For the ultimate back-to-nature retreat, why not put in your very own swimming pond? An advancement in constructed swimming facilities, they combine environmental design, ecological systems, and bio-technology to create an innovative and complete garden feature.

Swimming ponds have been popular in Europe for over 20 years. Though new to North America, they have begun to take hold. They can be of particular value to us Canadians, giving us year-round enjoyment of our yard, as opposed to looking at an unsightly tarp for 6 or more months of the year.

A swimming pond, or natural swimming pool, provides pure, clear water with no chemicals.  The layout and design possibilities range from very formal to totally natural. Much more than just a ‘swimming pool’, a swimming pond enhances your landscape and is a natural draw for wildlife. You don’t have to ‘close it’ at the end of the swim season. It remains for you to enjoy throughout all of nature’s lifecycle.

A swimming pond is designed with the swimmer in mind, keeping water naturally crystal clear. It consists of two zones – a deep, central swimming area, and a shallower surrounding area with plants which are specially chosen to purify the water. It’s the division between the swimming area and the bio filtered ‘regeneration zone’ that makes a pond a natural swimming pool. The design produces water quality that will pass even the toughest of municipal 'drinking' water standards.

Installation costs for a swimming pond can vary, but if you like to DIY, you can save significantly. This is because much of the finished project is landscaping as opposed to construction. With a little instruction, you can take care of much of the planting and finishing yourself.

Check your local area for pool installation companies for ideas and costs. Plus speak with your municipal office for local rules and regs that govern installation of this nature.

Warmer weather and longer days have people all across Canada anxious to get outside and exercise. But after months of being confined to taking stairs two at a time to stave off total inertia, caution should be the first thing exercised. Start slowly to prevent injury and consider these points:

Good Equipment – If you’re serious about getting and staying fit, you will make full use of running shoes and an outfit. Good shoes are a must – ones that fit properly, are designed for the terrain you will encounter, and that address any known foot disorder. A properly ventilated suit will ensure comfort in inclement weather.

Fuel the Machine – If you are undernourished or ‘improperly-nourished’, you will find it difficult to sustain the mental or physical strength to reach your goal. Rather than fall prey to one of those fad diets, check with your doctor or a nutritionist about what makes sense for you.

Rest and Rejuvenate – Make sure you are providing your body with enough time to deal with the introduction of exercise by getting a proper sleep. If a good night’s rest eludes you, try diet adjustments like eliminating caffeine or see your doctor for advice.

Train Safe – If your exercise time is limited to the dark hours, be sure to wear reflective armbands or clothing to allow motorists to see you from a distance. Parks and pathways can be a safer alternative, as long as they are well lit.

Add Variety to Your Routine – take different routes to keep yourself from getting bored. It’s always a good idea to tell someone the route you plan to take, or write it down, in case of emergency.

Set Goals – Goals give you something to work towards and allow you to measure your success. Be sure short term goals are attainable. Once reached, give yourself a big pat on the back, then set new, tougher goals.

Enjoy the new healthier you.

We have heard it from just about every golf pro that ever played the game; the advanced technology in the clubs today has improved both distance and accuracy, making it easier to hit a good shot. But it’s more than just a case of throwing a bigger bag of cash at the problem. The way your clubs fit is even more important.

If you are serious about buying a new set of ‘sticks’, consider having them custom fitted so that your skill level, swing speed and body type can be properly taken into consideration. This involves a visit to a facility that is specifically designed for this analysis.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when looking for a good place to get custom fitted. Make sure:

• the test is performed where the entire ball flight can be viewed and analyzed. 
• your fitter checks the size of the grip you need, in case it needs to be built up to properly fit your hand size.
• the facility has a launch monitor to gauge your swing speed and ball spin rate off the club face. 
• they have an impact board and face/sole tape to measure the proper length and lie/loft of the club.

Pass these tips on to anyone you know who is planning on replacing their clubs.

March Break Activities for the Kids
The Canadian Family site has some wonderful ideas to help occupy those March break days with the children at home. I always try to have some things planned to break up the week. Don’t forget to leave some time for the kids to play with other kids, too.

Irish Recipes
On St. Patrick’s Day, They say we all have a little Irish in us. We have some Irish friends in town that weekend, so I thought I’d test my culinary mettle by whipping up some traditional Irish stew. There are lots of other Irish recipes here, too.

Easter Eggs Techniques
For our family, making Easter Eggs is a tradition that I don’t ever want to see end. There is something peaceful about decorating eggs – perhaps because they all seem to look good even when they don’t turn out as expected. There are lots of different ways to make amazing eggs. We found this site had some great tips.

Tree Pruning
My husband used to do all tree pruning in our yard. That is, until I found out how easy it was and how rewarding it can be. Now, I’m the one with the shears in my hand come springtime. Check out this site for some helpful tips and information about how and when to prune.

