Gardening • January 15, 2025

5 Essential Spring Yard Prep Tips to Boost Your Home’s Curb Appea

by Sara Dalicandro

Improving your home’s curb appeal starts long before the flowers bloom. Late winter and early spring are the perfect times to prepare your yard, inspect your gardening tools, and set the stage for a healthy, vibrant landscape. With a little planning now, you’ll enjoy beautiful results all spring and summer. Here are five essential spring yard prep tips every homeowner should know.

1. Prune Roses in Late Winter

Late winter is one of the best times to prune roses. Experts recommend trimming rose bushes before new growth begins to promote healthier, fuller blooms. Start by:

Cutting away any dead or diseased wood
Thinning out crowded areas
Opening the center of the plant to improve airflow and sunlight

Proper rose pruning helps prevent disease and encourages stunning blooms once spring arrives.

2. Plan Your Garden Layout Early

A well-designed yard begins with thoughtful planning. Late winter is an ideal time to map out your garden layout and evaluate your landscape. When planning your spring garden, consider:

Sun exposure throughout the day
Soil conditions and drainage
Native plant options
Proper plant spacing for growth

Pre-planning gives you time to consult with local nurseries or garden experts to ensure you choose plants that thrive in your climate and soil type.

3. Maintain and Prep Garden Tools

Your garden tools will work hard from spring through early fall, so now is the time to get them ready. Be sure to:

Inspect handheld tools for rust or damage
Clean and sharpen blades
Check power tools for safety and function
Replace worn-out tools before the season begins

Well-maintained tools make spring yard work easier, safer, and more effective.

4. Clear Winter Debris

Winter can leave your yard covered in branches, leaves, and other debris. Clearing this clutter is an important step in preparing your yard for spring. Remove:

Fallen branches
Dead leaves
Any debris that can harbor mold or pests

Once the area is cleared, add a fresh layer of mulch to protect vulnerable plants and prevent weeds from taking over.

5. Protect Early Spring Blooms

Some bulbs and perennials begin emerging before the last frost. To ensure your early bloomers stay healthy, keep an eye on temperatures and be ready to protect them from sudden cold snaps. Use:

Mulch
Frost cloths
Light coverings during freezing nights

This simple step keeps your first spring flowers safe and thriving.

Personal • December 15, 2024

The Book that Changed my Life

by Sara Dalicandro

It’s January so that means it’s New Year’s Resolution time! It usually starts like this: “This year, I’m going to work out every day!” or “This year, I’m going to start eating healthy” and the best one, “This year I’m going to stop drinking!”

We all have done it before and we all had good intentions when doing so. I mean, none of the things I mentioned above are bad, right? But usually by mid February (March, if you’re really dedicated) things start to go awry. And usually a few weeks after the first crack in the resolution, you’re back to your old ways and then you think to yourself, well, I’ll start again next year. At least that is what I would do…until I came across a book that changed my life.

Atomic Habits by James Clear (website)

James Clear breaks down the psychology of behaviors and offers clear steps to creating and breaking habits. He explains everything in a clear and concise manner that is easy to understand and offers anecdotes that illustrate his points perfectly.

Before you can begin the process of creating or breaking habits, you need to know what influences these behaviors to begin with.

According to Clear, there are 4 steps to any behavior:

Cue – Triggers your brain to initiate the behavior
Craving – Motivates you to do the behavior
Response – Actually doing the behavior
Reward – What you get out of doing the behavior

So why is it so hard to create good habits and why is it so hard to break bad habits? Well, a few things. Even though the intention is there, the plan is not.

In order to begin a habit and make it work, you need a plan. Resolutions are not plans, rather, they are goals. In order to reach those goals (getting in shape, stop drinking etc.) you need a plan to achieve those goals.

James Clear lays out a clear process of setting a plan in place so that creating the habits you want are easier to achieve and ones that you are more likely to stick with. His process has four steps.

Let’s say the habit is to lead a healthier lifestyle:

Make it Obvious
1. If you want to eat healthier, put healthy foods in the front of the fridge, right where you can see it when you open the door.
Make it Attractive
1. Give yourself a treat after you go for your daily 20 minute walk and only make that treat available AFTER your walk. Having something to look forward to linked to a particular habit makes you more likely to continue the habit.
Make it Easy
1. Make sure your sneakers and other gear is laid out and ready for when you go on your daily walk. This eases anxiety of looking for all your stuff (called friction in the book) which will make you more likely to go for your walk.
Make it Satisfying
1. Put a dollar away for every day your exercise. Once you hit a certain amount, buy yourself some new exercise gear or donate it to a charity. Do something that makes you feel good.

The point of following these steps is to create a habit that is attainable and long lasting. Each step is designed to help your brain release endorphins which makes you feel good and reinforces the habit.

This book changed my way of thinking about habits and forming good habits that last! I highly recommend his book and I also highly recommend his weekly newsletter 3-2-1 Thursday which offers 3 ideas from James, 2 quotes from other people and 1 question to ponder during the week.

What are your thoughts on habits and habit forming? Do you have a process that you use to keep you on track? If so, I would love to hear about it.

