ALL ABOUT THE YARD

Weeds getting to you?? Save that Vinegar in the Cabinet...

For the organic gardener, vinegar can function as a handy natural weed killer. It’s the acetic acid in vinegar that gives it power to kill weeds. The higher the percentage of acid in the vinegar, the better it will operate as a natural weed killer, technically speaking. Vinegar used for culinary purposes is relatively low (5%) in acetic acid, so repeated applications could be necessary when using it as a natural weed killer.

Vinegar As Natural Weed Killer: Careful

If you’re battling lawn weeds, take care to apply the vinegar directly onto the weeds themselves, not letting it come into contact with your grass. Why? Because the fact that vinegar is a natural weed killer doesn’t mean it can’t be harmful if misused. Vinegar is non-selective, and this natural weed killer can harm your grass!

To avoid damage to grass, consider “painting” the vinegar directly onto weeds with a brush. If you do spray with vinegar, don’t pull the trigger until you’re right up close to the targeted weed. Don’t spray on a windy day, as the wind could carry your vinegar spray where you don’t want it to go — on your grass. I prefer to save the inside of a paper towel roll and isolate what I’m spraying just to be safe!

Because of this limitation, I don’t think of vinegar as being an especially effective natural weed killer for lawn areas for the general public. It makes more sense to use vinegar in areas where lawn grass and other landscaping plants won’t be in the way, such as on patios or walkways (where you have weeds pushing up through cracks etc..).

But if you’re already in the process of digging a dandelion out of the lawn, it wouldn’t hurt to supplement your efforts with vinegar. After you’ve removed as much of the taproot as possible, carefully pour some vinegar into the hole. The vinegar will seep down into the soil, killing any portions of taproot you may have missed. Afterwards, shovel soil into the hole and sow grass seed on top, lest any opportunistic weed seeds should fill the vacuum.

There’s another limitation in using vinegar as a natural weed killer, but this limitation extends to chemical weed killers, as well: namely, that you’ll probably have to re-apply the vinegar to get the job done, as weeds often refuse to go quietly. This is especially true of established perennial weeds, toughened by years of coping with environmental challenges; vinegar will be more effective on younger weeds. Older weeds are like people, they tend to fight back!

But considering that vinegar is safe and relatively inexpensive, this objection is hardly a telling argument against the use of vinegar as a natural weed killer. If your goal is to use a natural weed killer, one assumes that you’ll be motivated to make repeated applications, as necessary.

Vinegar As Natural Weed Killer: When to Apply

When practicing natural weed control, take to heart the dictum, Know thine enemy! Study up on the weeds you’re fighting before you use the vinegar on them. Target annual weeds with your vinegar natural weed killer before they set seed, to prevent them from spawning a new generation to give you fits next year.

By contrast, early fall is the best time to use this natural weed killer on perennial weeds. Early fall is when you’ll want to apply vinegar to dandelions (but snap off the flowers whenever they appear, to prevent them from going to seed). Dandelions, although their leaves die back in winter, do live on through their roots. So, preventing them from going to seed sometimes isn’t enough.

Fortunately, knowing a little botany can help you considerably in your battle with perennial weeds like dandelions. You see, in early fall, nutrients are transferred from the dandelion leaves down to the roots. This transfer, which continues until the first frost, presents you with an opportunity to hit dandelions where it hurts! Vinegar natural weed killer applied during this time is absorbed by the leaves and passed on to the roots, following the same path down as the nutrients. The plants are killed — naturally. Repeated applications could be needed.

Vinegar As Natural Weed Killer: How to Apply

Listen to your local weather forecast, and find out when you will be experiencing a few continuous days of sunshine. At the beginning of this period, spray or paint the vinegar onto the weeds you wish to kill.

Why is a sunny period required? Two reasons:

You need to saturate the weeds’ leaves with the vinegar, and rain (or sprinkler) would wash too much of the vinegar off the foliage.

The real damage to the sprayed weeds begins the next couple of days after the application, when the sun hits the leaves.

