First, for those of you who love the hardy plants that bloom in the early spring and grow from bulbs, plant those bulbs now before the ground freezes. Then they will appear in all their glory when it begins to warm in the spring. (Hint: plant the bottom of any bulb about 4 times deeper than the bulb is wide and water once a week till the ground freezes.)

Apply appropriate fertilizer to trees, shrubs and lawns before the end of November. The plants use the fertilizer to produce new roots for next year. You should also water any new or fragile growth until the ground freezes so that they may be able to retain some of the moisture.

Remove all dead plant and vegetable matter, especially any diseased materials that might spread into the next season. Trim your perennial plants to within a few inches of the ground to encourage new and stronger growth next year. Throw all dying annuals on the compost along with any kitchen garbage. (If you don’t have a compost started you should get a good book from the library on it, and see why it is so good for your garden.)

Late fall is also a good time to test your soil for things like pH level and nutrient content so you can add whatever is necessary to improve it. Your compost, manure from a neighbors farm, bone meal, and various other organic materials can be put on your garden to improve the health of the soil as well as next years harvest. Preparing your soil now will give it plenty of time to absorb the nutrients and make it healthier before it’s time to put in a garden again. 

Several inches of mulch or compost (leaves, hay, etc.) added over the whole garden and let sit all winter will also improve the nutrient formation within the soil over the winter. When you are ready to plant, you can leave the mulch (and even add more), and then just peel it back where you want to plant your seeds/plants. (This method keeps out weeds, retains moisture and creates a haven for earth worms and other things that make healthy soil.) Or you can plow the mulch into the soil and proceed as usual.

Lastly, if you wish you can plant a colorful garden in cool weather that will last until the temperatures begin to stay in the 20’s at night. With mums, asters, pansies, ornamental cabbage and kale, pumpkins, gourds, field corn and millet and straw. So as you garden lovers can see, gardening need not be just a spring and summer affair.

SMLCA is a private non-denominational Christian school offering Biblical, college preparatory education to Kindergarten through 7th grade students in the Smith Mountain Lake community. The school offers a thorough academic curriculum including science, history, language arts, Latin, math, physical education, computer skills, and art/music. In addition, students participate in daily Bible study and monthly “adventures” such as kayaking, landscaping, wakeboarding, gun safety, culinary training, and publishing.

SMLCA students are privileged to have the leadership of exceptional instructors who are dedicated to both the education and character development of each student. Also, because technology is such an integral part of a secondary education and is a job skill requirement, each student is provided a personal laptop during the school year.

In order for SMLCA to continue to offer an outstanding education to children in the area, several needs must be met. SMLCA is currently holding classes at a local church, Halesford Baptist while students and staff await a new building. The academy has secured a plot of land and is in the planning stages of construction. We have already been blessed to have a building with 15 classrooms and two gymnasiums donated at cost but need to raise $500,000.00 in an initial capital fundraising campaign. Our goal is to begin the 2010 school year at the permanent location. As the school is currently in session, an additional $125,000.00 is necessary for classroom materials, scholarships and other operating expenses annually.

Your tax-deductable donation to SMLCA can provide the resources necessary to offer an invaluable classroom experience to children in the community. It would be our pleasure to partner with you to give financial aid to a student or equip the school with much needed resources. We ask that you prayerfully consider a monthly contribution of $100, $75, or $50. We are grateful for any one-time gift amounts. Click here to find out more about giving to SMLCA. 

Call us at 540.719.1192 or visit us on the web at www.SmlAcademy.com.

BAKED MINIATURE PUMPKINS

SUBMITTED BY: Kim Smith

INGREDIENTS

• 1 small sugar pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar (or honey)
• 1/2 teaspoon butter
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

You might be amazed at how many wonderful rental properties there are close by that you may have never seen. There are cabins, cottages, fully furnished homes, privately owned rentals and commercial ones, and of course hotels and inns in lovely locations.

