DIY Life

I'm a green gardener. I'm loathe to use toxic chemicals in my yard. However, there are certain situations when only toxic will do. Like, for example, when I recently had to kill a tree. Read on if you're in the same boat and would like some tips. Oh, and be sure to check out my photo gallery, too!

The Camphor Laurel: An Invasive Pest

First up: a bit about the tree in question. The offending plant was a camphor laurel tree (cinnamomum camphora), a native of East Asia that has become an invasive pest here in the US and in other countries, like Australia. Yes, this plant is the source of stinky camphor oil, which is found in products like Vicks® cold remedies.

In my backyard, the camphor is a big pain-in-the-butt-plant. My nemesis. My arch-enemy. It self-sows everywhere. I must have pulled hundreds of tiny seedlings by hand since learning (the hard way) to be more vigilant. Hand weeding camphor seedlings is a nuisance, but it sure beats trying to eradicate them once they become established.

Polonium 210 has had a lot of news coverage lately. Unless you're a secret agent or are having trouble with your mob connections, you probably don't need to worry about this stuff. If perhaps you are a super secret agent, or have angered some "associates" then it's always worth being cautious. You can make your own Polonium detector and bring it along to your Christmas parties and pub crawling for the holidays. Here's what you'll need to construct a homemade detector:

1. 2 darlington transistors
2. LED
   
3. Homemade iron chamber
4. One or two resistors
5. Battery
6. power switch

Once completed, hold the device over your drink. If the drink is tainted the light will go on. The detailed assembly instructions have diagrams and pictures to help you along the way. I don't know how you'd test the accuracy of this homemade device without actually poisoning one of your drinks. If you're one of those paranoid types, or you actually have a reason to hide, then pack this little gadget along and stay safe.

It's pretty easy to stop your little one from eating things you don't want them to. A sharply stated icky!, yucky!, naughty! or no! will usually do the trick. However, how do you stop your child from ingesting a substance which you most likely can't see, such as lead?

I have here for you some excellent ideas and strategies from the Parent Center Newsletter for keeping lead out of your little one. If you have a toddler or know someone who does, you may wish to read the complete article.

Here are a few ideas for you: