As Earth Day celebrations come to a close, there are some simple ways we can keep our caring for the Earth in mind when completing simple home maintenance and repairs. We can all work to clean up the environment on Earth Day and with a small amount of effort, keep cleaning by making smart, green decisions. Here are my top five…

1. Recycle material.
Offer left over paint, replaced fixtures, or excess material to others. I love Freecycle.com where I’ve passed on a lovely pedestal sink that was too small, excess fence from enclosing a play yard, and received a stunning ceiling fan.

I am a beekeeper and I just came back from our monthly meeting where I was reminded by our lovely Honeybee Queen of the best tool. She keeps her tools in a cute cart with a tall handle -no bending over - and a fabric tool box of sorts with lots of pockets. (I soo need this!)

One of the first things she pulled out was a thin, well-used roll of duct tape.

Duct tape is the best - and yes I really am a girl. Many men in my life are aghast that I love the stuff - normally a favorite of folks of the xy persuasion.

With even more rain forcast for this weekend, I am planning on working on a few projects inside!

My trunk is cluttered and in need of cleaning out. The local boy scouts have a big tag sale (that's a yard sale for non-New Englanders!) and they take donations. I am going to start a box for them with all the junk in the trunk!

What was the strangest thing you found in your trunk?

1. Keep your tires inflated to the correct pressure.
This is the number one way to improve gas mileage. If you are unsure how to do this, check with your husband, father, best friend, or mechanic. Check your tires monthly and use your owner’s manual for the correct pressure.
2. Clean out your trunk.
Get rid of the extra stroller, the bike, etc. Every extra pound of weight lowers your gas mileage.
3. Change your oil regularly.

Spring always gets me. I feel the promise of longer days, warmer weather and dirt. I love gardening and plan more than I can usually accomplish. My vision is bigger than my time. Sigh.

This spring is different. My husband, the Wolf, has decided to active in gardening and my kids are old enough to want to plant seed -and- take care of their plants. Yeah!!