Home Life • November 15, 2024

Real Estate 101: Radon – what you should know about this deadly gas in your home

by Sara Dalicandro

Radon is a naturally occurring odorless gas that comes from soil and rock. High Radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. behind cigarette smoking.

How does Radon get in your house?

Radon enters the home through cracks and holes in the foundation. All homes have some level of Radon (including new construction) but some homes have excessively high levels and that is when it becomes dangerous.

Should you test your home for Radon?

You can test your home anytime for Radon, but most people test their home during the home buying process. It’s a really simple test and only takes a few days to administer and get results. If results come back with levels higher than 4 pCi/L (picocuries per liter of air), then you should get your home mitigated.

What if my home has high levels of Radon?

If your home has high levels, then you need to get a mitigation system. Contact a mitigation specialist to schedule installation. While you are waiting for the system to be installed, keep a window open in each room to make sure there is enough ventilation. (In Massachusetts, homes built after 2015 are required to have passive mitigation system)

To learn more about Radon, check out this infographic from the CDC and this Fact Sheet from Massachusetts Bureau of Environmental Health.

Things To Do • October 15, 2024

5 Unique places to fall in love with fall in Massachusetts

by Sara Dalicandro

Part of living in New England is the benefit of having real seasons with weather and landscape change. The fall is probably New England’s most beautiful time of year with deep, rich colors that pop-up seemingly overnight and cool, crisp weather that makes you excited to wear that comfy sweater you got on sale last year. What better way to enjoy this time of year than to get in the car and check out all the beautiful sights, sounds, and smells of classic New England.

Below is a list of five unique places to visit during the Fall right here in Massachusetts.

Honey Pot Hill Orchards Stow, MA – Pick apples, take a hayride, get lost in the corn maze, grab a few pumpkins, and enjoy some hard cider. There is all of that to do in the orchard while enjoying the beautiful views of nature.
Mohawk Trail – a 63 mile long road in northwest Massachusetts. It runs along the Berkshire Mountains (so be sure to stop and enjoy the views) and offers serene streams, the famous Hairpin Turn and even a museum at the end.
Summit of Mt. Greylock Adams, MA – With over 12,000 acres of forest, there are plenty of places to stop and enjoy the marvelous Fall colorsof this pristine mountain. At the summit, you can climb the 92 foot Veterans War Memorial Tower, have dinner and spend the night at Boscom Lodge.
Forest HIlls Cemetery Boston, MA – Cemeteries and Fall go hand-in-hand for obvious reasons, but the reason to visit this cemetery is not for the scare factor. Enter through the giant castle-like gate and check out the headstones that are more like sculptures, cement mini houses, ponds, and fountains. All of these sights are surrounded by breathtaking foliage and green space.
Bash Bish Falls State Park Mt. Washington, MA – Enjoy a serene, family and dog friendly hike right on the border of New York in Mt. Washington. An easy 2 mile hike in and out will lead you to a jaw dropping sight – a waterfall! Hike through trails that bring you by colorful trees, over large boulders, and down natural stone steps.

Whether you plan a specific trip to view the foliage or just decide to look at your backyard, be sure take a moment to enjoy the beauty of this season and be glad you live in New England.

Home Life • September 15, 2024

Cool Kitchen Island Ideas

by Sara Dalicandro

Unique Kitchen Island Configurations

Whether you’re hosting family and friends, or it’s just your immediate family, the kitchen island is inevitably the place where people end up gathering. A kitchen island ends up being a communal spot to enjoy coffee, hors d’oeuvres, a glass of wine and tell stories. A traditional kitchen island layout will work in nearly any kitchen design. Expanding an island to offer more space for sitting, lounging and prepping food will bring additional comfort to your leisurely mornings or long nights gathered around the kitchen island. Here are some unique kitchen island configurations to choose from.

Built-In Table at the End of the Island
If you find your family spending many meals at the kitchen island instead of the dining table, consider building a kitchen table directly into the end of the island. Whether you build a round dining table at the end of the island or a square dining table, remember to account for ample seating. Don’t shy away from going oversized to accommodate everyone comfortably and to make a design statement.

Double Island
A double island can be invaluable if you frequently host gatherings. One island can be for cooking and prep work, and the other can remain the hub for gathering around. Depending on your kitchen’s layout and space, the two islands can be next to each other or back to back.

U-Shaped Island
A truly custom look, this layout is meant for kitchens with ample space. An oversized u-shaped kitchen island offers enough room in the middle for a built-in banquette and dining table. This layout can take the place of a breakfast nook. A u-shaped island invites friends and family to meet around the table for meals, snacks, cocktail hour and game nights while still being in the middle of the kitchen island action.

Built-In Banquette
Building a banquette directly into the island is both a functional game-changer and a conversation starter. For example, adding a long banquette to the length of the island can be paired with a dining table as a place to gather around for meals. Or, a shorter banquette added to the end of the island can be paired with a smaller table, such as a tulip or pedestal table, for a more intimate space to enjoy your morning coffee.

Two-Tiered Island
If you don’t have the space for two kitchen islands, but you want to have a separate food prep area and food serving area, a two-tiered island will let you use the top tier for preparing food and the bottom level to set out hors-d’oeuvres and for guests to set down their drinks and plates. In addition, using different counter materials, such as marble on the top and wood on the bottom, will add visual interest.