If you are hoping for one more weekend jaunt and have not found what you are looking for, don’t give up. Check out the resources below and take the family for a fun getaway. Some of these wonderful rentals are even fantastic in the wintertime, if you don’t have time or money right now.

Smith Mountain Lake Vacation Rentals Inc.

CB Rentals and Sales

Smith Mountain Homes

Home Away SML Vacation Rentals

Lake Retreat.com

Vacation Rentals.com

All that fantastic ambiance is ruined however, if the fireplace does not work as it should. If you want to be sure your fireplace is winter ready, the 10 fireplace solutions by Rick Pocock (from Article City) will be a welcome read for you.

10 FIREPLACE SMOKING PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

There is nothing worse than coming in after a hard day and when you finally get a decent fire going, all you get is smoke coming back into the room. It burns the eyes and lungs, and you wind up having to open windows and doors to let the cold air in to air the room out. That smell gets into all of the fabrics in the house as well as in your clothes, and it seems to take forever to get rid of it.

Many of the common smoking problems deal with the fact that a fire needs to be supplied with a large amount of make up air as one of its three primary elements, as well as needing to have an adequate opening through the chimney to the outside in order to exhaust out the smoke and gases so that they don’t come back into the room. Below is a list of the top ten possible reasons and their solutions as to why you’re having that smoking problem.

1) Dirty or Obstructed Chimney– Have the chimney inspected and swept by a Certified Chimney Sweep so that the chimney can be checked for any obstructions such as a bird’s nest or tree branches, or your kid’s missing volley ball. Also, a dirty chimney cap will prevent smoke from freely exiting the chimney.

2) Closed Damper– Before starting a fire, always check to make sure that the damper is completely open. If you’re not sure, shine a flashlight up the chimney to see if the metal damper plate is open or closed.

3) Fuel– Cut firewood must be aged a minimum of one year. It should be kept dry and protected from the rain. If the log is larger around than 6″ in diameter, it should be split so that it burns efficiently. Also, some types of prefabricated “paper wrapped” logs can be prone to smoking.

4) Fire Grate Placement– The fire grate is where you place your wood in the firebox and should be placed as far back in the firebox as possible, preferably right against the backwall in order to create a good draw. Sometimes it’s necessary to raise the grate with bricks to help. This gets more air under the grate for better circulation and it also raises the height of the fire.

5) Chimney Not Built To Proper Dimensions-Many times the fireplace opening is too large or too tall, especially in relation to the chimney flue size. This can give smoke a choice of going up the chimney or coming into the room. The solution could be adding a metal smoke guard to the top of the fireplace opening, since it shrinks the size of the opening. Also, many two-sided fireplaces have inherent smoking problems due to their sensitivity to air drafts in the house. In this case you might think about installing glass doors. One more thing, if the chimney does not have adequate height, you may need to extend the height of the chimney to improve the draw.

6) Cold Weather– If the weather outside the house is either colder and/or raining, the air inside the chimney flue will be cold and heavy and block the smoke from venting out. In this case, it helps to ‘prime’ the chimney by rolling up a newspaper and lighting it, then hold the lit end close to the open damper inside the firebox for a minute or two to warm up the heavy air in the flue. Then you can light the fire and ideally should have a good draw.

7) The House Is Near a Canyon or Hillside– If the house is next to a canyon, hillside or slope, it can have smoking problems due to wind currents and downdrafts. The air is pushed down the chimney into the room. Many times a specially designed chimney wind cap will resolve this problem since the top part of it turns like a weather vane and the cap’s backside creates a barrier in the way of the wind.

Central Heating System– If the heater is on, you will lose the draw from the chimney which will cause a smoking problem. This is because the central air furnace is so strong that even if the air intake vent for the central heating system is not in the same room as the fireplace, it will suck the outside air down the chimney and will cause the fireplace to smoke when the fire is going. Do not run the heater when the fireplace is in use!

