Kickoff to Summer 2019

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Kickoff to Summer

2019

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Kickoff to Summer

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May 23, 2019

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Kickoff to Summer is a special supplement to The Star, The News Sun and The Herald Republican, which are publications of KPC Media Group Inc. ©2019 All rights reserved

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May 23, 2019

Kickoff to Summer

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How to help flowers withstand heat waves

BY METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION Heat waves are an inevitable part of summer in many places across the globe.

While humans can escape indoors to air-conditioned rooms when heat waves hit full swing, flowers planted around a property have no such luxury, putting their survival in jeopardy whenever the mercury rises to especially steamy heights.

Wilted flowers that have succumbed to the summer sun are a sight many gardening enthusiasts can recognize. But there are ways to keep flowers safe and vibrant during periods of extreme heat.

• Water at the appropriate times of day.

The National Gardening Association notes that it’s best to water in the early morning and evening because less water will be lost to evaporation during these times of day than during the afternoon, when temperatures tend to be at their hottest.

• Choose the right watering method.

It’s not just when but also how you water that can affect flowers during summer heat waves. Aboveground sprinklers might be great for lawns, but the NGA notes that such sprinklers can encourage the spread of disease on certain plants, including roses.

Many gardening professionals recommend soaker hoses when watering flowers

because they promote deep watering that can help the plants withstand the summer heat. If you must use an overheard watering system, set the timer so plants are watered in early in the morning or evening.

• Routinely check the soil moisture.

Soil moisture can help gardeners determine if their flowers have enough water to withstand the heat. The NGA advises gardeners to dig a 12-inch deep wedge of soil from their gardens to determine its moisture levels. If the top six inches of the soil is dry, water. If that area is still wet or moist, the plants have enough moisture to withstand the heat. Check these moisture levels more frequently during heat waves than other times of year.

• Avoid overwatering. Novice gardeners may be tempted to water more frequently when they see wilted leaves on their flowers. But wilted leaves are not necessarily indicative of suffering plants. Plants release moisture to protect themselves from excessive heat, and that release of moisture can cause leaves to wilt as the plants try to protect themselves by providing less surface area that can be exposed to the sun. So long as soil moisture levels are healthy, the flowers should be fine, even if their leaves have wilted.

METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION

There are ways to keep flowers safe and vibrant during periods of extreme heat.

No gardener wants to see their flowers succumb to the summer heat. Fortunately,

there are many ways to help flowers survive heat waves.

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Kickoff to Summer

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May 23, 2019

Dog boarding doesn’t have to be stressful

BY ASHLEE HOOS

ahoos@kpcmedia.com

When your dog can’t go on vacation with you, boarding kennels are there to help.

Friends and family will have suggestions on where they’ve boarded pets.

Local veterinarian’s offices may also have recommendations.

Before deciding what will work best for your pet, do some research on what local facilities have to offer.

Do they let you bring food your pet is already used to?

Is there social time for the animals?

Are vaccinations, including one for bordetella, required?

What exercise does the animal get while boarded?

Many facilities, like Pawsitively Paradise in Angola or the Fremont Dog Lodge in Fremont, answer many

commonly asked questions about boarding on their websites and Facebook pages.

Pawsitively Paradise recommends, on its website, the following suggestions when choosing a boarding facility: • You should be able to tour any aspect of the facility at any time during business hours, even without a reservation.

• The facility should smell and be clean.

• References from current customers or veterinarians should be available upon request.

• Staff members should be available and able to answer any of your pet care questions.

• Vaccinations from a licensed veterinarian should be required for the facility prior to allowing a pet to be boarded.

• Staff should appear kind and friendly toward animals in their care and

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The Fremont Dog Lodge offers boarding and other services for furry friends.

should own pets themselves.

• Kennels and suites should be clean, independent from each other and spacious.

Both also encourage people to bring food their animal is already used to, as changing diets can cause the dog gastric upset.

Another option for vacationing without your pet is in-home pet care.

Places like Rover.com allow people

to find someone local to watch their pet either in their home or in the home of the dog sitter.

Through Rover, people can contact their chosen sitter, see what the sitter will and will not do and discuss what is best for the animal.

