Homes

Last month, we decked the halls with boughs of holly. Now it’s time to think about a different kind of decking, the kind that helps to enhance the enjoyment of our homes and the great outdoor environment beyond.

The first 2015 seed catalogue to arrive was, as usual, from Plant World Seeds in Devon, U.K. A grower at my local farmers’ market told me about this source years ago.

Dear Reena: I own a beautiful black leather chair that I somehow got a drop of nail polish or superglue on. I am not sure which it is.

Dear Helen: I have a Dracaena that has developed a long, bare stem with a top notch of long leaves up at ceiling level. How can I reclaim this plant? W.M. Dear W.M.: You have options. One is to purchase a young replacement plant.

As I look back on the gardening year and my ongoing interactions with readers of this column, I am grateful for the many messages, tips and stories they have passed along.

Dear Reena: I want to know the best way to clean my drains. Donna Dear Donna: In a jar, combine two tablespoons of cream of tartar, one quarter cup baking soda and one teaspoon of salt. Drop in the drain and chase with boiling water.

Mistakes can happen in BC Assessments. Ask the South Surrey family whose property assessment jumped by over a million dollars from 2012 to 2013. Turned out to be a clerical error that added a phantom 8,000 square feet to their top floor.

I tried sitting still once. It was during a 12-day Buddhist meditation retreat in which my body screamed for movement while my mind futilely attempted stillness.

Dear Leanne: How important is it that window trims and base-boards match? We have bought an older home and are replacing the windows. The new options for trims will not match the cur-rent baseboards, which are 2.5-inch mahogany.

Residents of a sleepy French village in Bordeaux have been left dumbfounded after discovering their local 18th-century chateau was completely bull-dozed "by mistake.