Some people who use vinegar as a natural weed killer like to boil the vinegar, prior to application. Through such boiling, you may actually be able to gain a concentrate higher in acetic acid percentage, although I haven’t yet experimented with this option in any scientific way. But it certainly can’t hurt to boil the vinegar; in fact, many folks report success killing weeds by simply pouring scalding water on weeds! So, I suppose the use of boiled vinegar steps up the fight!

Vinegar As Natural Weed Killer: The Stronger Stuff

It is possible to buy products with a higher acetic acid content than that found in ordinary vinegar. Such products can be purchased at farmer’s stores or from restaurant supply businesses. But the potency of these acetic acid products can render them less safe to use than household vinegar. To me, that puts them at odds with the whole concept of using “natural weed killers.” Besides, you have to go out of your way to find these products, and the idea behind the present article was to introduce a handy natural weed killer, something you can just pull off a kitchen shelf and experiment with.

Other Uses for Vinegar

Those of you who have held an ongoing grudge against vinegar for its ability to make your mouth pucker and that smell that most kids hate may finally be able to grant vinegar forgiveness. For that same sourness makes vinegar the natural weed killer of choice for organic gardening. Vinegar can also be used for cleaning purposes around the home, as an alternative to chemical cleaners.

So, if you rarely open that vinegar jug for purposes of seasoning your food, don’t despair: The uses for vinegar extend well beyond the culinary. Until next time...Happy Gardening!! - Jimmie

Send your landscaping and gardening questions to Jimmie Gibson Jr. at http://www.absolutelybushedlandscaping.com or jimmie@absolutelybushed.com

JIMMIE GIBSON is a Prosper resident and the owner of Absolutely Bushed Landscaping Company, an award winning, family and veteran owned and operated business created in 1980 to provide the highest quality custom Outdoor Renovation available to homeowners in the Dallas Ft. Worth area.

Sites of Summer in Anna

By Joyce Godwin

We are still in the hot and lazy days of summer, but for the children among us, summer is drawing to a close. We at Anna Living Magazine wanted to do a photo roundup of some of the scenes of summer throughout the Anna area. Some people emailed their photos and for others pictures, our staff photographer Jessica Larriviere and I went out and captured more scenes.

We visited Baldwin Park which is picturesque next to a beautiful lake and located within the Lakeview subdivision at 1235 Lakeview Drive. The park is also accessible utilizing the trails from Natural Springs Park.

Part of the history of Baldwin Park can be found on the city of Anna Website. “Baldwin Park was named after the previous owner of the property, Jesse Glenn “Bud” Baldwin, great-grandson of James Schluter (later changed to Slayter). Mr. Slayter was a German immigrant who fought in the Texas Revolution and was subsequently granted 320 acres for his service in the Texian Army. The land remained in the family until Mr. Baldwin fell into poor health. The family sold off parcels for their sustainment, including 51.24 acres of land where the Lakeview Estates community is today.”

Closer to the downtown area, Shirley Heritage Park can be found at 101 South Sherley Road. It’s considered by most to be Anna’s most historic park celebrating Anna’s location along the rail line. Located at the corner of Sherley Avenue and 4th Street, the park features a community-built, train-themed playground, newly restored train depot and pavilion. In December, Christmas in the Park, the city’s annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony event, is held here. It’s a popular gathering spot for Anna residents offering great play opportunities for the city’s youngest residents.

Another Anna park that gets a lot of use is Slayter Creek Park at 425 W. Rosamond Parkway, named after one of the original families to settle in Anna. It’s a large park with many amenities for neighbors from which to choose including a splash park, playground and disc golf course. Major funding to construct the park was provided by the city of Anna, a grant from the state of Texas, and donations from the Anna Community Development Corporation.

We hope our readers see the value of Anna’s parks. Here are pictures from only three. There are more.

Send in your pictures of family enjoying the parks of Anna and with them, mention your favorite park features.

Send to Joyce@AnnaLivingMagazine.com.

The slides at Sherley Heritage Park get a lot of attention from youngsters who enjoy sailing from top to bottom. Two-year old Meldoy takes her turn in the first picture followed by Giorgio, 3. Madison, 4, shows off for the camera on the climbing wall at Sherley Heritage Park.

Landon Taylor, 8, is all smiles at a summer birthday party as he takes full advantage of a backyard bounce house.

On a really hot day in Anna one of the the most popular spots to be is under the bucket on the splash park in Slayter Park. Water runs into the large bucket until it fills and the weight of the water causes the bucket to pour its contents on whomever is below. Looks refreshing.

Ways To Help With Teen Driving Safety

Here are tips to help your teen avoid crashes and stay safe on the road.

According to the Governors Highway Safety Administration (GHSA), inexperience and immaturity are often to blame for risky teen driving behavior. This may explain why motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of teen fatalities in the U.S.

Safe driving tips for teens

Restrict night driving. Close to two-thirds of fatal crashes that happen at night are speed related and involve 16-year-old drivers.

Keep a safe following distance. In normal driving conditions, the general rule is “three seconds plus.” When the vehicle in front of you passes a stationary object, begin counting. You should reach that same object no sooner than three seconds, four seconds ideally. Increase following distance when visibility is poor or you’re in traffic.

Enforce graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws. Many states have rules that prevent teens from driving at night or with other teens. Know the laws in your state and possibly set stricter standards.

Limit teen passengers. Research has shown significant reductions in deaths were associated with graduated driving laws, including a restriction on carrying passengers or the number and age of passengers carried. Make sure your teen knows how to keep passengers safe.

Share the car to prevent speeding. Parents can also set a good example by practicing safe driving themselves.

Discuss consequences. Teenage speeding puts lives and licenses on the line. It can also be expensive, and pricey tickets can increase insurance rates.

Be involved. Frequently ride with your teens to be sure they’re being safe. And when you’re driving, be a good role model. Always travel at a speed appropriate for the road conditions and brush up on what may have changed since you started driving.

Helpful car insurance tips for college students

When your child is away to a college and leaves their car behind, there are options to lower your insurance premiums while they’re away.

You have plenty of big things to worry about with your child heading off to college — room and board, textbook purchases and the frequency of late-night pizza orders — so you probably haven’t done much thinking about the effect on your auto insurance. But learning how your auto insurance works when your child attends a university or college away from home is an important item to consider. If you’ve worked with them on being a safe driver as a teen, then they might be ready for a car at college.

How does car insurance work when your child goes away to school?

In most cases, you need to notify your auto insurance company about your child leaving for school, even if you are leaving your car at home. Why? Your child’s car could still be covered when they come home for weekends and breaks

College, university and trade school students are typically covered under their parents’ car insurance, as long as they live at the same address as their parents when not at school. Review your specific policy to see if your child is covered.

You might qualify for a different (and cheaper) auto insurance rate.

Rates may change if your child is driving the car at school rather than leaving it back at home. For example, drivers in urban locations generally pay more for insurance than those in rural areas. If your child is going to school in an urban location, you might have to pay a higher premium if they take the car with them.

You might receive a discount for their grades.

Students with solid grades may qualify for a good student discount.

If your child is in college, or heading off to school soon, get in touch with your insurance agent today.

This article was provided by State Farm and local agent Rod Walnofer.

ROD WALNOFER has been serving Anna for over 22 years helping our community with their insurance needs. He may be contacted at rod@ walnofer.com

Drone photo by Trey Belew/Anna Living Magazine. This is a photo of the new, blinking light on State Highway 5 at CR376/CR371.

Blinking Light on SH 5 to help with Traffic

By Joyce Godwin

There’s a new traffic light on State Highway 5 that seems to be confusing drivers just a bit.

For traffic going north or south on Hwy. 5, it’s a blinking yellow light. For traffic moving east and west on CR376/CR37 it’s a red light.

The problem is that some drivers are not sure how to behave with the blinking, yellow light. Some drivers slow to a rolling stop, while others slow down a little and still others sail right through the intersection.

Wanting to get official clarification, Anna Living Magazine spoke with Anna’s relatively new Assistant Chief of Police Phillip Foxall. He said the blinking yellow light is a signal for caution. Meaning, when you go through that intersection, pay special attention for traffic that might be entering the roadway. The blinking red light, which is also on the turn lanes, should be treated just like a stop sign — stop until there is no more traffic.

Foxall said this traffic light won’t always be the way it is. Eventually, it will be a regular light that cycles through green lights and red lights. It’s so close to a railroad crossing, though, that it needs to be synced with the crossing arm and signals for the railroad.

The light was installed by the Texas Department of Transportation after it was determined the intersection needed better traffic control, Foxall said.

Now, in order to get the lights coordinated, a device must be installed on the light.

Remember, Foxall said. If you come to a flashing red light, treat it like a stop sign. All the rules apply that apply to the stop sign.

So to recap, “Hwy 5 is set up to flash yellow,” Foxall said. “When a vehicle approaches, they may proceed with caution. Hey, just be aware of the traffic around you,”

For any who may want to read the state law for themselves, it can be found in the state of Texas Transportation Codes — No. 544.008.

Scammers Impersonating Amazon Employees

By Joyce Godwin

An interesting call came to my phone last week that held my attention for way longer than it should have. That little voice inside my head kept warning me and every time I made up my mind to terminate the call, the voice on the other end would say something that made me feel like I had to listen.

The female voice on the other end of the phone told me she was part of Amazon’s security systems and someone was trying to charge my account $999 for a new iPhone. She told me my Amazon account (which I probably spend too much time with) had been hacked and these terrible hackers have all my information.

But, she said, Amazon’s security department could fix it for me and get everything back to the way it’s supposed to be.

When I expressed doubt that what she was saying was legitimate, she gave me her name and encouraged me to Google it, which I did. She claimed to be Patricia Grao. I looked up her name, and sure enough, Patricia Grao shows to be an Amazon employee. After the call was over I did a more in-depth search of Grao and a photo came up showing a woman who would likely not have a thick accent like this caller. Her accent was so heavy that I could not understand the words she was saying and had to ask her over and over to repeat herself.

Finally, I realized, without a doubt, the call was a scam and I had not been hacked because they were trying then to effect the hack in my computer. Generally, I don’t even answer those calls when I don’t recognize the calling number or caller. But for some reason, I did on this day. I’m still shaking my head in disbelief.

I was so upset after the call ended because I knew what a close call I had had. Their team went to great lengths to convince me and they were almost successful. They were good.

I have since found reports on the Internet of people claiming to receive similar calls from Amazon imposters. ABC Action News in Tampa, Florida did a news report on the situation in April. Reporter Jackie Callaway said The Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker reported a spike in Amazon imposter scams warning customers of a suspicious charge on their account.

People reported they were caught off guard when receiving the calls which only heightened the fear that someone was trying to rob them so they cooperate with the caller to get Amazon’s help to “fix” it. That’s how it was with me.

For me, I didn’t have my bank accounts connected to my computer so the hackers couldn’t find what they were looking for. It’s when the scammer wanted me to tell her the name of the banks with which I deal that I finally woke up to what was going on. Here’s another tip: Don’t download or enable a program titled AnyDesk. It’s a legitimate program that allows a computer engineer to access your computer files to help fix something that might be wrong. These scammers are good and know how to use AnyDesk and it’s not for fixing things.

Callaway reported the Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker shows a spike in Amazon imposter scams after the pandemic hit and nearly everyone, it seemed, started shopping online. “In our 2020 report on scams, Amazon was the second most popular name used in reporting scams,” says the BBB’s Bryan Oglesby. “They are really good at using fear and intimidation, making the consumer believe something is wrong.”

The Amazon website tells its customers that Amazon may email a customer about an issue, but they will likely not call. The advice is, if you get one of these calls, hang up and use your actual Amazon account to reach customer service.

Amazon states on its website, “We take fraud, scam, phishing and spoofing attempts seriously. If you receive correspondence you think may not be from Amazon, please report it immediately.

“To report a phishing or spoofed email or webpage: Open a new email and attach the email you suspect is fake.

For suspicious webpages, copy & paste the link into the email body. If you can’t send the email as an attachment, forward it. Send the email to stop-spoofing@amazon.com

Note: Sending the suspicious email as an attachment is the best way for us to track it.”

You can also report these scams to the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov.