Whether looking to board a pet, take them to a sitter or have someone drop in, be sure to do your research for what is best for your animal.

Factors that make lodging family-friendly

BY METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION Family vacations have long been a great way for families to spend time together and build memories that will last a lifetime. Research shows that this tradition is alive and going strong.

Research from AAA Travel found that 88 million residents of the United States planned to take family vacations in 2018.

The allure of overseas destinations is seemingly increasing, as AAA noted that 35 percent of the families who planned to vacation in 2018 intended to visit an international destination. That marked a 9 percent increase from the year prior.

Parents planning family vacations must look for family-friendly activities that adults and kids can enjoy. Moms and dads also must find lodging that accommodates their families and makes them feel welcome. When looking for

lodging, parents can consider a host of factors to determine if a hotel, bed and breakfast or resort is family-friendly.

Location

When looking for family-friendly lodging, parents should keep in mind that the location of the facility can be just as important as what it offers. A remote hotel or rental house might provide the solitude and respite parents are looking for, but such spots might not be best for families. If you’re planning on doing lots of sightseeing, then lodging that’s close to local sights and highways can save you from spending much of your vacation enduring lengthy car trips. Kids likely won’t appreciate such trips.

Accommodations

Modern families aren’t just

vacationing; they are vacationing more often than they used to. AAA found that 27 percent of traveling families intended to take three or more family vacations in the next 12 months. One way for budget-conscious families to make that possible is to cut costs on each trip. All-inclusive resorts, in which the costs of family meals are included, or lodging that includes kitchens or kitchenettes, private patios to grill nightly meals and refrigerators large enough to store essentials like milk and eggs can help parents save on meals out on the town. That’s no small consideration, as a recent Consumer Expenditure Survey from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that food and alcohol accounted for the second greatest vacation expense for domestic trips and the third highest

expense for international travelers.

Activities

Many resorts provide a host of family-friendly activities that are included in the cost of the lodging.

Private rentals or lodging booked through companies such as Airbnb are less likely to include such perks. Even hotels without extensive kid-friendly offerings may still have pools and/ or private beach access that are free to guests. These present lots of activities for families at no additional cost, making them especially valuable options for budget-conscious parents.

Lodging is a big consideration for parents when planning family vacations.

Each family is different, and parents must consider their own unique needs and wants before choosing lodging.

©KPC Media Group Inc. • kpcnews.com

May 23, 2019

PHOTO BY JOHN OVERMEYER

Kickoff to Summer

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PHOTO BY JOHN OVERMEYER

About the size of a penny, the brown marmorated stink bug can impact a wide range of crops, from apples, pears, grapes, tomatoes, cherries, squash, soybeans and corn. It first appeared in Indiana about 2010.

This green tomato horn worm, which feeds on tomato plants, doesn’t have long to live, as it has been infested by a natural predator. A wasp has laid its eggs in the horn worm. When they hatch, the larva will eat the horn worm from the inside out.

BY JEFF JONES

in a bucket of soapy water.

“The big thing with tomato horn worms, if you see them with white casings or bandages hanging off of them, you want to leave those there,” Rodgers said. “Those white casings are actually parasitic wasp larva getting ready to hatch out. Those are beneficial insects. The wasp basically lays its eggs inside the tomato horn worm, and the eggs, once they hatch, eat the horn worm from the inside out.”

“For every tomato horn worm, you could have 30 parasitic wasps living inside of it,” she explained. “If you see that, leave it. It’s a zombie; it’s a walking dead.”

Lady bug beetles are the natural enemy of aphids, and are able to consume the equivalent of 200 hamburgers in a day.

“If you get some aphids, as long as they’re not doing a lot of damage, just look to natural predators to take care of them if you can,” Rodgers suggested.

Unfortunately, brown marmorated stink bugs, about the size of a penny, are a growing threat. They don’t appear to have natural predators, and attempts to control them are iffy at best.

“That’s the one that kind of looks like a shield and really stinks when you squish it,” Rodgers said. “They aren’t very particular as to what they eat. They take their mouth part, which looks very needle-like, and they pierce

There is good and bad in the insect world jjones@kpcmedia.com

AUBURN — There are good insects and bad insects.

