Michiana House and Home - April 2024

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editor’s note...

Who knew the groundhog would be correct and spring would actually arrive early? Frankly I’ve always questioned whether Punxsutawney Phil seeing his shadow, caused by flashbulbs going off, was a legit prediction. But the early arrival of spring flowers such as daffodils seems to prove he was correct this year.

This issue is packed with lots of cool stuff for spring. BethAnne Brink-Cox researched articles on both composting and landscape planning. Now that the weather is warming up it’s time to think about getting out and planning what needs to be replaced and if garden beds need to be expanded.

Julie Young found some interesting info about the upcoming eclipse. I can’t believe it was nearly 8 years since the last eclipse. My colleagues in the office and I had a blast checking out the last eclipse through those cool glasses.

With the arrival of the warmer weather, many of us are spring cleaning, which also means getting the furnace/AC serviced as well as other appliances around the house. Dani Messick wrote stories on when to call for help and how long you can expect to wait for the repair man to come.

Master Gardener Susie Klepinger composed a really interesting piece on succulents. I’ve been interested in succulents for a while, just didn’t know too much about them. Her article actually inspired me to pick up a small one, along with an air plant, to provide some greenery on my desk at work.

Around my house, I’ve been busy spring cleaning and purging closets. Ace and Bromley have been more interested in cat napping than supervising the process. They’ll have their own adventure as soon as I get them on flea and tick meds. The plan is to purchase leashes and harnesses for them so I can take them outside to explore.

Enjoy this month’s edition!

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20 years of bathroom trends

By Julie Young House and Home Feature Writer

Once upon a time, a bathroom’s most luxurious amenity was its location in the house. However, the space once used to do one’s business and wash up has evolved into a place that reflects a homeowner’s personality and lifestyle. Today’s bathroom is a spa-like retreat with upgraded features that makes a bathroom remodel one of the best home improvement investments homeowners can make. But have the trends changed all that much in the past 20 years? Surprisingly the answer is yes!

Looking back on before

In the early 2000s, homeowners could not get enough of spas and Jacuzzi tubs as well as water closets and huge vanities designed to accommodate more than one user at a time. They were also embracing nautical themes and Tuscan style elements that

gave folks a getaway that wasn’t far away. While the water closet remains a popular option in today’s builds, Jacuzzi tubs have gone by the wayside. Frustrated with pumps and motors that failed over time as well as the less-than-hygienic jets, have caused homeowners to turn to freestanding tubs that offer the ability to soak without worrying that the inner mechanics will go on the fritz.

By 2010, the bold colors, nautical decor and hint of Tuscany were eschewed for a more minimalist look that was easy to clean. Homeowners also opted to jettison the bathtub in favor of a large walk-in (or roll-in) shower that not only looked great but also gave them the ability to age in place.

Future looks bright in baths

Today, the amenities of yesteryear have evolved to include the best features of before but definitely offer more of a forward-thinking approach. One of the biggest is the “wet room,” an open concept bathroom that offers level flooring, no tray or door in the shower, free floating vanities and commodes to prevent water from puddling around the space. The wet room is a perfect solution for those

who want greater accessibility and a luxurious feel that is still easy to clean.

Smart home features also abound in the bath with automatic toilet seat warmers, TVs in mirrors, lighting, as well as heated floors and towel racks. Designers say homeowners are turning to more eco-friendly elements in which they can control the water temperature, flow and timing. While a vintage bathroom may cause a few people to cringe, designers say vibrant colors and detailed motifs are making a comeback.

Like kitchens, bathrooms are also being defined by a blend of sleek modernity and rustic charm. Homeowners are looking for ways in which to use reclaimed wood to create state-of-the-art vanities and complementing their spaces with natural materials and a bit of greenery.

Ready to try?