We hope this article helps to serve Anna residents to be able to identify these scammers as soon as the call is received. Feel free to share your experiences with us at Anna Living Magazine either on our Facebook page or email to joyce@annalivingmagazine.com.

Knight Family Chiropractic Wants to Change Lives in Anna Through Better Health

Dr. Shelbi Wilson, Clinic Director

Knight Family Chiropractic was born in 1994 when Dr. Ryan Knight had a dream of changing lives and impacting his community through chiropractic care. Since its humble beginnings of a small clinic in Denison, Texas, Knight Family Chiropractic has grown to serve more than 20,000 patients and now has four locations throughout Texoma (Anna, Denison, Sherman and Durant, Oklahoma). The Anna location is the company’s newest clinic having opened at the end of 2018 with its Clinic Director, and only provider, being Dr. Shelbi Wilson.

Dr. Wilson found her love for chiropractic at age 16 when she injured herself in ballet. The injury left her with severe, low-back pain and complete left leg numbness. After leaving ballet and having no relief in pain for a year, Dr. Wilson finally made her way to a chiropractor. She knew from her first adjustment that she had found her purpose in life and pursued chiropractic. Dr. Wilson graduated with honors in August 2017 from Parker University with her Doctorate of Chiropractic. She also earned her Bachelors of Science in Anatomy and her Bachelors of Science in Health and Wellness while attending Parker University. Dr. Wilson’s passion is taking care of pregnant women and children. She is Webster Certified and specializes in prenatal and pediatric chiropractic. Dr. Wilson is a member of the International Chiropractic Association of Pediatrics and has earned her Certification by the Academy Council of Chiropractic Pediatrics (CACCP).

Within a year of opening, Knight Family Chiropractic was growing, just like the city of Anna, and was in need of another chiropractor in office to accommodate its amazing growth. Dr. Vincent Armstrong was hired as an Associate Chiropractor for the practice. Dr. Armstrong grew up in a small town in Southeast Texas where he developed a love for sports and athletics. He attended Lamar University in Beaumont, where he received a Bachelors degree in Kinesiology. Shortly after, Dr. Armstrong moved to San Antonio to continue his plans of furthering his education in another area of the healthcare field and ended up working for a local chiropractor. After only a few months it became clear to him that his true passion and future were within the chiropractic profession. Dr. Armstrong made a move to Dallas to study Chiropractic at Parker University and graduated in April 2020.

At Knight Family Chiropractic, we focus on family wellness and see patients from as young as a few days old to seniors well into their eighties or beyond and everyone else in between. Our doctors have seen amazing results with a variety of conditions from sciatica and disc bulges to extremity complaints such as frozen shoulder or hip impingement, and even to migraines and TMJ dysfunction. With Dr. Wilson being prenatal and pediatric certified, the office sees incredible results in all our infants, children, and pregnant patients as well.

Dr. Knight has always had a servant’s heart and therefore has made it a long-term mission for his company to help others. Drs. Wilson and Armstrong are members of the Anna community and believe there is power in giving back to their community. Knight Family Chiropractic has recently launched its Give Well Project where each clinic location chooses a non-profit organization to partner with. Knight Family Chiropractic of Anna has chosen Grace Place, a new local food pantry serving the Anna and surrounding area communities, as their partnership for this year. Every new patient seen at the Anna office, who comes in with a Gift of Health card, gets their New Patient Exam for $39 and that fee is then donated 100% to Grace Place. The office will also be participating in volunteer opportunities to help support Grace Place and fill its other needs. We are looking forward to the success of this partnership and the number of families and lives we can impact through our donations.

As a family wellness chiropractic clinic, our mission is to serve at least 80% of the communities surrounding our four Texoma locations with amazing chiropractic care to allow them to realize pain relief, increased mobilization and wellness is possible. We want to help families discover their God-given potential to Get Well, Move Well and Stay Well using a variety of clinically proven chiropractic techniques and therapies.

If you are in need of a chiropractor to serve you and help get you out of pain, or simply want to stay well, then give us a call at 469-840-4111 to schedule your new patient appointment. Don’t forget to ask about our Gift of Health so you can help us donate to Grace Place!

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10

The information in this article was provided by Knight Family Chiropractic.