Plant pests can destroy a lawn or garden crop in relatively short order. Good insects can and do lay eggs on those pests, using them as a food source.

“Every season has its pests,” said Elysia Rodgers, Purdue University’s DeKalb County Extension Director. “The big thing with controlling garden pests is that there are literally millions of insects out there, but only about 3 percent are considered pests.

“There’s a lot more beneficial insects out there than there are pests, but we might not see them. Automatically going to pesticides as soon as you see something might not be the first solution.”

One of the most publicized pests would be the Japanese beetle, most commonly arriving in June or July, Rodgers said. Some control methods actually attract more Japanese beetles than they repel.

“They may chew leaves off your rose bushes or of your shrubs, but in reality, they’re not here that long,” she said. Many trees and shrubs can endure infestations for a few years without adverse effects.

“A little bit of chewing on the leaves really isn’t going to hurt them a lot, but if you are

concerned, you can do things like Sevin dust,” Rodgers suggested. “The thing with Japanese beetles, they lay their eggs in the ground.

That’s where we get the white grubs that impact our lawns.”

Controlling grubs before they become adults — usually around August — is key.

“Applying something in the June time-frame is going to give you the most bang for your buck,” she said.

Squash bugs and squash vine bores — two different insects — can affect vine-type crops.

“The vine bores attack the base of the plant,” Rodgers said. “They’ll lay their eggs at the base of the plant, which causes the rest of the plant to be stressed out and can cause it to die.”

“Unfortunately, once you see signs that the plant has been stressed, it’s too late to treat it at that point,” she explained. “You have to watch for the adults before they start laying their eggs.”

“Squash bugs are more of an external thing, meaning they attack the leaves more,” Rodgers said. Basic and Bt insecticides can usually handle the job. Bt insecticides, she said, are often developed for specific insects, and are usually more nature-friendly.

Tomato horn worms, as the name implies, can be found on tomato plants. These big green caterpillars can be picked off and placed

whatever they’re eating. That causes apples, pears and stone fruits to get all these dimples in them.

“They leave behind almost stone-like things in them from where their mouth parts are sucking the juice out of them,” she added. “A fruit that was perfectly marketable before can’t be used.”

These stink bugs can also pierce corn husks to the kernel.

“They can cause a lot of issues,” Rodgers said. “Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a lot found yet that can control them.”

The brown marmorated stink bug was originally found along the East Coast of the U.S. and migrated to Pennsylvania by 1998.

Spreading west, it was first found in Indiana in 2010.

“That’s probably the No. 1 true pest for this region,” Rodgers said. “They can affect everything from grapes to tomatoes, cherries and squash, soybeans and corn. It’s like my 4-year-old; it has no palate control.”

Winter and spring weather can impact the types of and severity of insects.

“We’re still waiting to see what hatches out,” she said. “We’re just starting to see soil temperatures warm up where things can germinate and insects start moving around a lot more.

“It’s still kind of a wait-and-see game.”

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Kickoff to Summer

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May 23, 2019

ASHLEE HOOS

Some recommendations for children ages 0-3 include, from top left clockwise, “Llama, Llama Red Pajama,” “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” and “Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site.”

Some recommendations for children age 4-7 include, from top clockwise, “Madeline,” “Green Eggs and Ham” and “The Cat in the Hat.”

ASHLEE HOOS

Summer reading list

BY STAFF REPORTS Reading is a great way to spend a summer day and help kids maintain the gains they’ve made during the school year.

Here are some recommendations from members of the KPC Media Group staff and literary sources for books for children from newborns to teens.

