. That’s especially true in homes with young children. Overnight guests who might be a little weary from traveling will undoubtedly appreciate a place away from the hustle and bustle to rest their heads. Though hosts must make due with the space they have, make a concerted effort to ensure residents remain quiet around guest rooms or other areas where overnight guests will be sleeping. If possible, choose a secluded spot away from areas of the home that tend to be noisy, such as the kitchen and living room/game room.
• Offer some in-room entertainment. Access to the internet and streaming services is nonstop in the modern world, and it can
be a nice gesture to ensure overnight guests can stream their favorite content and stay connected during their stay. Hosts can outfit guest rooms with a smart TV for as little as $100 and load it up with popular streaming apps so guests can watch an episode or two of their favorite show in private before calling it a night.
• Offer kid-friendly creature comforts. Adults may be accustomed to sleeping outside their own homes, but younger guests might not be as familiar or comfortable sleeping somewhere other than their own bedrooms. If young children will be staying overnight, hosts can consider putting them up in the same bedrooms as their own children, which can be especially fun when kids are roughly the same age. Additional kid-friendly
creature comforts include a stuffed animal or two, an in-room night light and some storybooks on a bedside nightstand.
• Include guests in fun traditions. Tradition is a big part of the appeal of the holiday season, and hosts can make guests feel more welcome by inviting them to participate in their own family traditions. Expand family baking sessions to include overnight guests, encourage willing loved ones to pitch in when preparing family meals and let guests pick their favorite holiday film for a family movie night.
Millions of people will host overnight guests this holiday season. Hosts can employ various strategies to ensure overnight guests feel welcome and comfortable during their stay.
A Homeowners’ Guide to Ice Dams
MetroCreative
Cold weather contributes to many different conditions that can affect homes.When winds are blowing fiercely, homeowners may soon discover deficits in insulation or in caulking around windows and doors. Icy conditions can cause walkways and stairs to become slick.
One winter condition can cause extensive headaches and damage and could be a mystery to many homeowners. Ice dams occur when warm air in the attic heats up the roof and melts accumulated snow. Water from this melt runs down the roof and refreezes when it reaches the colder roof edge. A mound of ice forms at the lower edge of the roofline as a result.
Ice dams may help create a picturesque winter vista, with icicles hanging and glinting in the sunlight, but they can cause significant damage. According to experts, ice dams can weigh hundreds of pounds if they get large enough, potentially affecting the structural integrity of roof eaves. In addition, ice dams can cause melted runoff to back up under roof shingles. This water can eventually make its way inside, ruining ceilings and walls. The roof, gutters, insulation, interior drywall, and other home surfaces can be damaged if ice dams are left unchecked.
The following are some conditions that make a home vulnerable to ice dam formation:
1. The presence of snow on the roof.
2. An average outdoor temperature that is 32 F or lower.
3. A roof surface temperature above 32
F at its higher points and below 32 F at the lower end.
4. Indoor heat making its way to the underside of the roof.
Homeowners should take a few steps to address ice dams. The first is preventing future ice dams from forming. According to First American Roofing and Siding, LLC, improving insulation in the ceiling below the attic and addressing any inefficiencies in the home is necessary. A professional can do a blower door test, which works by depressurizing the home and using a thermal camera to find areas where insulation is poor. In addition, adequate ventilation under the roof deck is necessary so cold air can circulate and prevent the attic from getting so warm that it will melt the snow on the roof.
The next step is to remove excess snow from the roof with a roof rake and keeping gutters clear. If ice dams have already formed, hire a professional to remove them, as it can be dangerous to do it oneself.
Snow-covered roofs and landscapes can be beautiful, but also dangerous if conditions that cause ice dams to form are not addressed.
Protect Landscapes from Wildlife And More Over the Winter
MetroCreative
Landscapes are vulnerable to the elements during the cold weather months. Everything from de-icing products to hungry animals to the weight of snow can affect trees, shrubs and other plants.
Just because certain greenery will go dormant during the winter doesn’t mean landscape maintenance ends when the mercury dips. Homeowners can take certain actions to winterproof their properties and safeguard landscapes so they recover more readily when spring arrives.
Utilize barriers and deterrents
When resources are scarce, animals will be on the hunt for anything that’s edible, and that includes whatever greenery is growing on a landscape. Physical barriers in garden beds and around trees can help prevent damage caused by moles, voles and deer. Line the bottom and sides of garden beds with garden cloth to prevent ground-burrowing animals from getting in from beneath, suggests the gardening resource I Must Garden.
Wrapping shrubs in burlap or covering them in temporary netting can deter deer, who will seek accessible food sources over the winter. Erect fencing around new trees to keep deer away from the bark and lower branches.
Make the yard less attractive to deer and burrowers by opting for fat-based suet cakes to feed birds rather than loose seeds and berries in feeders, which herbivores will enjoy. Also, don’t overwater or mulch landscapes
too early. The loose soil and warmth of the mulch may entice moles and voles and other rodents to stick around in those areas and feed on plants.