9) Air Pressure Difference– Because houses are built much tighter than they used to be, the air pressure inside the house can be different than outside the house and this will not allow for a proper draw of air through the flue as well as the fire not receiving adequate make up air. This will also happen if a house is retrofitted with new tighter windows and doors. To minimize the smoking problem, crack open a window or door (preferably at the same level as the fireplace) in the room.

10) Tall Trees and Buildings– A tall tree or added-on second story (yours or your neighbor’s) close to the chimney may change the wind currents and cause down drafts to go down through the chimney and not only cause a smoking problem but possibly an odor problem as well. Keep those trees trimmed! With the 2nd story problem, the solution will likely be to raise the chimney height, but in some cases the wind cap might help instead.

These at least hit the highlights of what could be the problem when dealing with that annoying smoking problem. There are other possible reasons for this problem, so if following the corrective actions presented here don’t take care of it, the best advice I could give would be to contact a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep in your area and put him to work figuring it out. Good Luck!

About The Author

Rick Pocock and his wife Terri are owners of Swede Chimney Sweep and Dryer Vent Cleaning in San Diego, California. For more information about the importance of having your chimney and dryer vent routinely inspected and serviced, visit their websites at http://www.swedesweep.comand http://www.dryerventsbyswede.com.

How is the Seller’s Credit Effected By a Shortsale?

Sellers will take as big a hit on their credit by going through foreclosure as giving the lender a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure. Points lost on a FICO score are as follows:

Foreclosure or Deed-in-Lieu of Foreclosure
Both of these solutions affect credit the same. Sellers will take a hit of 200 to 300 points, depending on overall condition of credit. This means if a seller’s FICO score before foreclosure was 680, it could dip as low as 380.

Short Sale
The effect of a short sale on a seller’s credit report is identical to that of a foreclosure. The ding on credit will show up as a pre-foreclosure in redemption status. Which will result in a loss of 200 to 300 points. This means a short sale with a previous FICO of 720 will see it fall from 520 to 420.

The effect on a consumer’s credit report—foreclosure vs. short sale—is the difference between being hit by a train or a bus.

Here’s why:

Waiting Period Before Buying Another Home

Foreclosure or Deed-in-Lieu of Foreclosure
A seller who wants to buy another home after foreclosure will end up waiting about 36 months before a lender will offer any kind of interest rate that makes sense.

Short sale
A notation on a consumer’s credit profile of ’settled for less than owed’ (short sale) precludes the consumer from obtaining an institutional loan for 24 months, depending on the lender’s program and regardless of FICO score. Fannie Mae guidelines require 24 months seasoning, and there’s no way to get around this.

Short Sale/Foreclosure Deficiency Judgments

The bad news is a seller could be subject to a deficiency judgment for the difference between the loan amount and the amount paid. In California, purchase money loans are not subject to deficiency judgments; however, hard money loans, equity loans and refinances are. Some other states have laws regarding personal guarantees, which could also result in a deficiency judgment, if the home owner is held personally liable for loan repayment.

The lender has sole discretion whether to pursue a deficiency judgment in those instances when the judgment is permitted. To determine whether a pending foreclosure or short sale is subject to a deficiency judgment, talk to a real estate lawyer.

By: Tim and Julie Harris. Tim Harris and Julie Harris are the founders of Harris Real Estate University.  The nations largest online University for Realtors and real estate investors. Named NAR’’s Agents of the Year their first year in the business, Tim and Julie run the #1 Short Sale training program for Agents. To get your complimentary copy of their 7 Part “Short Sale Secrets” Crash Course, visit Harris Real Estate University at: http://g.adspeed.net/ad.php?do=clk&aid=53983&auth=367BF6370F&r=

If you need more info. about real estate at Smith Mountain Lake you can contact Paul Moore of Smith Mountain Homes Toll Free at (877) SML-HOME, or visit the website at http://www.smithmountainhomes.com/.