• “Grumpy Bird” by Jeremy Tankard (S) • “What Shall We Do with the Boo Hoo Baby?” by Cressida Cowell (S) • “Bright Baby: First Words” by Roger Priddy (S) • “Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site” by Sherri Duskey Rinker (CSM)

Ages 0-3

Staff recommendations • “Diary” series by Doreen Cronin (MM) • “Pete the Cat” series by James Dean (AH) • “Green Eggs and Ham,” “The Cat in the Hat” and other books by Dr. Seuss (MK) Highly recommended • “The Complete Tales of Winnie-The-Pooh” by A. A. Milne (S, CSM, NPR) • “The Snowy Day” by Ezra Jack Keats (S, CSM) • “Madeline” by Ludwig Bemelmans (S, CSM) • “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!” by Mo Willems (S, CSM) Other recommendations • “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein (S) • “The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds (S) • “The Little Engine that Could” by Watty Piper (S) • “The Mitten” by Jan Brett (S) • “Swimmy” by Leo Lionni (S) • “The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear” by Don and Audrey Wood (S) • “What Do People Do All Day?” by Richard Scarry (S) • “Not a Box” by Antoinette Portis (S) • “Martin’s Big Words” by Doreen Rappaport (S) • “Dear Juno” by Soyung Pak (S) • “The Lion and The Mouse” by Jerry Pinkney (S) • “Birds” by Kevin Henkes (S) • “Blackout” by John Rocco (S) • “Owl Moon” by Jane Yolen (S)

Staff recommendations • “Little Blue Truck” by Alice Schertle (AH) Highly recommended • “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown (S, CSM) • “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak (S, CSM) • “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle (S, CSM) Other recommendations • “Pat the Bunny” by Dorothy Kunhardt (S) • “Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale” by Mo Willems (S) • “Corduroy” by Don Freeman (S) • “Black on White” by Tana Hoban (S) • “The Runaway Bunny” by Margaret Wise Brown (S) • “Freight Train” by Donald Crews (S) • “Moo, Baa, La La La” by Sandra Boynton (S) • “Good Night Gorilla” by Peggy Rathmann (S) • “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” by Bill Martin Jr. (S) • “Sylvia Long’s Mother Goose” by Sylvia Long (S) • “Smile!” by Roberta Grobel Intrater (S) • “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” by Annie Kubler (S) • “My Truck is Stuck” by Kevin Lewis (S) • “Counting Kisses: A Kiss and Read Book” by Karen Katz (S) • “Are You My Mother?” P. D. Eastman (S) • “Peak-a Who?” by Nina Laden (S) • “Llama Llama Red Pajama” by Anna Dewdney (S) • “No No Yes Yes” by Leslie Patricelli (S)

Ages 4-7

• “What Do You Do with a Tall Like This?” by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page (S) • “Yoko” by Rosemary Wells (S) • “Interrupting Chicken” by David Ezra Stein (S) • “An Egg is Quiet” by Dianna Hutts Aston (S) • “I Took the Moon for a Walk” by Carolyn Curtis (S) • “Gossie” by Oliver Dunrea (S) • “Animalia” by Graeme Base (S) • “Harold and the Purple Crayon” by Crockett Johnson (CSM) • “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” by Beatrix Potter (CSM) • “Last Stop on Market Street” by Matt de la Pena (CSM) • “Mercy Watson to the Rescue” by Kate DiCamillo (CSM)

Ages 8-10

Staff recommendations • “Frog and Toad Are Friends” by Arnold Lobel (MK) Highly recommended • “Charlotte’s Web” by E. B. White (S, CSM, NPR) • “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” by Judy Blume (S, CSM, NPR) • “The Phantom Tollbooth” by Norton Juster and Jules Feiffer (S, NPR) • “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” by Grace Lin (S, NPR) • “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett (S, NPR) • “Matilda” by Roald Dahl (S, NPR) • “Sarah, Plain and Tall” by Patricia MacLachlan (S, NPR) • “Ramona” series by Beverly Cleary (CSM, NPR) • “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll (CSM, NPR) • “Where the Sidewalk Ends” by Shel Silverstein (S, CSM) • “Ivy and Bean” by Annie Barrows (S, CSM)

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May 23, 2019

ASHLEE HOOS

ASHLEE HOOS

Kickoff to Summer

7

ASHLEE HOOS

Recommendations for children age 8-10 include, from top clockwise, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” “Matilda” and “Coraline.”

Recommendations for children age 11-14 include, from top clockwise, “Bud, Not Buddy,” “Legend,” the “Harry Potter” series and “I Am Malala.”

