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Homeowner's Halloween Horrors?
Not if you follow these Safety Tips
As Halloween creakingly creeps around the cobwebbed-corner, many of our thoughts will be on decorating, pumpkin-carving and costume-making. But, before the parade of ghosts and witches comes knocking on your door, here's a helpful list of things that you can do to keep your home and yard safe for all those anxious trick-or-treaters.
- Clear your yard of ladders, hoses, leashes, flower pots, low tree limbs, support wires and anything that could cause someone to trip.
- Be sure to keep your outdoor steps, porch and walkways well-lit.
- Use battery-powered jack o'lantern candles instead of a real flame.
- If you do use candles, keep them away from where trick-or-treaters will be walking or standing.
- Dried flowers, cornstalks and crepe paper are highly flammable. Make sure paper or cloth yard decorations can't blow into a flaming candle.
- Consider fire safety when decorating. Don't overload electrical outlets with holiday lighting or special effects.
- Remember to keep exits clear of decorations.
- Remind all household drivers to remain cautious and drive slowly through the community.
- This is also a great time to install fresh batteries in your home smoke alarms.
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Don't Let Your Pets Get Spooked!
Halloween can be a traumatic -- even dangerous -- experience for some pets. Here are some sensible tips to protect your pet on Halloween:
- Don't leave your pet out in the yard on Halloween. To a menacing prankster, an unguarded pet could be an easy target.
- Halloween candy is not for pets. Chocolate is poisonous to a lot of animals, and foil or cellophane wrappers can be hazardous if swallowed.
- Be careful that pets can't knock over a lit pumpkin. Curious kittens especially run the risk of getting burned.
- Don't dress your pet in costume unless you know he loves it. Otherwise, it puts a lot of stress on the animal.
- If you do dress your pet, make sure the costume isn't constricting, annoying or unsafe. Be careful not to obstruct her vision!
- All but the most social dogs should be kept in a separate room during trick-or-treating hours -- too many strangers in unusual costumes can be scary for a dog.
- Be careful your cat or dog doesn't dart out through the open door.
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Birds Like Hand-outs, too!
Feeding birds in the autumn and winter is rewarding and fun! Following are some helpful hints for satisfying our hungry feathered friends:
Bird Feeding n' Seeding Tips
Black oil and striped sunflower seeds attract the greatest diversity of seed-eating birds to your yard. Sunflower chips are more expensive but eliminate messy sunflower shells. Safflower is a white seed which squirrels and blackbirds don't eat but cardinals, chickadees, red-bellied woodpeckers, mourning doves and others will eat. The more expensive thistle seed is used to attract gold finches, house finches and purple finches. Mourning dove, junco and some sparrows will also eat thistle from a ground feeder or hopper. Peanuts in the shell and peanut pieces are especially attractive to jays, woodpeckers, nuthatches, titmice and chickadees. Roasted, no salt and no sugar, are the healthiest peanuts for feeding birds. Birds will even eat peanut butter! Spread peanut butter onto large pine cones, sprinkle bird seed over the cone and then hang it from a tree branch. The same birds that like peanuts also like suet or beef kidney fat. Both are high energy foods and are best during winter months. Whole kernel corn is eaten by blue jays, woodpeckers (and squirrels), while many ground-feeding birds prefer cracked corn. Be aware that cracked corn will rot when wet and that many mammals like to feed on corn.
Potential Feeding Problems
Unclean feeders or rotting, moldy bird seed can cause birds to get sick and spread disease to other birds. Be sure your bird seed is kept dry. Disinfect birdseed feeders with dilute bleach (10%) and water. Feeding songbirds may attract other animals to your yard. Raccoons, squirrels and mice come to feast on birdseed while hawks and cats come to catch a feathered meal. Be prepared to deal with surprise visitors at your backyard feeders.
And Another Thing -- or Two
Remember, fresh water is as important in fall and winter as in other seasons; special heating units can keep bird baths ice-free. Berry and nut producing plants are important sources of natural food. Shrubs and trees, especially those with thorns, are vital for roosting cover and protection from predators and stormy weather. Brush piles make excellent places for birds to hide and roost. Locate your feeders where you can see them but also near protective cover.
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The Trivia Block
In 1991, a home-buyer sued his realtor for selling him a haunted house! The New York appellate court declared that the house was indeed haunted, and made the realtor reverse the sale because she failed to disclose that the house she was selling was inhabited by ghosts.
Sounds like the home inspector forgot to mark 'yes' on the "Ghosts, Ghouls and Goblins" form!
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