If you are considering a bathroom remodel or redo for 2024, consult with your designer about what elements to keep and where you can update the existing space. You are only limited by your imagination and budget and even if you put off the project for a few months, you’ll still have a luxury your great-grandparents didn’t: an outhouse that’s in the house! n

Landscape planning

How

to pick an expert to work with

By BethAnne Brink-Cox House and Home Feature Writer

When asked to choose a favorite season, I can’t. I love all four of them, except for the few weeks when snow is gone and grass and greening hasn’t started yet. That’s

If this isn’t something you can do for yourself, for whatever reason, what are your options?

Well, you choose a good landscaping company and there are many in the area. But you have to start on it as soon as you think of it. Heather Larson, operations manager at Horizon Landscapes, LLC in Pierceton, said, “Normally we would like for customers to contact us during November, December or January, because as soon as the weather gets nice we start getting booked up early.”

When asked what they think is their very best offering, Larson said, “I would say a lot of what we do here is based on word of mouth which is everything.” She added, “We have a lot of returning customers, year after year, and sometimes they’ll recommend us to others. It just kind of spreads, so our quality is very

important, more than quantity, really.”

Larson explained that as much as designing new projects, “We get requested a lot because we’re very big on maintenance. Sometimes people will put in softscape but they’re too old to do the upkeep so they need us to do the mulching and other things, and we do.” And this business has a heart for their employees, as well. They offer snow removal services through the winter, but, Larson explained, “It’s not really a big profitable part of our business. It’s to make sure our employees have enough to do through the winter. We want to keep them all year long!”

Dave’s Lawnscaping, a family business in Middlebury, has a lot of business, too. Linda

the time to start envisioning flowerbeds and window boxes, maybe planning a bigger project than usual so you’ll really enjoy being outdoors again. Seed catalogs start looking mighty fine and you take notice when you start to see bedding plants and small shrubs available.

Borntrager is the receptionist for this business of “30 years! And all with the same family. I’m the first line of defense!” She said they also have customers who return year after year, which is always the mark of a good business.

Borntrager had no trouble answering when asked what she thought the business does best. “Professionalism, dedication, working with customers on their design and their dreams and giving a result that they look forward to spending time with. Also, we offer a full service greenhouse and nursery for doit-yourselfers and a wide variety of plants and trees and shrubbery are also offered by our company as well.” She echoed Larson, “We are already booking for spring and filling up quickly. We are waiting a little bit on

warmer weather to do lawn installations but we have four of those ready to go!”

After the quarantine, everyone was more eager than ever to get outside again. Borntrager said, “We were busy even during that quarantine, busier than ever! No one wanted to be stuck inside anymore. Graduations, open houses, weddings, Memorial Day, Fourth of July parties–people like to have things done by a certain time. We just enjoy helping people have a beautiful yard.”

Next time you’re out driving around, take note of landscaping and yards you find particularly appealing, not only to get some ideas but also to choose the designers of those and make them your own. Here comes summer, before you know it! n

Making A Space —

Are you looking to convert a closet into a cozy corner where you can scrapbook and sew? Do you require more square footage for larger (or messier) projects? Do you need a space for multiple crafters or simply a solo studio? Do you specialize in one discipline or do you have multiple passions? If so, then perhaps you need a craft room!

PURGE THEN PLAN

Curating a maker space that is both functional and inspiring requires thought, planning and room for adjustment. The more you know how you plan to use the space and what kind of room you need, the more prepared you will be to create efficient work zones that will guarantee productivity.

“With designing craft rooms, one should keep in mind the type of crafting that the client is into,” said Myra Simpson of Myra Simpson Designs. “Whether it’s sewing, quilting, jewelry making or scrapbooking, the craft often dictates the space needed by each client.”

Before contacting a designer, experts suggest crafters take the time to go through their supplies and get rid of anything they no longer need: paints that have hardened, fabrics that have faded, scrap material that is too small or misshapen to be used, etc. When you evaluate the crafts you complete on a regular basis and which are no longer of interest, you can accommodate your needs and plan an appropriate space.