Recommendations for teens include, from top clockwise, “The Lord of the Rings” series, “Looking for Alaska,” “The Hobbit” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

Other recommendations • “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl (CSM) • “Stuart Little” by E. B. White (CSM) • “Coraline” by Neil Gaiman (CSM) • “The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread” by Kate DiCamillo (CSM) • “The Wind in the Willows” by Kenneth Grahame (S) • “When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson” by Pam Munoz Ryan (S) • “My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother” by Patricia Polacco (S) • “Zen Shorts” by John J. Muth (S) • “The Composition” by Alfonso Ruano (S) • “Living Sunlight” by Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm (S) • “Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez” by Kathleen Krull (S) • “The Magic Schoolbus at the Waterworks” by Joanna Cole (S) • “Tea with Milk” by Allen Say (S) • “Hi! Fly Guy” by Tedd Arnold (S) • “Puss in Boots” by Charles Perault (S) • “We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States” by David Catrow (S) • “The Adventures of Captain Underpants” by Dav Pilkey (S)

• “Anne of Green Gables” series by L. M. Montgomery (S, CSM, NPR) • “The Hunger Games” series by Suzanne Collins (S, CSM, NPR) • “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series by Jeff Kinney (S, CSM, NPR) • “Chronicles of Narnia” series by C. S. Lewis (S, CSM, NPR) • “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series by Rick Riordan (S, CSM, NPR) • “A Series of Unfortunate Events” series by Lemony Snicket (S, CSM, NPR) • “Esperanza Rising” by Pam Munoz Ryan (S, CSM, NPR) • “Bridge to Terabithia” by Katherine Patterson (S, CSM, NPR) • “Tuck Everlasting” by Natalie Babbitt (S, NPR) • “Bud, Not Buddy” by Christopher Paul Curtis (S, CSM) • “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” by Judy Blume (S, NPR) • “The Invention of Hugo Cabret” by Brian Selznick (S, NPR) • “Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH” by Robert C. O’Brien (S, NPR) • “Inside Out & Back Again” by Thanhha Lai (CSM, NPR) • “My Side of the Mountain” by Jean Craighead George (CSM, NPR) • “Walk Two Moons” by Sharon Creech (CSM, NPR) • “Wonder” by R. J. Palacio (CSM, NPR) • “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card (CSM, NPR) Other recommendations • “Through My Eyes” by Rudy Bridges (S) • “Lincoln: A Photobiography” by Russell Freedman (S) • “Rules” by Cynthia Lord (S) • “Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon” by Catherine Thimmesh (S) • “A Single Shard” by Linda Sue Park (S) • “Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices” by Paul Fleischman (S) • “Hold Fast” by Blue Balliett (CSM) • “I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World” by Malala Yousafzai and Patricia McCormick (CSM) • “Revolution is Not a Dinner Party” by Ying Chang Compestine (CSM)

• “Legend” by Marie Lu (CSM) • “March: Book One” by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell (CSM)

Ages 11-14

Staff recommendations • “The Giver” by Lois Lowry (MK) • “Hatchet” by Gary Paulsen (MK) • “Holes” by Louis Sachar (MK) • “A Long Way from Chicago” series by Richard Peck (MK) • “Catherine, Called Birdy” by Karen Cushman (MK) Highly recommended • “A Wrinkle in Time” series by Madeleine L’Engle (S, CSM, NPR) • “Harry Potter” series by J. K. Rowling (S, CSM, NPR) • “Anne Frank the Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank (S, CSM, NPR)