Use a safer melting product
Investigate options in snowmelt products, as traditional rock salt can injure buds and branches and kill lawns. In addition, avoid piling salted snow in one area of the landscape, as it will concentrate the salt in that spot. Spread out snow piles to help minimize the damage to delicate plants.
Secure saplings and juvenile plants
Harsh winds and battering snow can damage young plants. Use stakes and lattices to secure them so they’ll be better able to withstand the weather, suggests Total Landscape Management, a commercial and residential landscaping company.
Promptly remove snow from branches to help trees and shrubs; otherwise, the weight of ice and snow can break off branches and cause irreparable damage.
See Winter • Page 7
Snowbelt Symphony Orchestra Holiday Concert Set for Dec. 18
SubMitted
The Snowbelt Symphony Orchestra will present its annual holiday concert, “Joy To The World!” Thursday, Dec, 18 at 7 p.m. at Lake Catholic High School in Mentor. The concert will feature a variety of popular Christmas favorites including music from A Charlie Brown Christmas and A Muppet
Christmas Carol, a sparkling rendition of The Night Before Christmas, and a sleigh full of favorite traditional carols. Vocalist Sarah Klein will join the orchestra to sing White Christmas, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, and more. The concert will be conducted by Snowbelt Symphony music director, Greg Hillis.
A native of Ohio, Sarah Caroline Klein
has honed her craft in theater, acting, and singing through studies in New York City and at Sight & Sound Theatres’ Professional Performing Arts Conservatory. Her career spans Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional theater, film, and local productions, with standout roles in The Drowsy Chaperone, Cinderella, and A Comedy of Tenors. As the founder of Novelty Theater Company, she
champions vibrant, engaging storytelling for audiences of all ages.
“This concert is going to be a ton of fun for the whole family - there’s something for everybody,” says music director Greg Hillis. “And you’re absolutely going to love Sarah Klein. She has an incredible voice and her theatri cal experience gives her a phenomenal stage presence. Her narration of The Night Before Christmas is going to be the high light of the program.”
are $25 for adults and $10 for students. Tickets can be purchased online at www.snowbeltmusical.org. Lake Catholic High School is located at 6733 Reynolds Road in Mentor. The school has free onsite parking and is ADA accessible.
The Snowbelt Symphony Orchestra is a fully-professional orchestra bringing accessible, affordable, high-quality live classical music performances to Lake and Geauga counties. The orchestra performed its first concert in March 2022.
For more information, please visit www. snowbeltmusical.org. Snowbelt Musical Arts Association can be reached for questions or comments at info@snowbeltmusical.org or 440-296-9610. SMAA can be followed on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) @snowbeltmusical.
Klein
Howard Hanna Real Estate Services: A Tradition of Trust, Now with a Modern Look
Dave Fabig: Serving NEO with Integrity and Professionalism SubMitted
With over 13 years of real estate experience, Dave Fabig, Realtor® with Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, continues to stand out for his professionalism, dedication and commitment to personalized client care.
Based in Northeast Ohio, Dave has built a reputation for delivering honest and results-driven service to both buyers and sellers.
“My goal is to make every transaction as smooth and successful as possible,” Dave says. “Whether helping first-time buyers, seasoned investors or families downsizing, my focus is always on fairness, integrity and strong communication.”
Dave holds multiple professional designations — ABR (Accredited Buyer’s Representative), SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist), MRP (Military Relocation Professional), and C2EX (Commitment to Excellence) — demonstrating his advanced training and commitment to the highest standards in the real estate industry.
Winter
from page 5
Erect a snow barrier
Prior observation tends to educate homeowners about which areas of the landscape are most vulnerable to snow drifts and blustery winds. During the winter, winds often blow in from a northeasterly direction, but each homeowner can make his or her own assessment.
Howard Hanna’s New Look, Same Trusted Name
As one of the largest family-owned real estate companies in the country, Howard Hanna Real Estate Services has unveiled a new, modern logo that reflects the company’s continued growth, innovation and dedication to serving communities with excellence. The refreshed design honors Howard Hanna’s legacy while embracing a forward-thinking vision for the future of real estate.
With cutting-edge marketing tools, community connections and a deep understanding of the local housing market, Howard Hanna provides agents like Dave with the resources to deliver exceptional results for every client.
“Real estate is about more than property — it’s about people, community, and helping families move forward.” — Dave Fabig, Realtor®
For more information or to connect with Dave Fabig, call 216-990-9622, email davefabig@howardhanna.com or visit howardhanna. com/davefabig.
Put up a tarp between two stakes to serve as a “snow fence” that protects vulnerable areas of the landscape from blowing snow.
Keep plants cozy
Wrap plants in burlap, garden blankets and plant domes to insulate them from cold weather and some animals. Move container plants into a garage or shielded area for the winter.
Winter can place landscapes in peril. A few strategies can provide protection.