Of course, the central element is your workspace and it is important to find a table that will

allow you to work freely. In addition to a large task table, you may also choose to include a smaller one (with a drawer or cabinet) for detail work that can be easily straightened when your maker session is complete. You will also want to incorporate plenty of overhead and task lighting for the job at hand as well as easy to clean floors. While carpet can be vacuumed, luxury vinyl plank offers homeowners sweep-ability and wipe-ability (perfect if there are paints involved)!

ORGANIZE YOUR SPACE

Your organizational system will largely depend on the kinds of crafts you engage in and what storage model works for you. While a peg board can easily hold tools or multiple spools of thread some homeowners prefer open shelving so they can see what they have while others like to keep their materials behind a cabinet.

“I love to organize,” said Christine Doncaster of Doncaster Flooring and Design Center in Mishawaka. “Use clear jars, bins, or drawers to organize small items like beads, buttons and ribbons. I have taken a lazy Susan that sits on a table and put jars with paint brushes and supplies to make it easy to grab tools as I need them.”

You will also want to choose a décor that inspires creativity such as artwork, motivational quotes or a bulletin board for pinning ideas.

“Personal touches to make the space your own, such as photos, plants or favorite colors, are a great option,” Doncaster said. “Choose a color scheme that inspires creativity and promotes a positive mood.” n

By Susie Klepinger Michiana Master Gardener

Fashionable Houseplants Fashionable Houseplants

As a gardener, designer clothes have never been my priority, but fashionable plants....that’s another story. For the past few years, my favorites have been succulents When plant lovers discovered their many forms and colors plus ease of care, nothing could stop their popularity. Some basic care instructions will send you searching for your new houseplant craze and keep you from adding them to the compost pile.

First, a definition: The word succulent means “juicy”. These plants store water in thick, fleshy leaves, roots or stems. All cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. Cacti have areoles from which spines form, and other succulents do not. Cacti are native to the Americas, while succulent varieties grow all over the world in areas that are tropical, semi-tropical or desert.

Care instructions must begin with light requirements. These plants need bright to full sun indoors. Green plants such as haworthias are easier to maintain than those with colored pigment. The plants will stretch reaching for more light. Buy those that fit your circumstances in order to be successful.

Be sure to leave room at the top for watering. Loosen the roots gently if gnarled. Repot the plant when it is actively growing, not during a dormant season.

A container MUST have a drainage hole, and my preference is clay. It tends to breathe and let the moisture evaporate more quickly than plastic. It should be appropriate in size to the plant, NOT too large as many of these plants are shallow rooted. An additional suggestion: Wait a few weeks before repotting. Give the plant time to get used to its new surroundings. I cover the draingage hole with a piece of window screen to keep the soil in, yet not impede the flow of water from the pot.

We have chosen the window spot and container, it is now time to mix our soil. Yes, I said “mix” because some amendments should be added to a storebought soil. Succulent soil must be well draining which means mixing in some perlite, grit, aquarium stone, or COARSE sand (not beach sand as it compacts). The reason for this exercise brings us to the next AND most important advice in our new growing experiment: Watering. This is the tricky part, but one saying is best: If in doubt, DON’T. How to know when? The general rule for succulents is to let dry, then drench. Stick your finger into the soil to literally feel if it is damp or wet, lift the pot, touch and look at the leaves. With all of these precautions, then use your best judgment. Also, if the plant is in a dormant period, it will need water less often. For some, this could mean no water for a couple of weeks during the winter and once a week during the summer because of the increased light.

find beneficial. I was shocked one day to remove my plant from its pot after what I thought was a thorough watering from the top. To my surprise, the water had only gotten one-third of the way into the soil, leaving the basic rootball dry. I set the plant in water in its saucer for 15 minutes and let it soak it up from the bottom. (Remember osmosis?) A rootball check showed saturation had occurred.

When fertilizing succulents, I find the rule “weakly, weekly” during the growing season works well.

The final succulent growing advice is to watch for mealie bugs and scale particularly. Use a dab of rubbing alcohol on mealies and Neem oil for scale.

There are so many forms and colors from which to choose, one will never be enough. Enjoy, and, as always, use informational sources (Internet, library, hometown growers) to increase your knowledge. and your collection. n

Taking all of these factors into consideration, it may be time to water. A new trend has developed that I

By Dani Messick House and Home Feature Writer

SICK? Is your house making you

With a long history of helping homeowners with a variety of concerns around the house, longtime inspector Calvin Bolt, of Warsaw, spoke to Michiana House & Home Magazine to explain just a few of the things that can make homeowners feel sick inside their own homes.

The most common culprit of recurring sickness within the home for any homeowner is mold.

“That’s the thing I get the call on the most,” Bolt said. “If you’re smelling a musty smell that’s a possible symptom of mold in your house. If you see something on the wall or floor that you haven’t seen before, that’s a reason to call a consultant.”

Many inspectors today offer mold inspections using air sampling to determine exactly what’s in the air. Mold often comes from leaks in plumbing or roof, damp basements or high relative humidity in the home.

“There’s always mold spores in the ambient air, but if they have a chance to grow on something because conditions are ripe, then they get amplified,” Bolt explained.

The risk isn’t exclusive to older homes, though. Newer homes, even with air-conditioned basements, pose risks. Bolt recommends using a dehumidifier in all basements during the summer. Relative humidity should be at 50% or less. A hydrometer can be purchased to monitor. “Basements that are kind of moist most of the time are the culprit, as are crawl spaces,” Bolt said. “Air travels from the lower levels of the home to the upper levels of the home.”

Basement walls can also suffer from excess moisture if downspouts aren’t far enough away from the home, are clogged, or if the ground doesn’t slope away from the foundation. Attics can also suffer from mold due to a lack of insulation or ventilation.

Wells should also be tested annually for bacteria, nitrates and nitrites.

To protect against carbon monoxide, gas appliances should be checked once per year.

“Sometimes a vent can come loose and then can emit carbon monoxide into the basement or the attic,” Bolt said. Potential gas leaks can come from the furnace, water heater, gas stoves and gas fireplaces. Clogged chimneys can also create a risky situation. All flues should have an animal guard and a rain cap.

Bolt also says every home should be tested for radon gas. It’s a radioactive gas that, like carbon monoxide, has no smell, color or taste, that comes from the decay of uranium in the ground.

Homes that are positive for radon should have a radon mitigation system installed. If tests show radon above 4.0 pCi/L, the home should be tested

every two years, and if below, every five.

There are a few other unlikely gases that can make you sick.

“I discovered methane gas one time on an old farm,” Bolt added. “I suspect it had to be from the hog operation they had years ago.”

Lead paint is also a risk, as is asbestos. Both have simple mitigation techniques. “If it’s okay, don’t touch it,” Bolt said of asbestos. “Either encapsulate it or enclose it. You paint over it if it’s in your walls, or you put paneling over it, but you should really call somebody before you start dealing with that. If it’s in a deteriorated state, that’s when it’s a problem.”

The same is true for lead paint. Paint over it. Bolt said that while asbestos or lead can be removed, only certified specialists should attempt it. n

When it comes to interior paint,

any hue will do

By Dani Messick House and Home Feature Writer

How do you decide what colors to paint your home? Forbes suggested that just about everything under the sun will be popular this year from sleek monochromatic modern kitchens to whimsical bold nursery rooms.

“It seems the world is finally open to new designs and ideas,” Amanda Lauren wrote. “One of the most important trends is about not being on-trend. Creating warm, personalized spaces will be bigger than ever in the coming year.”

Pale blues or peach oranges on white are what’s popular right now, according to Better Homes & Gardens in March, but so are shades of black or olive accented by wood furniture, or jewel tones with brass or copper accents. Earthy greens, rich reds, and nutty browns can all be combined to create a customized homey space.

