Halloween Safety - Lets Keep It About Fun!

Remember getting all dressed in your costume to go trick-or-treating? Pure spooky joy. To keep it fun, everyone needs to stay safe. Here are some helpful hints to make sure your kids have a healthy and happy Halloween.

Have adult supervision. Accompany your kids if you don’t think they’re old enough to trick-or-treat on their own.

There is safety in numbers. If they’re old enough to trick-or-treat without an adult, tell your kids to stay in a group.

Map out your plan. Designate a route before your kids begin trick-or-treating, and make sure they stick to it.

Take the long way 'round. Have your kids trick-or-treat in areas where there are a lot of people around. They should also avoid taking short-cuts through alleys and parking lots.

Try tick-or-treat-friendly homes. Ensure your kids only visit houses with lights on. And, you might also suggest the houses they visit have some sort of Halloween decoration on the porch.
Stay outside. Make sure your kids don’t go inside someone’s house. They can get their candy from the porch.

Remain visible. Dress your kids in a bright costume so others can see them. If their costume is dark, have your kids wear reflective strips or carry a glow stick or flashlight.

Remember, shorter = safer, goes without saying but just in case you forget, ensure your kids’ costumes aren’t so long that they can trip over them.

Don't cover the face. Instead of masks, have your kids wear make-up so they can see better.

Quality-check treats. Check your kids’ candy before they eat it. Throw out any candy that is not in its original wrapper or looks like it has been tampered with.

Say "no" to strangers. Tell your kids to never accept a ride or go anywhere with a stranger.
Obey the law. Encourage your kids to follow all the regular rules for walking around. That includes looking both ways before crossing, obeying all traffic laws and using cross walks and crossing lights where available.

Have a great time! Make sure your kids have tons of fun and get lots and lots of candy. Please take photos (especially of first timers) and feel free to post them right here on the neighborhood page.

How to Garden and Co-Exist with Deer

As an avid gardener I understand the damage that deer can do to a season of hard work and dedication. Gardening comes in many forms. Most of us spend a great deal of time at this endeavor. Shrubbery can cost a great deal of money and require a certain amount of effort to maintain. So why let the deer come out at night and nourish themselves on your investment. Just one deer can do great damage to your front hedge in just one episode. Not very neighborly is it.

As a realtor, I stress the importance of curb appeal and visual balance. Buyers will sometimes walk away from a home if they don't like what they see. Forget about the fact that if a front hedge is unkept or eaten, I have had to do the old drive by and not even stop. Why? A well planned landscape design can cost more than $10,000 to purchase and install. That includes landscaping. Buyers generally avoid obvious costs going in. So how do we protect this integral part of our home investment?

I moved to Somers, NY in 1996 and I was going to do my own landscaping, lawn mowing and gardening. After 14 yeqars I have no regrets about it. But it did not take long to figure out that I lived in the middle of an established deer trail. That meant that my landscaping from time to time was fed upon. Now some people surround the shrubs with chicken wire fencing. This is just my opinion, but it looks terrible and does nothing for the curb appeal of a home. Electrified fences are good, but I can not opine to that way of thinking, especially that I only have an acre to protect. So I spent much time researching and have found that there are shrubs and plants that deer will not eat. This has been a particularly bad season for deer so I am getting serious now.

One thing to know is that deer dietary likes and dislikes run from neighborhood to neighborhood. Rhubarb is poisonous, but deer will eat it. Adding to the myth that deer (like sharks) will eat anything. So are there plants that they will not eat? Yes! Below is a list of plants that seem not to appeal to our friends. Remember, nothing is foolproof and deer if pressed will eat anything.

Annuals:

Oriental Poppy, Bee Balm, Peony, Jacobs Ladder, Lungwort, Sword Fern, Lavender, Gayflower, Lambsear, Russian Sage, Rose Campoin, Candytuft, Sweet Cicely, Marjoram, Spearmint, Maiden Grass, Obedient Grass, Trillium, Tansy, Speedwell, Yucca, Windflower, Columbine, Sea Pink, Goats Beard, Butterfly Weed, False Rockcress and Blackberry Lillies.

Shrubs:

Lilac, Tamarix, Spirea, Sumac, Eastern Red Cedar, Sweet Pepperbush, Barberry, Black Chokeberry, Butterfly Bush, Forsynthia, Mugho Pine, Smoke Tree, Cinquefoil, Bearberryand Serviceberry.

Keep in mind that there are many other species that are also available. Do your research and plan your landscaping and the rewards are far more than the effort. There is nothing that says more about your home than the love and work that you put into it. Another tip for avoiding deer is - DON'T FEED THEM! They will become accustomed to that and come back time and time again.

Happy Gardening!