Chore or enjoyable exercise, the grass has to be cut

Just as a chain saw isn't an essential garden tool for beginners, a riding mower isn't a necessary investment for most people unless they own a couple of acres of land.

Sharpening and other care

Taking good care of your tools will prolong their usefulness. It goes without saying that you shouldn't leave them in the garden overnight, especially in a rainstorm.

"A sharp tool works better and more efficiently and it's safer, too," said Sukie Kindwall of Oesco Inc. in Conway.

List of essential tools

4 Spade or shovel $20-$100

4 Trowel $7-$20

4 Weeder or cultivator $10-$30

4 Pruners $10-$50

4 Hose $25-$75

4 Pruning saw $15-$35

4 Garden knife $15- $25

4 Hoe $20-$50

4 Wheelbarrow $65-$200

4 Compost bin $15-$80

Total: $200 to $600.

Energy-saving updates turn old house green

Old houses might be big on charm but they're usually liabilities when it comes to energy conservation.

That's why one of the first things I did after moving into our 1924 American Four Square in the historic district of Hampton, Va., more than 15 years ago was upgrade the paltry few inches of attic insulation.

Recycled materials give countertops new look

Remodeling your kitchen? Coming down with a case of granite fatigue? Never fear, a remedy is available: Install a countertop made from recycled materials. The new look can personalize your kitchen and boost the health of the environment, too.

There's no place like (an organized) home

"The place where you feel happy."

In an interview in Esquire magazine, that's how novelist Salman Rushdie described "home."

After a busy day or a long time away, most of us look forward to just being home, where we can be ourselves and surround ourselves with the familiar.

At-home technology can monitor seniors' safety

At 88, Grif Crawford knows he's at risk of a fall or other sudden health problem. So he wears a pendant around his neck that can summon help if something goes wrong.

"It's kind of like life insurance," said Crawford, of Lee Summit, Mo. "I feel very comforted with this."

On the way: Plastics to toss in compost bin

London researchers have come up with a new sugar-based polymer that they say could make food packaging and other disposable plastic items suitable for being composted at home along with the usual veggie peelings and other organic waste.

Study: Germs easily beat 5-second rule

Oops.

If your family has lived, or at least survived, by the 5-second rule, researchers at San Diego State University say you may be living on borrowed time.

You know the rule: If food falls to the floor and you grab it back within 5 seconds, you can still eat it. Without, you know, dying.