“While timeless shades (think rich neu-

trals) will never go out of style, designers are seeing tons of adventurous hues for the new year,” Good Housekeeping’s Alyssa Gautieri wrote in January.

It’s common for recently sold new homes to be pretty monochromatic, paintwise.

Dawn Evans, president of DeLuxe Painting, said the current trend is grayscale, but just a few years back, it was tan. Elle Decor wrote in December brown shades may be back, and veering toward caramel shades.

“I see things out there and I’m like, ‘Oh, I like that,’ and the next thing I know I’m doing that,” Evans said.

Evans said social media trends are strong indicators of how homeowners will choose to paint their homes.

“It’s not necessarily like it was say 20 years ago where you had the standard white walls, white trim, white closets. I think things have really changed to be more custom,” Evans said.

So how do you decide what to do?

ESP Painting’s Jeff Sommers wrote in October 2023 that single-color homes help to create cohesion.

“There’s no need to worry about coordinating different hues or wondering if that chartreuse will clash with the coral in the next room,” he wrote. “Choosing one color also simplifies decision-making. With thousands of shades available, settling on just one reduces mental clutter during what could be an overwhelming process.”

Sommers also notes a monochromatic home can help eyes move more quickly around a space, which positively impacts spatial perception, according to studies. On the other hand, a lack of color can bring the mood down.

“While simplicity has its appeal, it comes at the cost of variety,” Sommers wrote. “Different colors stimulate our senses in unique ways; by sticking to one hue, you may miss out on this diversity. Color psychology research suggests too much monotony might even affect mood negatively.”

Forbes predicts that this year, high-tech and nature-themed color themes will have

their day in the sun, while industrial and minimalistic designs will take a step back.

Specializing in new construction, Evans said while shades may vary, many people will choose the same color for the majority of a home, deviating occasionally with bedrooms.

Homeowners should choose design styles they like, though, and not only geared toward what’s popular.

“I think it’s more of a personal preference thing,” Evans said. “It all depends. If you are having a house that’s on water, you might go towards cooler tones, but people might go toward tan because that’s what they love.” n

You can turn more than you thought into

COMPOST

By BethAnne Brink-Cox House and Home Feature Writer

As strange as the winter and early spring weather has been so far, spring is coming and thoughts often turn to seed catalogs and gardening. If you’re going to do this, you will want to start composting, if you haven’t already! It’s not difficult at all.

Emily Kresca is the Kosciusko County Extension educator/Agriculture and Natural Resources, and she knows her stuff. Asked whether a compost pile in the corner of the yard, a barrel, bucket, bin–which would be best? she answered, “I think it can be up to how much time and space the person wants to do, working with compost. If you have an area where you pile up leaves and grass clippings, if you prefer something like compost bins that roll when you turn them, it’s kinda up to what the customer wants, really.”

Steve Koontz, of Keep It Watered, said, “For a while we just buried scraps in the garden, then eventually I built a wooden frame. You have to be sure to keep some space between the slats. And chicken wire can work, too.” He added, “Better to have it taller than wider so it gets hotter in the center.”

But what can go into compost?

Probably more than you’d think. Kresca said, ”A couple of months ago I did a workshop partnering with our local KC Recycling and Depot so I pulled up the list. Among the items were fruit and veggie scraps, coffee grounds, filters and tea bags, paper towels and their rolls, pizza boxes, muffin wrappers, flour and sugar bags, candies, cookies and sweets...”

And the list goes on. She continued, “Anything that has a BPI compostable label (Biodegradable Products Institute) is okay to add.”

Koontz agreed. “The best is anything that’s not meat; veggies, fruits, egg shells–but you have to wash them out and then crumble them so they’ll break down

faster. Meat, bones, no weeds or you’ll get weed seeds to use next year! Little things like banana peels are okay, but pull the tag off. No dairy.”

Having always heard that you’re not supposed to compost any kind of meat, fats or dairy–all of which were on Kresca’s list, we discussed that for a minute. The reason, it turns out, is those products are likely to smell as they rot, and they can also attract animals! You’ll have to decide for yourself on that one.

When asked about some of the more unusual things you might not know, Koontz replied, “ I compost cardboard egg cartons. If we had a fireplace, I would put in some ash but not too much.” He’s right! Wood ash is alkaline, helping the balance of compost so it will be more acidic. Ash contains a significant amount of calcium, and it works as a substitute for lime. Koontz thought for a minute and said, “You need a combination of browns

and greens. Let grass clippings dry out before you add them. And if you pull plants that are diseased, don’t add them or that disease will spread.”

You can still compost in the winter, but Kresca and Koontz agreed, you don’t have the temperature and the heat so it will take a much longer time for everything to break down. When the weather is hot and dry, Koontz said he waters his compost, “because if it gets too dry in there, it slows down things breaking down!”

How much time until you have compost to use in the yard? Koontz said, “Probably 6 months or so. Start in the fall so you have something ready to use.” But even so, you can start one now. One thing you can do to hasten it is to cut or tear anything going in into smaller pieces, especially harder things like melon rinds. And remember, composting is one of the very best ways to recycle! n

Need a repair man for HVAC/electrical/appliances?

Patience is the name of the game

By Dani Messick House and Home Feature Writer

When Jeff Bradley, owner of Best Appliance Service, returned from his four-day vacation last month, he had over 100 missed calls.

“Some of them left me voicemails but they found someone else, some of them had questions. I try to get to everybody. I do at least call everybody back,” Bradley, of Mishawaka, said.

The appliance repair industry waits for no one, but repair techs suggest that perhaps they should.

When the weather cools down or heats up, and we turn on our heat or air conditioning for the first time, it’s not unusual for a fraction of us to realize something is very wrong.

“Everything we need to do is an emergency so there’s no wiggle room,” Dave Reuter, owner of Alliance Comfort Solutions said.

Bradley and Reuter have a combined nearly 70 years of experience and use two different methods to hone the art of scheduling clients and ensure they can get to all their customers as quickly as possible.

Bradley is the sole employee of his company, while Reuter mans a full staff of technicians. The size of the company matters, but so does the skill of the tech, as well as the time of year.

“I do about 60 calls a week,” Bradley said. “In the summer I could be out three weeks.”

In some situations, technicians can do sameday service calls, but what they can do depends on their time table and the work they need to do.

“There’s going to be a week coming up, the first week it’s 80 degrees, we’ll probably get about three days behind but that usually only lasts a week,” Reuter said.

And then there’s the supply chain.

“There’s a lot of new companies out there that promise next-day installation and they do that because they charge so much,” Reuter said. “There’s times where we’ll get five weeks behind on replacement stuff. We had a winter a few years back where we were like eight weeks behind….Usually that happens in the summer too. We’ll get four weeks behind on replacements.”

Customers can take advice from the men of the field, who’ve been around the block a time or two. Don’t go with the first company that answers the phone or the first available appointment. Be flexible with your repairman as repair times can vary.

“If a customer wants a certain time, it is 8 a.m. or nothing,” Bradley said. “That is the only time that I can say I’ll be there at an exact time. I pride myself on being on time.”

Bradley said he aims to spend 20 to 30 minutes on a basic call. At Alliance, Reuter said his team is averaging about an hour and 15 minutes.

Regardless, a skilled repairman who can get the job done right is crucial but it might take maneuvering to get the work scheduled.

Reuter recalled when he worked in the field. A man was paying him to drive nearly an hour and a half for repairs. When he asked him why he kept paying for the trek, the man explained other techs would tell him he needed to replace a whole appliance, but Reuter was able to

When

repair faulty parts, ultimately saving him money.