Teens

Staff recommendations • “The Perks of being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky (AH) • “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald (AH) • “Ember” series by Sabaa Tahir (AH) • “Warcross” by Marie Lu (AH) • “All the Bright Places” by Jennifer Niven (AH) • “The Hobbit” by J. R. R. Tolkien (MK) • “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee (MK) • “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury (MK) Highly recommended • The Lord of the Rings series by J. R. R. Tolkien (CSM, NPR) • “The Outsiders” by S. E. Hinton (CSM, NPR) • “American Born Chinese” by Gene Luen Yang (CSM, NPR) • “An Abundance of Katherines” by John Green (CSM, NPR) • “Looking for Alaska” by John Green (CSM, NPR) • “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson (CSM, NPR) Sources: Staff recommendations: Mike Marturello (Herald Republican editor and father to Rollie), Ashlee Hoos (Herald Republican reporter and mother to Carsen) and Megan Knowles (online and special sections editor) National Public Radio: “100 Must Reads for kids 9-14” (https://www.npr.org/2013/08/05/207315023/the-ultimatebackseat-bookshelf-100-must-reads-for-kids-9-14) Scholastic: “Top 100 Childrens Books of All Time” (https://www.scholastic.com/100books/pdf/Top_100_ Childrens_Books_of_All_Time.pdf) CommonSenseMedia.org: “50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They’re 12” (https://www.commonsensemedia. org/lists/50-books-all-kids-should-read-before-theyre-12) and “Award-winning Books for Teens” (https://www. commonsensemedia.org/lists/award-winning-books-forteens)

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Kickoff to Summer

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May 23, 2019

Keep wildlife wild on your summer journeys

BY MATT GETTS

mgetts@kpcmedia.com

Late spring and summer are perfect seasons to get out and enjoy nature.

Jessica Merkling, a wildlife biologist with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, has some simple words of advice when that trek outdoors leads to an encounter with a wild animal.

“Let wildlife be wild,” she said.

The good news for residents of northeastern Indiana is that there aren’t many dangerous animals that are a legitimate concern, such as bears and mountain lions in other states.

Northeastern Indiana is home to some venomous snakes, but “it’s not very likely you would encounter one,” Merkling said.

But if you are walking along a river’s edge, near a lake or are on one of the area’s many trails, encounters with wildlife might happen. Merkling said sightings of animals such as deer, song birds, raccoons, opossums and squirrels are relatively common.

A good rule of them is something many a parent has said to a young child: Look, but don’t touch.

All animals can bite, Merkling said.

Coming across an animal such as a raccoon or skunk may happen on a trail or in the woods. In either case, trapping the animal without an escape route is a bad idea, Merkling said.

“You definitely don’t want to corner it,” she said. “You want to give it a place to go.”

If the animal you suddenly see in the middle of the trail is a raccoon, she suggested bringing a tin can with some coins in it to scare it away. Waving your arms and shouting can also be effective.

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If the animal stays put? “Just walk away,” she said.

It’s a different situation if it is a skunk.

“You don’t want to spook it,” she said. “Don’t sneak up on it. Give them a wide berth.”

A skunk’s first line of defense is not to spray, she said. First, the animals might bare their teeth or make threatening sounds.

Finding a very young animal of any type may tug at the heartstrings, but Merkling said touching or picking up any wildlife is a bad idea.

If you encounter a baby animal alone, remember: • Adult animals rarely abandon their young. The parent may be out of sight gathering food. Leaving young unattended is normal for many species.

To minimize discovery by predators, adults return only a few times a day.

“Mom will return later,” Merkling said. “The best chance of survival for wildlife is to be left in the wild.”

• Do not hover to see if a parent has come back to their young. An adult animal will not come near if a person is standing nearby. Give young animals space and only check back periodically.

If you can’t tell if a mother has checked on a nest, place straw or grass over the nest and return later to see if it has been disturbed.

• Baby animals should not be handled. Though human scent may not cause parents to abandon their young, it can alert predators to the young animal’s presence. They can carry diseases or parasites that may transfer to people.

Young animals can also inflict damage by biting or scratching people trying to help.

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If you encounter a skunk in the wild, DNR wildlife biologist Jessica Merkling recommends giving it a wide berth.

Rescuing young wildlife is legal; keeping them is not. You can rescue truly orphaned and/or injured wild animals without a permit, but the animal must be given to a permitted wildlife rehabilitator who is trained on how to properly raise and release the species within 24 hours. A list of wildlife rehabilitators is available at wildlife.

IN.gov/5492.htm.

You cannot obtain a wild animal possession permit for a young animal collected from the wild.

For those people who want to see more wildlife on their rural properties, Merkling suggested planting native grasses and flowers, or maybe piling up brush as habitat for rabbits.

“That’s the best way to attract wildlife to your properties,” she said.