NCVC opened in 1996 in Roanoke, Va. (moved to Salem in summer 2007), and expanded to Smith Mountain Lake in 2005. The New Century Venture Center is what you would call an incubator for businesses. Just as an egg needs just the right environment and care to become a baby chick, so does a fledgling business need a great deal of guidance and support to become a success.

Their incubator program offers office space and manufacturing/warehouse space, flexible and affordable leases, receptionists, conference/meeting room, shared copier and fax, seminars and training, and business mentoring. Services are available to start-up or existing businesses, and onsite or offsite clients. If this sounds like something your new business could use check them out. Also below are 2 upcoming trainings that they will offer the community.

Come visit HOT SHOTS Haunted Halloween Trail throughout October and vote for the best decorated golf hole.  Hot Shots trick-or-treat trail will be October 31 from 3 - 6 PM.  Hit 19 businesses with one stop.  Hot Shots will be starting an in-house pool league beginning in November.  Call 719-1547 to sign up your team.

A youth lock-in harvest festival will be held at the Pigg River Community Center for youth through 12th grade. Those under 5 must be accompanied by parent/guardian. All participants must be registered by parent/guardian. Registration starts at 5:30 p.m. The lock-in will last until Saturday, Nov. 1 at 7 a.m. For more information, call 484-3233, 483-5495 or 483-9693. For tickets, call by Oct. 29. Admission: canned goods to benefit local food banks.

The Franklin County Youth Center will host an autumn bash with games and prizes at the American Legion Building from 6 to 8 p.m. for elementary and middle school age children. For more information, call 540-483-4008.

Ferrum Volunteer Fire Department and Ferrum Rescue Squad will hand out treats for kids from 5 to 8 p.m. at the fire department building on 40 West.

Costume Party on Friday, October 31, 2008 at Mariners Landing from 7pm - 12am / $10 Admission in advance / $12 at the door. Must be 21 and older (Ids required) Festive hors d’oeuvres - Costume Contest - Karaoke - Music. For passes or package information, contact our reservations department at 800.851.4988.

Rke Ballet Theatre Spirits of the Valley  7:30pm (For the Family)
Location: Williamson Fleming High School - Ghost stories of Roanoke as performed by special guest Danahbella DanceWorks and F.R.E.E. Dance Co.

Halle-Luau Night at Heritage Church  6PM - 9PM 
Location: Heritage Church, Dublin, VA
Parents - bring your kids out to Heritage Church in Dublin on Friday, October 31st for a night of FREE candy, games, prizes & fun for Halle-Luau Night, a Hawaiian-themed night filled with hayrides, pumpkin carving, snacks and laughter everywhere! Kids – wear your cutest costumes and see how “God Lights Our Way.” The fun starts at 6 PM. Heritage Church is located on Route 100 in Dublin, just past the Airport. Call (540) 674-9220 for more information, or visit the Heritage Church website at www.heritagechurch.net to find out more.

Edible Vibe Cafe, Located at 315 Franklin Street in Historic Downtown Rocky Mount is a great place to grab lunch or plan an evening out.  Featuring Tapas, Sandwiches, Salads, Full Espresso Service & Gourmet Hand-made Pastries.   Rotating Local Art, Live Local Music (no cover) on Thursday & Friday Nights, Saturday Morning Breakfast Club Features, Wifi Hotspot. 540-489-7827

The Carlisle Fall/Holiday Trunk Show features contemporary or classic themes, formal tops or casual pants, an all-business attitude or pure romance.  Grand entrance guaranteed for New Years Eve!  There is something for everyone.  Gift certificates in any amount, gift wrapped with elegance, guaranteed to thrill her on Christmas Day!  Call Betty Lesko, 540.721.9367, or bhlesko@hotmail.com for your appointment or more information for the Fall/Holiday Show, October 31-November 11.  Good Clothes Open All Doors!  cell 540-537-8066;  540-400-8467.