Easter was originally a pagan festival. The ancient Saxons celebrated the return of spring with an uproarious festival commemorating their goddess of offspring and of springtime; Eastre.

Fittingly, two widely popular symbols of the modern day Easter celebration also originated with the pagan festival of Eastre; the Easter Bunny and the Easter Egg.

The Easter Bunny came about because the goddess Eastre’s earthly symbol was the rabbit. The Germans brought the symbol of the Easter rabbit to North America. Though shunned and ignored at first, the Easter Bunny caught on in part because of its natural appeal to children.

As for the Easter Egg, it predates the Christian holiday of Easter. Eggs were exchanged in the spring for centuries before Easter was first celebrated by Christians. The egg was considered a symbol of rebirth in most parts of the world. Peasants would create brightly coloured eggs by boiling them with the leaves or petals of certain flowers.

Happy Easter!

Refilling inkjet cartridges has become common place for many computer printer owners. Refilling is environmentally-friendly and cheaper than buying new cartridges. But there can be pitfalls to this solution.

The number one refilling problem is waiting too long to refill your cartridge. If you wait until the printer runs out of ink, it may be impossible to reuse that cartridge. That’s because inside just about all inkjet cartridges is a built-in print head with a foam sponge. When a cartridge runs dry, that sponge can dry up, especially when the cartridge is removed from the printer.

Once the sponge has hardened, the cartridge is useless. Even if you refill the cartridge before the sponge becomes completely dried out, coagulated ink can clog the microscopic jets in the print head. 

A better solution is to refill the cartridge before it runs dry. Topping off the cartridge every 200-300 sheets ensures that the cartridge always has ink in it, and it will eliminate the chance of the sponge drying out.

St. Patrick’s Day is upon us. March 17th will bring out the green once again, and guarantee fun-loving celebrations in all parts of the country. Perhaps that’s because roughly 20% of Canadians trace their ancestry to Ireland – even more on St. Patty’s Day.

The Irish have had a strong impact on the Canada we know and love today, but perhaps it’s their literary contributions that stand out the most. You have no doubt had the opportunity to enjoy some of the wonderful stories and poems of Irish authors, but did j’a know these useful Irish proverbs?

• Both your friend and your enemy think you will never die.
• It's not a delay to stop and sharpen the scythe.
• May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live.
• A good retreat is better than a bad stand.
• A scholars ink lasts longer than a martyr’s blood.
• Man is incomplete until he marries. After that, he is finished.
• "Nil aon tintean mar do thintean fein." There's no fireside like your own fireside.
• You've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your father was.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

"For everything you have missed, you have gained something else; and for everything you gain, you lose something."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Marbleized Easter Eggs
Mina, age 13, says “Okay, these are the coolest eggs ever! My friends and I made a bunch for the kids in the grade 1 class in our school and they were so impressed. I was, too. I didn’t think I could make something that cool. They look like they were made by a professional, but they are so easy.”

President Paintball
Dougie, age 12, says, “In President Paintball you have to pick one of the candidates for the next American election.  Then you get to shoot paintballs at one of the other candidates until their health runs out.  While you are shooting you have to avoid being shot by the opposing player using the arrow keys to move and hide behind barriers.  This game is really fun to play.”

St. Patrick’s Day Word Ladders
Fiona, age 8, says, “I’m good at word ladders. Once you get the hang of it, they’re easy. These one are for St. Patrick’s Day. I can do the medium level ones.”

Even More Bloons
James, age 10, says, “Even More Bloons is a game of strategy and adventure. You control a monkey through a series of levels popping balloons and gaining points. You can also find different power-ups like a retrievable boomerang, three dart spread, eight dart spreads, bombs, mines and popping platforms. It’s big-time fun!”    

Don’t forget to move your clocks ahead one hour on March 9th as part of our accelerated daylight saving time in Canada.

Sheesh - maybe the saying should be ‘Winter Forward and Fall Back’.?!

Planning on sprucing up the place for spring? Here are a couple of useful tips that may come in handy:

• Rusted metal furniture can be made like new by rubbing it down with turpentine.
• Clean your washing machine by filling it with warm water and adding a gallon of distilled vinegar to it. Run the machine through the entire cycle to unclog and clean soap scum from hoses
• If the interior of your dishwasher is looking blue or brown, fill the detergent dispenser with Tang powdered orange drink and run the dishwasher through a full cycle to get it looking brand-new.

"Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing." ~ Phyllis Diller

"Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush." ~ Doug Larson

"A Canadian psychologist is selling a video that teaches you how to test your dog's IQ. Here's how it works: if you spend $12.99 for the video, your dog is smarter than you." ~ Jay Leno

"Be careful about reading health books. You might die of a misprint." ~ Mark Twain