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©KPC Media Group Inc. • kpcnews.com

May 23, 2019

Kickoff to Summer

9

Improving golf performance is possible

BY KAYLA BRENNAN

kbrennan@kpcmedia.com

Now that warmer weather is almost upon us, more and more people will be heading to the golf course.

Not all of us are great golfers, but improvement is possible. There are many ways to make your golf game better — hire an instructor, watch videos, read books — but here are some tips from a professional.

Head Golf Instructor at Noble Hawk Golf Links Mike Pasquali suggests ample playing time for all people, especially beginners.

“With this game, a person needs to play a lot,” Pasquali said. “So one thing is getting out and playing. With beginners and most players, fundamentals are very important.”

Like most sports, fundamentals — which in golf includes a person’s grip, stance, posture and swing — are key.

Those are the aspects of the game that Pasquali focuses on when teaching his lessons.

“When I am instructing any level, I

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want to make sure that the fundamentals are right, and that will allow you to swing the golf club correctly and have the power and the accuracy that you want,” Pasquali said.

Like the old saying goes, practice makes perfect and Pasquali believes this to be true. When he is giving lessons, if someone comes for their first lesson and doesn’t practice again and comes back for a second lesson, they “pretty much have to start over.”

“It’s very important, if you want to get better, to practice,” Pasquali said.

If someone can’t make it to the golf course to play an entire game, he said the driving range is a helpful alternative.

“It’s a great way to learn how to hit the golf ball,” Pasquali said. “When you are playing, you are seeing your target and trying to make it go there, then getting the ball in the hole as quickly as you can. The driving range is where you improve your golf swing.”

He said that it is tough to improve a swing on the golf course.

How a person grips the golf club is

the first fundamental Pasquali works on with people. There are all kinds of videos and photos online that will show people what the proper grip is, but during his classes, he usually starts off swinging one hand at a time. For people with a bad grip, he said it takes a lot of work to get it corrected.

After the grip he works on stances.

People should have their feet shoulderwidth apart with a slight bend of the knee, bending over slightly at the waist. When swinging back, a player should have a full shoulder swing, depending on the shot, with a full follow through.

He said if people want to research how to become a better golfer online, there are many different reliable sources to choose from. But he suggests to pick one specific golfer to learn from.

“There are a lot of different philosophies out there, so if people jump from person to person, it gets confusing,” Pasquali said.

Pasquali said most people who come to see him have issues with putting.

They have a difficult time judging the contours of the green, called breaks, and where the ball will go depending on where it is hit. They also struggle with how hard to hit the ball when putting. People struggle with distance first, then accuracy second.

“We will stand in front of a hole and talk about the speed of the club,” Pasquali said. “The swing should be a smooth flow with the same speed going back as it is going forward.”

He said not to hit it too hard and just make the swing as smooth as possible.

A suggestion he gives is to find a flat surface and just put.

Then he will work on the short game such as chipping and getting the ball out of a sand bunker. Last, he will work on the long game.

“A lot of people that come see me slice the ball,” Pasquali said. “They lose a lot of distance that way. That is where I will work on their grip.”

There are many different ways to improve someone’s golf performance, but if there is determination and effort, it can be possible.

10

Kickoff to Summer

kpcnews.com • ©KPC Media Group Inc.

May 23, 2019

Call 811 before you start digging

METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION

BUTLER DAYS FESTIVAL Aug. 8-9-10, 2019 Downtown Butler __________

Fireworks return!

Check out our Butler Indiana Happenings Facebook page for more information and how you can help! __________

Please call Kelly Davidhizar at (765) 631-2899 or Angela Eck at (260) 868-5200

CONTRIBUTED NIPSCO urges customers and contractors to call 811 at least two business days prior to starting any digging project.

Calling 811 is not only crucial for your safety and the safety of others — it’s the law. Digging without knowing the approximate location of underground utilities can result in damage to gas, electric, communications, water and sewer lines, which can lead to service disruptions and serious injuries.

In addition to the risk of serious injury, not calling 811 could result in fines up to $10,000 and the cost to repair any damages.

Last year, NIPSCO reported about 900 instances where diggers struck their gas lines. Of those, 28% occurred because the person digging failed to call 811.