“We’re going to sell something to somebody sooner or later,” Reuter said. “There’s a whole lot of people out there taking advantage, replacing stuff you don’t need to replace…. Most customers have no idea what they’re actually paying for. It turns out they’re paying almost twice what they need to and when it’s a big ticket item, that’s a big deal.” n

it comes to finding a plumber,

Don’t wait

The best way to get a plumber out during an emergency?

Don’t have an emergency.

Jake Crist, owner of Crist Plumbing, Heating, and Electrical says planning ahead with annual inspections for all your appliances could help keep your repair technicians available for emergencies.

“It’s like an oil change, if you take care of your car you’re not going to have as many problems,” he said.

For his loyal customers on the scheduled service plan, Crist’s company tries to get its problems taken care of within 12 hours of a service call.

“When the A/Cs start up and we hit 70 degrees, we’ll start doing our maintenance agreement. I go into homes twice a year,” Crist said. “When I go out there and service equipment, our call values drop for emergencies and so we’re able to take care of calls

able to get them in the same day. Part of that is manpower.

“The bigger the company the easier it’s gonna be to get to people quicker. If you’re a one-man show and you’re really, really good, you’re going to do a lot of passing up on people because you just can’t keep up.”

Flexibility is key, and to Crist, flexibility comes from a good relationship with employees.

“I am a firm believer that if I take care of my people and I take care of my customers, I will not have a light workload,” Crist said. “If I have happy customers, I have happy employees that are going to be flexible and go the extra mile.”

Did You Know?

Brother sun and sister moon

By Julie Young House and Home Feature Writer

April 2024 is full of astronomical events that you won’t want to miss. From “America’s eclipse” to Spring celebrations we have the “skylights” of what’s to come and how they impact us here on Earth.

A “pass”ing holiday

Although it typically aligns with Easter, Passover kicks off on April 15 due in part to this being a Jewish leap year in which an extra month

There goes the sun

April 8, 2024, will see the first major eclipse of the sun since 2017 and the last total eclipse visible in the 48 contiguous states until 2044. Dubbed “America’s eclipse” by physicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, it will be the most viewed eclipse ever thanks to several major cities falling in the path of totality. Ready to make the most of the event? Here are a few tips:

· Not only will sky watchers in the central pathway get a glimpse of total darkness, but that glimpse will last for three minutes and 50 seconds.

· In 2017, only 12.25 million people in the US lived along the path of totality while this year, approximately 31.5 million will be able to see the total eclipse of the sun.

(29 days) is added to the calendar in order to keep pace with the seasons. When this happens, it can push mid Nisan (the month that determines the date of Passover past the second full moon of the Spring distancing the two holidays considerably.)

It’s a bird, it’s a plane

Designed to encourage folks to slow down, take a deep breath and look at things through a different perspective, National Look Up At The Sky Day is April 14. Looking for a way to celebrate this unique occasion with your family? Take a blanket to the park and watch the clouds go by. Count how many different birds you see or get involved in star-gazing. If the weather isn’t cooperating, you can also commemorate the occasion by listening to a skythemed playlist such as:

· Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds: The Beatles · Great Gig in the Sky: Pink Floyd · Wheel in the Sky: Journey · Spirit in the Sky: Norman Greenbaum · Skyfall: Adele · Skylark: Linda Ronstadt · Mr. Blue Sky: Electric Light Orchestra

· While proper eye protection is important before and after the eclipse, it is safe to look up during the moments of totality.

· Pay attention to the sights and sounds of nature as totality nears. Not only will shadows appear longer, but wildlife will act as if it is nightfall. You can also expect a 10-15 degree drop in temperature during totality as well.

· For indirect viewing use a pinhole projector to cast a shadow on the sidewalk to watch the eclipse as it happens. Just pop a hole into a sheet of paper and hold it out to the sun. (Do NOT look at the sun through the pinhole.)

· If you look closely, you might catch a glimpse of Venus and Jupiter during the period of totality.

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