Once a call is made, a trained utility line locator will visit the dig site to mark the approximate location of underground public utility lines with paint or flags.

Whether you’re installing a mailbox, planting trees or performing any other outdoor digging project, NIPSCO encourages you to take the following steps: • Always call 811 or enter a request online at www.811NOW.com two business days before the start of any digging project.

• Tell neighbors, coworkers, family and friends about 811 if they discuss

their plans for an outdoor home improvement project with you.

• Plan ahead – Indiana 811 is always open. Just make sure you call at least two business days in advance of your project start date.

• Avoid starting projects until you’re sure all lines have been marked.

When you call 811, you will hear a list of companies that should respond.

• Choose another location on the property for a project if the original planned site is near utility line markings.

• If your excavation is within two feet of any marked facility, only use hand tools or vacuum excavation with extreme caution.

• If you have hired a contractor to complete your project, confirm that he or she has made a call to 811 before doing any digging. Don’t allow work to begin if the lines aren’t marked.

• After the site has been accurately marked, it is safe to begin digging carefully around the marked areas.

NIPSCO utilizes two outside companies to assist with marking underground facilities for customers — Utiliquest and Consolidated Infrastructure Group, LLC (CIG). Thanks to an enhanced offering, NIPSCO customers will now receive an electronic confirmation that their requested project area has been located.

Visit NIPSCO.com/811 for more information about 811.

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(260) 833-3902

©KPC Media Group Inc. • kpcnews.com

May 23, 2019

METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION

Tips for traveling with pets

BY METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION Many pet parents choose to include their four-legged companions in their travel plans. Bringing pets along can reduce the hassle of finding a pet sitter or a boarding service. Traveling with pets in tow also can be enjoyable for the entire family, including pets. Perhaps that’s why a recent study from AAA and Best Western International found that more than half of American pet owners take their cats and dogs with them when they travel.

Traveling with pets can be fun, but it means taking some extra steps when planning a trip to ensure pets are safe and content. Before anyone hits the road or soars into the sky, consider these tips.

• Acclimate the pet to the car. Conduct a trial run with your pet in tow to gauge how he or she handles a car ride. Start with shorter trips and build up. Assess how the pet reacts so you can make adjustments if necessary.

• Get a wellness check. Visit the vet prior to departing, particularly if you will be traveling far or abroad. Pack an updated copy of health and immunization records, as well as proof of ownership of the pet. Some countries require pet passports. Investigate if the destination country requires quarantine of the animal.

• Buy a quality pet carrier. Be sure to have a secure and comfortable pet carrier for your dog, cat or small animal. This can make travel safer for the animal. If flying, you may need to purchase an airline-ap-

proved crate. Mark the crate with identification information and contact numbers.

• Pack a pet-friendly kit. The ASPCA suggests bringing along food, a bowl, leash, a waste scoop, plastic bags, grooming supplies, medication and first-aid, and any travel documents. Pack a favorite toy or pillow. Bring along bottled water as well.

Drinking unfamiliar water can upset pets’ stomachs.

• Book direct flights. A direct flight reduces the likelihood a pet will be kept on the tarmac or spend even longer times in the baggage hold of the plane. A pets-only airline might be a good choice as well. For example, Pet Airways offers climate-controlled cabins outfitted with individual crates, and a flight attendant checks on the animals every 15 minutes. After landing, pets are given a bathroom break.

• Reserve pet-friendly lodging. Many hotel and motel chains now offer pet accommodations. For a fee you can have your pet stay in the room. There may be specific requirements, such as restricting the pet to a crate when unattended.

• Make sure microchip data is current.

Log into the service that coordinates with the pet’s microchip. Check to see that your address and phone number are current.

Consider adding temporary travel contact data so the pet can be reunited with you if it gets lost at your destination.

Pets are traveling with their owners more often than ever before. Travel safe and smart at all times.

Kickoff to Summer

11

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Kickoff to Summer

kpcnews.com • ©KPC Media Group Inc.

May 23, 2019

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This FREE tour takes you back in time to how pickles were made in the 1920s and how they are still made the same way today.

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